Friday, August 24, 2018

Seven literary agents at Irene Goodman Agency seek new authors


Kin by Lili St. Crow, represented by
Irene Goodman Agency
Irene Goodman Literary Agency
27 W 24th St
# 700B
New York, NY 10010

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Irene Goodman and her agency has been around the publishing world for more than 30 years. All seven agents are open to new authors, including Irene herself (though I suspect she doesn’t take on as many new authors as she used to).

Whitney Ross joined Irene Goodman in 2018. Previously, she worked as an editor at Macmillan for nearly a decade, culminating in her role as a senior editor for Tor Teen, Tor, and Forge. Over the course of her career, Whitney has had the pleasure of editing many talented authors, including Susan Dennard, Cora Carmack, Eric Van Lustbader, Steven Erikson, Katie McGarry, Ann Aguirre, Dan Wells, and Stacey Kade.
Whitney represents middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction across all genres, with an emphasis on historical, SF & fantasy, romance, and contemporary fiction. She is also open to non-fiction submissions in the areas of design, cooking, and fashion.
Whitney loves to read novels set in unusual time periods and locations, whether that involves a fantastical element or not. She is rarely able to resist the trickster king motif, and has a weakness for read-between-the-lines subtle romances. Yet she's constantly surprised by books not on her "wish list," and is always open to stories with compelling characters and emotionally involving plot lines.
Whitney earned her B.A. in English Literature, a B.S. in Entrepreneurship, and an M.S. in Publishing. In her spare time, she enjoys competitive sports such as skiing and shopping, and tasting wines with her winemaker husband.
Like all new agents, Whitney needs authors.
Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Maggie Kane was born and raised in northern Michigan and received her BA in English and Humanistic Studies from Saint Mary's College in 2016. She then moved to New York to pursue a career in publishing. Maggie has since interned with Gelfman Schneider and ICM Partners as well as Inkwell Management.
Maggie is currently interested in middle grade, young adult, and character-driven fiction. She can't resist a twist of the fantastical in unexpected places, and her reading interests are varied, from magical realism and fantasy/science fiction to idiosyncratic family sagas and literary suspense. She'll happily follow a compelling voice wherever it leads.
Like all new agents, Whitney needs authors.
Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Kim Perel has a combined decade of experience in magazine and book publishing. She began her career at Forbes magazine working in an editorial capacity, and later worked as an advertising copywriter. For over five years Kim was an agent at Wendy Sherman Associates where she conceptualized sold, and even authored numerous books for major publishers.
Kim is passionate about discovering fresh voices and championing debut writers.
She holds an MFA degree in Creative Writing from The New School where she studied with world-renowned professional writers in the areas of fiction and nonfiction. She also received her undergraduate Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. In her spare time, she co-curates the popular H.I.P. Lit event series.
Kim is looking for all types of literary and upmarket fiction, as well as high-concept commercial fiction; she can't resist a strong voice, atmospheric writing, or a unique hook. She is open to platform-driven nonfiction as well as select nonfiction in the areas of lifestyle, wellness, and narrative nonfiction.
Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Victoria Marini began her career as a literary agent at Gelfman Schneider and ICM Partners before joining the Irene Goodman Agency in 2016. Originally from rural Pennsylvania, she worked at an orchard, before moving to New York and earning her degree in English and Comparative Literature at Pace University. 
Victoria is interested in both Literary and Commercial Middle Grade, Young Adult and Adult fiction. From contemporary to magical realism to sci-fi/fantasy and dramatic suspense, she is always looking for unforgettable off-the-page characters, compulsive stories, and unique voices. She is a sucker for weirdness, atmosphere, secrets, things that go bump in the night, a bit of whimsy, a twist of magic, or a dash of humor.
Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Barbara Poelle began her publishing career as a freelance copywriter and editor before joining the Goodman Agency in 2007, but feels as if she truly prepared for the industry during her brief stint as a stand-up comic in Los Angeles. 
Barbara has found success placing thrillers, literary suspense, Young Adult and upmarket fiction and is actively seeking her next great client in those genres, but is passionate about anything with a unique voice. Barbara also writes the column Funny You Should Ask, in Writer's Digest.
Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Miriam Kriss, Vice President of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, has been a literary agent since 2004 with a focus on all genres of commercial fiction. She represents everything from hardcover historical mysteries to all subgenres of romance, from thrillers to science fiction, from young adult fiction to fantasies, and everything in between. If it's fun to read, she probably represents it.
She doesn't look for specific stories, focusing instead on finding a voice she can fall in love with and champion. This strategy of taking on only clients she's passionate about has led to six-figure deals for first-time authors and numerous client appearances on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists.
Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Irene Goodman  has sold over 1500 books and counting. Her clients are regulars on the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Bookscan bestseller lists. She began her career as the assistant to the agent who represented Stephen King, and established her own agency shortly after that. Her fiction list includes upmarket women's fiction, middle grade, young adult, thrillers, historical fiction, and mysteries. Her non-fiction list includes pop culture, Jewish interest, science, self-help, Francophilia, and lifestyle.
Originally from the Midwest and still trying to lose the accent, Irene has a B.A. and a master's degree from the University of Michigan. She and her husband divide their time between New York and the Berkshires, and have two grown children.
Include the first 10 pages and a short synopsis (3–5 paragraphs) in the body of the email. No attachments.

Full submission guidelines here.

Yasemin Uçar, Kids Can Press
If you’re interested in Writing for Children & for Young Adults, Brian Henry will lead a mini-conference with  Yasemin Uçar, senior editor at Kids Can Press, children’s author Kira Vermond, and YA author Tanaz Bhathena, Saturday, Sept 22, in Oakville (see here), a Writing Kid Lit weekly course on Friday afternoons, Oct 5 – Nov 30 in Toronto (see here), and a Writing for Children & for Young Adults workshop Saturday, October 12, in Sudbury (see here).
For updated listings of Writing for Children & for Young adult workshops and for weekly Kid lit classes, see here (and scroll down).

If you’re interested in getting published, soon or somewhere down the road, don’t miss the upcoming  How to Get Published workshop Saturday, Nov 17, in Mississauga with literary agent Stephanie Sinclair (see here). 
For updated listing of How to Get Published workshops, see here (and scroll down).

Also coming soon: Writing Conflict: Fight scenes, Dialogue scenes & Love scenes, Saturday, Sept 15, in Toronto (see here), Writing and Revising, Saturday, Sept 29, in St. Catharines (see here), and How to Build Your Story, with author Hannah Mary McKinnon, Saturday, Oct 20, in Kitchener (see here)
 
The Briars
Two weekend writing retreats :
November at the Briars Writing Retreat, Friday, Nov 2 – Sunday, Nov 4: three precious days of writing bliss. Details here.
Algonquin Writing Retreat, Friday, May 31 – June 3, 2019: four days in the luxurious isolation of Arowhon Pines Resort to get down to some real creative growth. Details here.
In both these retreats, you’ll recharge your creative batteries and get some great writing tips – all in the supportive company of your fellow writers.

This September, Brian is leading a full roster of courses, Introductory to Intense (Details of all six courses here):
Welcome to Creative Writing, Thursday, afternoons, Sept 27 - Nov 9, in Oakville. See here.
Writing Personal Stories, Thursday evenings, Oct 4 – Nov 29, in Burlington. See here.
Writing Kid Lit, Friday afternoons, Oct 5 – Nov 30, in Toronto. See here.
And Intensive Creative Writing, offered in three locales:
Tuesday afternoons, Sept 25 – Nov 27 (first readings emailed Sept 18), in Burlington. See here.
Wednesday evenings Sept 26 – Dec 5 (first readings emailed Sept 19), in Georgetown. See here.
Friday mornings Sept 28 – Nov 30 (first readings emailed Sept 21), in Toronto. See here
See details of all six courses here.

To reserve a spot in any workshop, or weekly course, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca
Read reviews of Brian’s courses, retreats, and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.


Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. Also, if you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.

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