Three literary agents at Foreword Literary seek new authors

Michelle Richter

Foreword Literary

http://forewordliterary.com/

Foreword Literary is a full-service literary agency based in California’s Silicon Valley with offices throughout the country. “We blend the tried-and-true methods of traditional publishing with the brash new opportunities engendered by digital publishing, emerging technologies, and an evolving author-agent relationship.”

Michelle Richter has a degree in Economics with a minor in Russian from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and left a career in finance and banking for publishing. She joined St. Martin’s Press’ editorial department in 2006 after obtaining a Masters in Publishing from Pace University. While at St. Martin’s, Michelle edited Melissa Explains It All by Melissa Joan Hart, among others, and worked on a variety of fiction and nonfiction.

Michelle is primarily seeking fiction, specifically book club reads, literary fiction, and well-crafted women’s commercial fiction, thrillers and mysteries (amateur sleuth, police procedurals and smart cozies). Her favorite authors include Laura Lippman, Harlan Coben, Richard Russo, Tom Perrotta, Chelsea Cain, and Gillian Flynn.

For nonfiction, she’s interested in fashion, film, television, science, medicine, sociology/social trends, and economics for trade audiences.

She has a soft spot for fiction and nonfiction in and about Boston/Massachusetts, Ireland, and Russia.

Query Michelle at: querymichelle@forewordliterary.com

Include a 1-2 page plot synopsis and the first twenty pages of your manuscript (presumably pasted into the body of your email).

Emily S. Keyes

Emily S. Keyes joined Foreword Literary in 2013 after working as an agent at the L. Perkins Agency for two years. Before entering the world of agenting, she worked in the contracts department of Simon & Schuster and graduated from New York University’s Center for Publishing. She uses her knowledge of contracts, copyright and the publishing business to benefit her clients and the Foreword team.

Emily is a particular lover of all types of young adult and middle grade books. She wants to represent the kind of stories that will resonate with kids for the rest of their lives. She loves strong voices and unique characters, not knock-offs or trend chasers. Some of her favorite authors include Deb Caletti, Laurie Halse Anderson, Gary D. Schmidt, and Megan Whalen Turner. She thinks books are best when they make you laugh and cry.

Emily is also looking for a select list of commercial fiction which includes fantasy & science fiction, women’s fiction, new adult fiction, along with pop culture and humor titles. She is not looking for poetry, short stories, picture books or anything that is publishable but not amazing.

If your manuscript is amazing, query Emily at: queryemily@forewordliterary.com

Include the first ten pages pasted into the body of the email. No attachments.

Connor Goldsmith

Connor Goldsmith is an Associate Agent at Foreword Literary. He began his career in publishing in the fall of 2012 at Lowenstein Associates, where he was promoted to Associate Agent in March 2013. 

Prior to transitioning into the world of books, he spent a year as a full-time intern and relief assistant in the commercial film and television department at Abrams Artists Agency.

Born and raised in New York, Connor lived for a brief stint in the Midwest studying English and the Classics at Oberlin College in Ohio. He is passionate about narrative fiction across all media as a vehicle for social progress, and will receive his Master’s Degree in Media Studies from The New School for Public Engagement in May 2014.

In Fiction, Connor is seeking Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror, Thrillers, Upmarket Commercial Fiction, and Literary Fiction with a unique and memorable hook. He is especially interested in books by and about people from marginalized perspectives, such as LGBT people and/or racial minorities. Connor does not represent Young Adult, Middle Grade, or Children’s manuscripts at this time.

In Non-fiction, Connor is only seeking authors who are recognized experts with established platforms. Fields of interest include history (particularly of the ancient world), theater, cinema, music, television, mass media, popular culture, feminism and gender studies, LGBT issues, race relations, and the sex industry. He is not interested in unsolicited memoir submissions.

Query Connor at: queryconnor@forewordliterary.com

Include a 1-2 page plot synopsis, and the first ten pages of your manuscript. Please paste all content into the body of the email; attachments will not be opened.

Maria Vicente

Brian Henry will lead “How to Get Published” workshops in Ottawa on June 22 with literary agent Maria Vicente (see here), and in Oakville on Sept 27 with literary agent Carly Watters (see here).

Also, Brian will lead a “Writing for Children & for Young Adults” workshop on May 31 in Burlington (see here).

But the best way to get your manuscript ready for publication is with a weekly course. You can check out all three courses Brian will be offering this summer here. 

He'll be offering “Writing your life & other personal stories” on Tuesday afternoons in Mississauga (see here), “Next Step in Creative Writing” on Wednesday evenings (see here) and “Intensive Creative Writing” on Wednesday afternoons (see here). 

To register or for more details of any course or workshop, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Barrie, Brampton, Bolton, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Sudbury, Toronto, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.