Carrie Howland is a literary agent and the President of Howland Literary, LLC, which she established in 2018, after thirteen years as an agent, most recently at Empire Literary.

Carrie holds a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Albion College, where she was the Poetry Editor of The Albion Review. Her poetry has appeared in various literary journals and magazines. In her spare time, Carrie volunteers as a foster for a local dog rescue and is an active member of the Junior League. Her passions include music, pop culture, and the Midwest. She has been featured in several publications discussing her work as an agent including Poets & Writers, SCWBI insight, Akashic Books, and Slice Magazine. Carrie Howland joined Empire Literary after eleven years as an agent at Donadio & Olson, Inc.

She represents young adult, middle grade, and select picture book authors.

 

 

Alexandra Grana is a literary agent with Corvisiero Literary.

Alex is a recent graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law. She has always loved writing and literature, having completed her B.A. in Professional Writing at Miami University, and is excited to dedicate herself to helping fellow writers pursue publication. When she isn’t reading, she can be found trying a new recipe in the kitchen or prepping for her next DnD session.

Alex’s favorite genres are fantasy and horror. She is a sucker for a good magic system, reimagined fairy tales, and poetic prose. Stories by marginalized writers are of particular interest to her.

In fiction, she seeks:

• Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror for middle grade, young adult, and adult
• LGBTQ stories in all genres
• Mysteries and Thrillers
• Historical fiction
• Magical Realism
• Weird Queer

In adult, new adult, and young adult, Alex enjoys:

• Lush gothic stories of all kinds
• Feral girl protagonists
• Wintery fantasies, with a soft spot for Slavic-inspired settings and dog sledding
• Fantasies set in space and dark, grounded science fiction
• Solarpunk science fiction
• Body horror with religious themes

In middle grade, Alex hopes to find:

• Scary stories that keep you up at night
• Themes of self discovery and found family
• Fantasies reminiscent of Spirited Away

In nonfiction, Alex Is looking for:

• Occult History/Mysteries
• Narratives about Deconstruction

Books Alex loves:

Lilith’s Brood by Octavia Butler
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

Kat Kerr is a literary agent with Donald Maass Literary Agency.

Kat joined Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2019. She graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelors in English in 2009 and is drawn to literary and commercial voices within the adult and YA markets, as well as adult nonfiction. Kat feels strongly about supporting programs like We Need Diverse Books and is passionate about creating space in this industry for those from historically marginalized communities. She is actively seeking to grow her client list and is particularly hungry for magical realism, literary leaning speculative and science fiction, women’s fiction, YA works with a lot of heart, and narrative nonfiction with something to say.

Submission Interests:

Literary and Upmarket Fiction:

Kat is drawn to strong, character-driven works with rich, literary prose. She loves books that make her think and have a strong emotional pull.

Contemporary
Women’s Fiction
Multicultural Lit
Speculative
Magical Realism
Family Sagas
YA

Favorite Books: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, Big Fish by Daniel Wallace, About a Boy by Nick Hornby, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, The Leavers by Lisa Ko, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi, More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera, Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen, anything by Amy Tan

Commercial Fiction:

For the commercial market, Kat is looking for high concept, voice-driven works with a close POV and well-developed, distinct characters.

Select Science Fiction and Fantasy
Women’s Fiction and Rom-Coms
YA (all genres)

Favorite Books: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab, The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, Crazy Rich Asians trilogy by Kevin Kwan, The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow, Wild Women and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce, I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee

Nonfiction:

Narrative nonfiction and journalistic non-fiction tackling current affairs and social justice issues, particularly covering topics of racism, immigration, LGBTQIA+ rights, gender equality, and poverty
Select biographies and memoirs

Do NOT pitch:

– Plots/themes centering around unresolved trauma
– Previously published or self-published works
– MG, Chapter books, picture books
– Novellas, short stories, or poetry collections
– Military/war stories
– Westerns

Najla Mamou is a literary agent with Savvy Literary Services. She is also a developmental editor and sensitivity reader

Najla represents adult fiction and some YA. She’s most interested in mystery, romance, crime, and thriller. She’s most interested in main characters that are BIPOC or immigrants or expats, anything set in rural and inner city areas, and historical fiction genres/categories/settings.

She also is interested in narrative and creative nonfiction.

She enjoys stories about: rags to riches, overcoming discrimination, fish out of water, forbidden love, secret babies, arranged marriage, redemption, road trips or stories where the discovery happens away from home and more expat books where a POC moves to another place.

Chelsea Eberly is a literary agent and the Director of Greenhouse Literary Agency.

She represents authors of middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, and women’s fiction, as well as illustrators who write picture books.

As a former Senior Editor at Random House, she edited the Newbery Medal winning When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller as well as numerous award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors such as Tamora Pierce, Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Sarah J. Maas, Mark Siegel, and Kim Johnson to name only a few. She has a deep understanding of how publishers think and is an expert advocate for her clients. Chelsea is also a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree, which recognizes “the rising stars of the US publishing industry.”

 

Maggie Sadler is a literary agent with Corvisiero Literary.

Maggie is motivated to apply her knowledge of literature and craft to the industry as an Agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Maggie earned her joint degree in Comparative Literature and English in 2016 from the University of St Andrews, a historical university tucked away in a tiny windswept Scottish town along the North Sea. A sea sprite at heart, Maggie returned to the North Atlantic coast to earn her Master’s in Literary Studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2019. The intricate, vivid, and deep-rooted folk traditions Maggie encountered in both Scotland and Newfoundland further enriched her literary interest in folklore, mainly the seafaring lore intrinsic to small North Atlantic communities.

After these unexpected adventures, Maggie now calls rural Michigan home, where she daydreams amongst the wildflowers with her rascally horse. She is currently working on a novel of her own, full of wild coasts, mysterious sea chests, and feral girls with monstrous secrets.

She is seeking:

Maggie will evaluate every pitch with sensitivity and a desire to uplift up-and-coming writers. However, she is especially interested in finding unorthodox narrative voices that possess subtle, yet insightful perspectives.

In adult fiction, Maggie enjoys:

• Nuanced, entrancing Magical Realism that forces the reader to reconsider what “real” truly means.
• Folklore retellings of ambitious, perhaps even monstrous, women who are willing to sacrifice love for power.
• Genre-bending literary fiction with an unexpected and intelligent use of language.
• Pre-1900 historical fiction, particularly any untold stories of boundary-pushing women and women from traditionally underrepresented communities.
• Themes of femininity and the natural world, cultural identity, family legacy, rebellion against tradition.

In new adult and young adult fiction, Maggie seeks:

• #OwnVoices Magical Realism that is strongly rooted in history and non-Western folklore.
• Maritime fiction that evokes the spirit of nineteenth-century adventure fiction, particularly with fierce, feminine pirate queens à la Elizabeth Swann and Eleanor Guthrie.
• Upmarket fiction helmed by sharp, charming anti-heroes.
• Very select endearing, cozy fantasies that strike the same notes as Howl’s Moving Castle or The Hobbit, yet with heroines that are equal parts gentle and resilient.
• Themes of cultural identity, self-actualization, bravery in the smallest (literally and figuratively) of people, and setting as character (bonus points for dark academia).

In middle grade fiction, Maggie is very selective, looking primarily for that sparkling, intelligent, and authentic voice. Maggie hopes to find:

• Nostalgic adventure romps featuring a rag-tag band of endearing and witty misfits. I’m especially hoping to find the next The Goonies or Stranger Things, in novel form!
• Subtly articulated and tactfully negotiated upmarket fiction that explores themes of loneliness, multiculturalism, unique family dynamics, or differing abilities (i.e. intellectual, emotional, and/or physical).
• Animal stories that reach across generations with sensitivity and grace, whose protagonists gently welcome the reader in for a cup of tea and a bit of cake.

An experienced traveler, Maggie also welcomes travelogues depicting remote locations and thought-provoking encounters in a raw, authentic, and intentional narrative voice that blurs the boundaries between the literary and the nonfiction.

Maggie is NOT a good fit for:

• High or epic fantasy, particularly in the adult sphere
• Science fiction; no space exploration or aliens, please
• Thrillers, especially stories inspired by true crime
• Military or political fiction
• Humor or satire
• Commercial romance
• Graphic novels​
• Casts of paranormal creatures (fairies, ghosts, werewolves, and vampires)
• MG narratives in the vein of Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or The Fairly OddParents
• Intense depictions of animal abuse, murder, sexual abuse, sexual trauma, or torture