2026 Washington Writers Conference Literary Agents

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Ritu Anand of D4EO Literary Agency has been a passionate storyteller since childhood. Caught and admonished for writing (under her desk) during a math class, she recalls being highly inconvenienced. Inspiration had struck from within, and there was little else she could have done to curtail it. Today, Ritu has earned the recognition of being an award-winning author of Kara’s Dreams, a picture book about being resilient in the face of adversity. She gives tremendous credit to the various teachers at Mater Dei Convent who, in the formative years of her life, laid an impression upon her. No good story should ever be filed away but shared, she believes. That is why she has chosen to champion voices yet unheard. Ritu is excited to represent writers of kid lit, literary fiction, general fiction, and historical fiction. She joined D4EO in spring 2023, where her clientele has been growing. Soon, she will share some good news about two of her clients catching the interest of two different publishers. (P.S.: Kara’s Dreams was translated to Spanish — Los Suenos de Kara. Her third picture book, I Am My Language, is expected to be released this winter.) 
Two fun facts: Ritu loves to speak in full sentences to her puppy. And she believes his vocabulary has been growing.
Represents: Fiction (adult, YA, middle grade, and children’s).
Would love to be pitched the next: The Godfather.
Do NOT pitch: Erotica.
Instagram: @Rituwrites4kids

Jessica Berg is the founder and agency director of Rosecliff Literary, a boutique agency built on the belief that ambitious writers deserve transparency, strategy, and a seat at the table. She earned her MFA from Spalding University and brings more than a decade of experience to her work with clients. In addition to her agency role, Jessica serves as a contributing editor for Writer’s Digest, where she writes and consults on topics related to querying, craft, comp titles, and the business of authorship. She teaches globally on query letters, positioning, and sustainable author careers. Jessica serves on the board of the Historical Novel Society and is a chair for the National Women’s Book Association. She lives online at @jessica__berg, where she talks about querying, the writing life, and the realities of publishing with transparency, humor, and a touch of glam. “My cat, Larry, has been to 16 countries, and I speak to him in no fewer than five languages,” she adds.
Represents: Both fiction and nonfiction with a strong voice, emotional resonance, and something subversive at their core. In fiction, she’s drawn to genre-blending work that confidently sits in one lane. She has an eye out right now for horror of all types, as well as historical fiction, women’s fiction, upmarket, and book-club novels. As always, she’d love to see more upmarket book-club fiction with big feelings and big hooks. She’s always looking for stories from queer, trans, and BIPOC authors, especially those exploring identity, longing, ambition, or survival. In nonfiction, she’s looking for narrative projects with a wide reach: untold histories, true crime, pop culture, women’s health, wellness and career books for women, and smart self-help or personal development. Across all genres, she prioritizes platformed authors, distinctive voice, and projects that feel urgent, resonant, and unafraid to challenge the status quo.
Would love to be pitched the next: Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy, The Newmans by Jennifer Niven, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson, The Eights by Joanna Miller, or any sci-fi, fantasy, or domestic suspense. [NOTE: THIS AGENT IS NOW FULL.]

Caitlin Blasdell has been a literary agent with Liza Dawson Associates since 2002 with a focus on commercial fiction. Before becoming an agent, she was a senior editor at HarperCollins Publishers. A graduate of Williams College, she lives in Westchester County, New York, with her husband and children.
Two fun facts: My husband and I own a commercial fruit orchard in Dutchess County. We don’t live there, but we drive up almost every weekend during the growing season, and I know more than I ever expected to about fruit trees and berry bushes. Also, I live in a fraternity house. No, not really, but I do live with my husband and four sons, so it feels like that sometimes! 
Represents: Fiction (adult, YA, select MG); sci-fi/fantasy/horror; romance; women’s fiction; thriller/mystery.
Would love to be pitched the next: I don’t have a wish list because I never know what I’m going to fall in love with. That’s part of what makes the literary agent job special! But lately, I’ve been wishing to open my inbox and find a new Maeve Binchy or Rosamund Pilcher. I’d love a big, sprawling, epic fantasy like those by Brian McClellan or Samantha Shannon. And I wouldn’t say no to a smart space opera full of heart and action. And...you get the idea!
Do NOT pitch: Poetry, nonfiction, or short stories/novellas. I’m also probably the wrong agent for serial-killer thrillers.
Instagram: @lizadawsonassoc [NOTE: THIS AGENT IS NOW FULL.]

Matt Carlini joined Javelin in 2018 as a literary agent/foreign-rights director after working at Little, Brown & Company and Vigliano Associates in New York. He has worked with a variety of bestselling and acclaimed authors, including James Patterson, Elin Hilderbrand, two Pulitzer Prize finalists, a National Book Award winner, and a Man Booker Prize finalist. He has also orchestrated successful international sales campaigns for Mike Tyson, Pearl Jam, Andrew Morton, Gary Zukav, and others. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Matt is a graduate of Georgetown University.
Represents: Narrative nonfiction (politics, current events, journalism, cultural criticism, pop culture, and sports).

Jennifer Chen Tran is an agent at Glass Literary Management. With over a dozen years of experience in publishing, Jennifer is passionate about nurturing and championing authors and their creative lives. She represents a wide range of talent, including journalists, physicians, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, chefs, and graphic novelists, among others. Prior to joining Glass Literary Management, Jennifer was a literary agent at several West Coast literary agencies and served as Of Counsel at the New Press. She obtained her Juris Doctor from Northeastern School of Law in Boston, MA, and a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Washington University in St. Louis. She is an attorney in good standing in New York and California. Jennifer is an editorial agent who believes in the art of collaboration and works closely with her authors from concept to proposal to publication and beyond. As a person of color and the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, she is committed to amplifying voices from underrepresented and marginalized communities. Her ultimate goal is to work in concert with authors to shape books that will have a lasting positive social impact on the world — books that illuminate, entertain, and inspire.
Genres represented: In nonfiction: cookbooks, memoir, narrative nonfiction, neurodivergent, prescriptive nonfiction, middle grade, and YA (including BIPOC and LGBTQIA+). In fiction: graphic novels, book-club fiction, commercial fiction, and women’s fiction.
Bluesky: @jenchentran
Instagram: @jenchentran [NOTE: THIS AGENT IS NOW FULL.]

Rose Conway is a literary agent and publishing consultant empowering fiction authors through representation and nonfiction authors through strategic guidance to make informed publishing decisions. As an agent with Confluence Literary Agency, Rose channels her consulting expertise into author representation. She seeks upmarket and smart commercial fiction with inventive structures, emotional depth, and distinctive voices. Think braided narratives, unexpected POVs, and prose that takes creative risks. After years of witnessing authors navigate mounting obstacles in the publishing landscape with increasingly contradictory and inconsistent advice, Rose founded Foreword Literary Consulting, LLC as a trusted resource for strategic guidance. Whether pursuing independent publishers who offer strong editorial support or Big Five houses when the fit is right, her focus remains on long-term career development. Rose’s goal is to help authors lay the foundation so that, years down the line, they can look back proudly at the body of work they’ve built. Rose also serves on the board of sparrow stories, a nonprofit making ghostwriting accessible to community advocates and nonprofit leaders. She holds a Master’s in publishing from London College of Communication and a double Bachelor’s in English and communication studies from Villanova University.
Represents: Fiction — adult and YA, commercial, literary, and upmarket.
Would love to be pitched the next: Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon or Piglet by Lottie Hazell.
Do NOT pitch: Historical fiction, sci-fi in outer space, vampire romances, or a story that begins with an escape from an abusive relationship.
Instagram: @bookswithroseconway

Sam Farkas of Jill Grinberg Literary Management grew up in South Jersey and attended the College of William & Mary, where she received her B.A. in history and English. Post college, she moved to New York City to intern with Maria B. Campbell Associates, and it was there she discovered her love for collaborating with agents and publishers around the world. She worked in the rights division at Penguin, where she was involved in major international publishing events for authors such as John Green, Anna Dewdney, and more before she joined the JGLM team in 2018. She represents a client list that spans age categories and genres. She lives in Queens with her husband and two cats, and when she’s not reading, she likes to dabble in various artistic hobbies and work on perfecting her risotto recipe.
Represents: Adult, YA, middle-grade: fantasy, romance, book-club fiction, mystery/suspense, horror, literary, speculative, LitRPG (literary role-playing game), and historical fiction.
Would love to be pitched the next: Holes by Louis Sachar; John Green; Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith; Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.
Do NOT pitch: Memoir (unless food memoir), graphic novels, police procedurals.
Instagram: @sambfarkas
Bluesky: @sambfarkas [NOTE: THIS AGENT IS NOW FULL.]

Kathryn Fay is publisher and founding editor of Modern Artist Press, a new woman-owned indie press that looks to expand and explode the definition of a modern artist by publishing literary fiction. She has over 15 years of experience writing, editing, and publishing museum catalogues, biographies, memoirs, and fiction. Her interest in art and literature was inspired by her experience growing up in a foreign-service family that was posted in Brazil, South Korea, Morocco, Russia, Argentina, and the United States. She holds a B.A. in English and art history from the College of William & Mary and an M.A. in art history from American University.
Represents: Literary fiction.
Would love to be pitched the next: Linked short-story collection or novel-in-stories (My Monticello, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions); multi-generational novel (America Is Not the Heart, A Place for Us, The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing); stories told through structural experimentation (If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English, The Swimmers, Trust); and literary stories that incorporate speculative, horror, and genre elements (Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, Chain-Gang All-Stars, Her Body and Other Parties, Nightbitch).
Do NOT pitch: YA, middle grade, picture books, nonfiction, graphic novels, or poetry.
Instagram: @modernartistpress

Juan Garcia-Davis, a novelist, educator, and lifelong revolutionary, founded and operates Feathered Serpent Press, which exists to publish the work that establishment imprints overlook: fiction with teeth, with history in its bones, with something genuinely at stake. We specialize in dystopian fiction, speculative fiction, and dark literary fiction. Feathered Serpent Press is an independent publisher rooted in Chicanismo and built on the conviction that the most urgent stories live at the intersection of culture, resistance, and imagination. Our aesthetic is what we call academic punk, rigorous in craft, uncompromising in voice, and visually sharp from the spine out. We don’t soften edges to reach broader markets. We sharpen them. Feathered Serpent Press is a small operation by design, not by accident. That means every title we take on receives direct editorial attention, intentional production, and a publisher who treats your book like it matters, because here, it does. We’re not a warehouse. We’re a press. If your work carries cultural weight, refuses easy categorization, and asks something real of its reader, we want to hear from you. We’re building something with intention, and we’re looking for authors who are doing the same.
Two fun facts: My kids say I’m the best dad in the world. I have more pictures of my cats than I do of anyone else in my family.
Represents: Fiction — sci-fi/fantasy, speculative, thrillers.
Would love to be pitched the next: Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Instagram: @jjgallo_fsp

Gabrielle Harbowy is an associate literary agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. She has more than 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, from her entry into the field as a pricing analyst at Scholastic, to becoming a full-time editor and part-time writer. As a third-generation reader of fantasy and science fiction, a love for the speculative is in her blood. Gabrielle was managing editor at Dragon Moon Press for a decade, has worked with award winners and international bestsellers, and is passionate about elevating the authors around her. A three-time published novelist, short-story author, and award-nominated anthologist, Gabrielle has spoken, given workshops, and run D&D and Pathfinder games at numerous conventions. She is a member of SFWA, IAMTW, and the LGBTQ+ Editors Association.
Two fun facts: I play D&D on a livestream. I’m a longtime pianist teaching myself to play the harp.
Represents: Adult and YA sci-fi (especially hard sci-fi with feels), fantasy, LGBTQ, romcom.
Would love to be pitched the next: Iron Widow (Xiran Jay Zhao).
Do NOT pitch: Horror, anything dystopian/apocalyptic, climate fiction, global disasters, religious fiction, nonfiction, poetry, story collections.
Instagram: @gabrielleharbowy

Michelle Z. Jackson founded the Jackson Literary Agency in July 2025. In her long literary career, Jackson has been both a self-published and a traditionally published author, as well as an educator. A member of AALA and a veteran of Olswanger Literary and LCS Literary Services, she is actively seeking new talent at Jackson Literary. Authors who work with her “can expect professionalism, a collaborative relationship, as well as open and honest communication during their journey to publication.”
Represents: Adult fiction (commercial, historical, humor, new adult, romance, thriller, women’s, literary, inspirational, multicultural, psychological thrillers, romcom, speculative, light fantasy, magical realism, and paranormal); YA fiction (contemporary, historical, Christian, romance, speculative, light fantasy, magical realism, and paranormal); select middle-grade fiction (commercial, contemporary); fiction and nonfiction picture books (particularly by author/illustrators); and select nonfiction (relationships, lifestyle, cookbooks, travel, true crime, wellness, and self-help).

Barbara Jones is an agent with the Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, where she represents literary and upmarket fiction and nonfiction. She has a special interest across all forms in stories told from underrepresented and sometimes controversial points of view, as well as — in fiction and memoir especially — a fondness for storytelling that’s unpretentiously humorous and powerful. Barbara became a literary agent after several decades as an editor, first in magazines (Grand Street, Vogue, Harper’s) and then in books (as editorial director at Hyperion Books and, most recently, as executive editor at Henry Holt). She has led writing workshops for more than 30 years at Yale, New York University, and elsewhere. She lives in Harlem, New York.
Two fun facts: I grew up in Bethesda/Chevy Chase; I’ve appeared as myself in two reality-TV shows (anything to sell a book)!
Represents: Adult narrative nonfiction; a great biography; literary fiction; smart and lighthearted crime fiction; a book about a nun gone rogue.
Would love to be pitched the next: Wedding People, Love Affairs of Nathaniel P., My Monticello, Claire Keegan novella, H Is for Hawk.
Do NOT pitch: Non-literary sci-fi; any romantasy; anything children’s, YA, or graphic.
Instagram: @voicereader2 [NOTE: THIS AGENT IS NOW FULL.]

Catherine Jones graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in film and English and a concentration in creative writing. She read for the Kenyon Review and Sweet Literary magazine and got her start in publishing as an international literary scout for Edmison/Harper. She has been at Union Literary since 2023 and started acquiring as an agent in the summer of 2025. She loves character-driven books with heart and humor.
Two fun facts: I collect fossils and I’m a twin.
Represents: Fiction (literary, upmarket, romcoms, and speculative) and select narrative-nonfiction histories.
Would love to be pitched the next: Mexican Gothic, Bridget Jones’s Diary, or Where the Crawdads Sing.
Do NOT pitch: Commercial sci-fi or fantasy (unless there’s a mermaid), mystery/crime, children’s, illustrated/art books, or poetry.

Sandy Lu founded Book Wyrm Literary Agency after working as a literary agent for more than a decade at other boutique agencies, including Peter Rubie Literary Agency, Anderson Literary Management, and the L. Perkins Agency. Born and raised in Taiwan, she moved to New York when she was 16 and understands the struggles of immigrants and those straddling two cultures. Lu holds degrees in psychology and sociology, with minors in music, business, and Japanese, and once worked in the theater industry. Her areas of study and work experience greatly inform the kinds of projects she’s interested in. 
Represents: Fiction that “will draw her in with a unique voice [and] make her miss her bedtime with a thrilling plot…Bonus points if you can make her laugh out loud or unable to hold back tears in public.” She especially loves historical fiction, atmospheric worldbuilding, and anything dark, twisted, or with a supernatural bent. In nonfiction, she’s seeking “projects that can make connections about different topics in an unexpected way, explicate complex research for a general audience, introduce the reader to cutting-edged science or previously little known historical facts and figures, teach us new ways to think or clever skills that can improve our daily life, or expand our knowledge and understanding of the world — past, present, and future.” [NOTE: THIS AGENT IS NOW FULL.]

Bridget Wagner Matzie has represented projects such as the #1 New York Times bestsellers Shattered and Fight by Jon Allen and Amie Parnes; the Washington Post’s #1 New York Times bestseller The Mueller Report; the national bestseller The Case for Impeachment by Allan Lichtman; To Raise a Boy by Washington Post journalist Emma Brown; and Emory professor Ruby Lal’s L.A. Times Book Prize finalist, Empress, among others. Matzie works as an agent and partner with Aevitas, based in Washington, DC, where Washingtonian Magazine listed her as one of DC’s top book agents. She is most interested in strong original ideas, new and international voices, big-think topics, and books that challenge readers and create discussion.
Represents: all nonfiction categories written by experts and leaders in their field (e.g., The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and Evicted).
Do NOT pitch: Fiction or any nonfiction on a topic where you are not a leading expert or leader.

Gina Panettieri is the founder of Talcott Notch Literary Services, a five-member literary agency headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, right on the train line into NY but blessed with a quintessential colonial New England coastal vibe that’s an amazing antidote to stress. She’s been active in publishing for more than 35 years as an agent, freelance editor, and writer, so she’s worked on all sides of the desk. Gina started out writing consumer health articles for national magazines while a college student, first at LIU and then at UVA, and then moved onto writing for magazines at the Macfadden Communications Group that paid a few cents per word (but with frequent publication, it was enough to earn a living in an era of $250/month rent). Making a living writing quickly became a skill she was teaching other women, who gathered in her living room on Saturday mornings. Being an agent has always come with a mission that way for her. One of Gina’s first conversations with a prospective client involves their goals and aspirations. What do you want to achieve with your writing and your work with her? How can she advocate for you? The agency she’s grown is very collegial, so if you approach her with a project that has potential but isn’t quite right for her, she’ll recommend it to the appropriate agent; among the five of them, they represent nearly everything. Here’s a few of Talcott Notch’s most recognizable projects: Tier One series by Andrews & Wilson, Mercy Carr Mysteries by Paula Munier, For Whom The Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn, A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff, Hitmen by Scott Deitche, The Connected Child by Dr. Karyn Purvis, and Ca$hvertising by Drew Eric Whitman.
Two fun facts: 1) My husband and I met online in a Mafia forum when I was looking for experts for a book, and 2) I once drove a taxi for a year to help pay for tuition.
Represents: In adult fiction: mystery, thriller, romantasy, romance/romcom, women’s fiction, horror, dark fantasy, paranormal/supernatural, suspense, grounded near-future sci-fi, and LGBTQ. In adult nonfiction: history, politics, health/medical, career/business, memoir/narrative nonfiction, true crime, military/war history, pop culture, cookbooks, mind/body/spirit, self-help, biography, current affairs. In YA and MG fiction: history, mainstream, mystery, horror, fantasy, romance, humor, and LGBTQ. In YA and MG nonfiction: self-help, biography, politics, history, medical, and psychology.
Would love to be pitched the next: I loved the Aunties Series by Jesse Q. Sutanto because of its delightful, immersive sense of family and food and culture and the wonderful and effortless humor.
Do NOT pitch: Poetry, textbooks, scholarly works.
Instagram: @gina.panettieri [NOTE: THIS AGENT IS NOW FULL.]

Rita Rosenkranz is founder of Rita Rosenkranz Literary Agency and a well-established agent specializing in a wide-ranging list/full scope of adult nonfiction subjects. She looks for familiar topics presented freshly and lesser-known subjects presented commercially. She works with mainstream as well as niche/regional publishers, multi-book authors as well as those launching a career.
Two fun facts: Loves to bake biscotti; enjoys the game of squash.
Represents: Adult nonfiction.
Would love to be pitched the next: Book that starts a conversation on a topic we thought we knew but now we have a revelatory slant on it to educate and celebrate.
Do NOT pitch: Areas outside of my adult nonfiction interest.

John Rudolph joined Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC in 2010 after 12 years as an acquiring children’s book editor. He began his career at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers as an editorial assistant and then moved to the G.P. Putnam’s Sons imprint of the Penguin Young Readers Group, where he eventually served as executive editor on a wide range of young adult, middle-grade, nonfiction, and picture-book titles. He graduated from Amherst College with a double major in Classics and music. While John’s list started out as mostly children’s books, it has evolved to the point where it is now half adult, half children’s authors — and he’s looking to maintain that balance. On the children’s side, John is keenly interested in middle-grade and YA fiction and would love to find the next great picture book author/illustrator. For adults, he is actively looking for narrative nonfiction, especially in music, sports, history, popular science, “big think,” performing arts, health, business, memoir, military history, and humor. He is also interested in commercial fiction but is very selective in what he takes on.

Katharine Sands of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency has worked with a varied list of authors on a diverse array of books, including fiction, memoir, and nonfiction. Among the books she represents are Barbara Barnett’s The Apothecary’s Curse, nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in the First Novel category, and its sequel, Alchemy of Glass, as well as Girl Walks Out of a Bar, a memoir by Lisa Smith that was featured by People Magazine as Notable Nonfiction, and I’m Speaking: Every Woman’s Guide to Finding Your Voice and Using It Fearlessly by Jessica Doyle-Mekkes. Katharine likes books that have a clear benefit for readers’ lives in categories of food, travel, lifestyle, home arts, beauty, wisdom, relationships, parenting, and fresh looks, which might be at issues, life challenges, or popular culture. When reading fiction, she wants to be compelled and propelled by urgent storytelling and hooked by characters. For memoir, femoir, and himoir, she likes to be transported to a world rarely or newly observed. She has worked on a diverse list of titles, including Youth to Power by teen climate activist Jamie Margolin; Sell Your Story in a Single Sentence: Advice from the Front lines of Hollywood by Lane Shefter Bishop; Spiritual Pregnancy: Nine Months that Change Your Life Before You Give Birth by Dr. Shawn Tassone and Dr. Kathryn Landherr; Talk to Strangers: How Everyday Random Encounters Can Expand Your Business, Career, Income and Life by David Topus, and countless others. She is also the agent provocateur behind Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye, a collection of pitching wisdom from leading literary agents.
Two fun facts: I am a foodie, and I have a thing for hotels.
Represents: I work with fiction and nonfiction and do not think categorically. For me, selecting a client is project-based.
Would love to be pitched the next: Page-turning thriller.
Do NOT pitch: Tech stuff.

Ellen Scordato is a partner at Stonesong with more than 35 years’ experience in trade-book publishing. She started at St. Martin’s Press, then Charles Scribner’s Sons and Random House, where she learned from some of the best in the business. She joined Stonesong as a partner in 2002, where she initially specialized in four-color and packaged titles. After 20 years, she returned to her first, best love, genre fiction, and currently represents Jennifer Williamson, S.K. Golden, Victor Suthammanont, Elena Hartwell (Taylor), Randy Overbeck, and Alex Myers, among others. A Wellesley College graduate with a B.A. in Classics and art history, she lives in Manhattan with her husband and a couple of literary cats.
Represents: Romance, thriller/mystery, dark academia settings, and a touch of the supernatural. Ellen is looking for fast-paced contemporary mysteries and thrillers, romantic suspense, and caper thrillers with charismatic protagonists and fresh settings with the potential for series. She’s a fan of supernatural thrillers, dark academia, hardboiled heroines, and clever police procedurals for today’s readers, but she’s not looking for cozy mysteries or historical romance. She’s got a growing interest in mashups like horror romance or supernatural detective stories. She’ll read submissions set in the literary world, but if it’s in a tried-and-true setting (writing conference, bookstore, etc.), she’d like to see something innovative or an unexpected twist.
Two fun facts: I’m a member of the Circumnavigator’s Club, and I have a leash-trained cat.
Would love to be pitched the next: John Banville, Donna Leon, Donna Tartt, Freida McFadden.
Do NOT pitch: Memoir, sci-fi, historical fiction, or cozies.
Facebook: StonesongNYC
Instagram: stonesongnyc

Shawn Reilly Simmons is the publisher and CEO of Level Best Books. She has an extensive background in developmental and line editing and creates most of the cover art for Level Best’s books. Simmons serves on the national board of Bouchercon and will co-chair the event in 2027. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, and the Crime Writers’ Association in the U.K. and is also the Agatha and Anthony Award-winning author of the Red Carpet Catering Mysteries, as well as over 30 published short stories.
Represents: Mysteries (traditional, police procedurals, cozies, noir, and other crime fiction driven by strong characters, compelling plots, and a clear sense of place).​

Max Sinsheimer launched Sinsheimer Literary in the fall of 2016 after nearly seven years as an editor at Oxford University Press. He represents exclusively adult nonfiction across a range of genres, but with a particular interest in food and culture, history, popular science, and social issues. As a former academic editor, he welcomes scholarly works that he think can reach a crossover trade market. For instance, a few food studies and “issues” books he’s represented include Marion Nestle’s Unsavory Truth (Basic Books), Michael Jacobson’s Salt Wars (MIT Press), and Catherine Donnelly’s Ending the War on Artisan Cheese (Chelsea Green). He’d love to take on more popular science, particularly where there is a personal narrative woven in. He’s also keen to represent environmental and social-issue books, having worked on Disposable City (Nation Books), about Miami’s existential sea-level-rise crisis, and If I Don’t Make It, I Love You (Skyhorse), an anthology of narratives from school-shooting survivors. He’s not afraid to take on difficult, depressing topics, but he does expect the writer to leave the reader with something hopeful to cling to. Really, though, he has eclectic tastes and wants to see more pitches in his inbox. So, if you have an exceptional nonfiction manuscript (or even just a complete proposal and sample chapter), he wants to see it! He’d love to be pitched the next Cobalt Red, Madhouse at the End of the Earth, Why Fish Don’t Exist, or Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. DO NOT pitch him diet books, wellness, self-help, or spirituality. “I’m much more on the narrative than the prescriptive end of things!” (X: @SinsheimerLit; Instagram: @msin10)

Hannah Teachout of Folio Literary Management loves a good adventure on and off the page, but especially the stories that dig into themes of identity and explore the metaphors of magic and monsters. She works on middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction across genres and loves a speculative or romantic bent and distinct voice. She earned an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts but pivoted to working in the publishing industry shortly after graduating. Since then, she’s worked as a bookseller, festival organizer, and freelance editor before landing at Folio, where she’s had the privilege to support Lauren Spieller and John Cusick before beginning to focus on building her own list.
Two fun facts: I’ve traveled to nearly 50 countries and I once held a baby shark!
Represents: Fiction for adults, YA, and MG; romance, fantasy, speculative, thriller, and book club.
Would love to be pitched the next: T. Kingfisher-esque horror.
Do NOT pitch: Political thrillers or cop stories.
Instagram: @hmteachout

Paula Weiman (they/them) joined the ASH Literary team in 2023 as an agent after a career in literary scouting and educational publishing. Based in New York and with a background in translation rights, they bring an international approach to selling their clients’ work. They represent authors and illustrators across a wide range of children’s categories, from picture book through young adult, as well as speculative fiction and illustration for adult audiences. Their goal is to help as many children as possible to see their experiences represented on the page for the first time. Paula is a member of the American Association of Literary Agents and a 2025 Literary Agents of Change mentee.
Represents: Adult speculative fiction; YA fantasy, rom-com, suspense/thriller, horror, and contemporary fiction; middle-grade contemporary, fantasy, mystery, and literary fiction; and picture books.
Two fun facts: I used to sail competitively (but not very well). I chose my college major in part because I read a copy of Charles Santore’s The Little Mermaid in second grade.
Would love to be pitched the next: Gingerbread (Helen Oyeyemi) or The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (E. Lockhart).
Do NOT pitch: police procedurals or Dungeons & Dragons-inspired fantasy.
Instagram: @tinyfairyhunter or @ashliterary          

Christina Zobel (she/her) is the subsidiary rights associate at JABberwocky Literary. She manages foreign and audio rights in addition to a small client list. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a dual degree in English and Greco-Roman history. Before joining JABberwocky, she worked at Harlequin Books (HarperCollins) and has previously interned with Simone Garzella Book Scouting, Anthem Press, and Folio Literary Management. Beyond her literary interests, she is an avid fan of videogames, can be found laughing or crying at the latest episodes of “Critical Role” and “Dimension 20,” and plays a truly absurd amount of Tabletop RPGs (who doesn’t love adventures with friends?).
Two fun facts: I’m an equestrian, a marching-band geek, and I have a collection of over 30 houseplants!
Represents: Fiction: adult, new adult, romantasy, romance, upmarket, women’s, book-club, historical, fantasy, science fiction, and horror. (My full MSWL can be found on JABberwocky’s website.)
Would love to be pitched the next: Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner; Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez; Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan; A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen; Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin; The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi.
Do NOT pitch: Mystery, thriller, psychological suspense, literary fiction, YA, middle grade, picture books, graphic novels, or any type of nonfiction.