I love you, call me back
by Sabrina Benaim
represented by CookeMcDermid
CookeMcDermid Literary Management
320 Front
St. W.
Suite 1105
Toronto, Ontario
Note: If you’re not yet on my
newsletter list, send me an email, including your locale to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~Brian
CookeMcDermid was created in 2017 by the
amalgamation of two preeminent Canadian agencies, The Cooke Agency and The
McDermid Agency. CookeMcDermid is a
full-service literary agency. Its agents are especially eager to read commercial,
upmarket and literary fiction, middle grade and young adult novels and
nonfiction, and both research-driven nonfiction and creative nonfiction.
CookeMcDermid
represents more than 300 writers, among them Man Booker nominees,
Giller and Governor General’s award–winning authors, prize-winning journalists,
New York Times bestsellers, international authorities in their field, and some
of the literary world’s most notable names.
Clients include Jen Agg, Omar el
Akkad, Michael Crummey, Cherie Dimaline, Robyn Doolittle, John Irving, Rupi
Kaur, Scaachi Koul, Karen Le Billon, Geddy Lee, Robert Munsch, Maye
Musk, Alison Pick, Nino Ricci, Guy Vanderhaeghe, Jeff VanderMeer, and Jesse
Wente.
Six of
the nine agents with CookeMcDermid are seeking new authors:
Paige Sisley joined
CookeMcDermid (then The Cooke Agency) in June 2013 following an internship.
Paige has her Master of Arts from Ryerson University's Literatures of Modernity
program and a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of King's
College and Dalhousie.
Paige is currently building her list as a keen and
market-focused reader. When it comes to fiction she is looking for smart,
well-written commercial novels that both entertain and have something to say
(e.g. Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies and Eliza
Kennedy’s I Take You). She’s seeking books that can compete with
Netflix for people’s time, but that someone like Reese Witherspoon might in
turn be interested in adapting for Netflix.
Paige also represents nonfiction books in the
lifestyle and health and wellness space. In both categories, Paige is attracted
to books that enhance lives, either through a practical application or by
shifting and expanding their reader’s worldview.
When Paige’s head isn’t in a book you can find her baking, at a concert, or simply watching the world go by in her busy downtown Toronto neighborhood. A born and bred Torontonian, Paige loves to travel and has also lived in LA, a sleepy New Zealand surf town, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. She's on Twitter at @paigesisley.
Query Paige via the agency’s submissions form here. Full guidelines here.
***
Note: Paige will be the guest
speaker at the online How to Get
Published workshop Saturday, November 27, 2021. Details here. {If you’re looking at this after Nov 27, 2021, see current upcoming
How to Get Published workshops here {and scroll down}.
***
Stephanie Sinclair is of Cree, Ojibwe and
settler descent. She represents literary and upmarket fiction and creative
nonfiction, memoir, and nonfiction hybrids. She particularly wants books that
provoke conversation and strive to challenge the way we think, feel and live.
Her list is curated with
political leanings, and proudly includes writers of award-winning fiction
and nonfiction including Journey Prize winner Sharon Bala, Griffin Prize winner
Billy Ray Belcourt, Joshua Whitehead, Lee Maracle and Harriet Alida Lye. Writers
on her roster have been nominated for the Governor General’s Award, Scotiabank
Giller Prize, Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction, LAMBDA Awards,
The Toronto Book Award and many others.
Stephanie spent 7 years
agenting with the Transatlantic Literary Agency, where in addition to working
on her own list, she managed several translation programs. Stephanie is a
graduate of the publishing program at Ryerson University, creative writing
program at the Humber School for Writers and the Randolph Academy for the
Performing Arts. For many years, authors, journalists and theatre writers have
benefited from Stephanie's uniquely attuned and effective advice in her work as
an award-nominated freelance editor. She is actively growing her list.
Query Stephanie via the agency’s
submissions form here. Full guidelines here.
Rachel Letofsky joined the agency in 2010.
She is currently seeking middle-grade and young adult fiction and
(non-prescriptive) nonfiction. For adults, she’s looking for commercial
fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction, and speculative fiction. She’s
also seeking narrative or essay driven nonfiction, particularly politics, pop
culture, true crime, humour and personal history.
Her clients include
National and International bestsellers, and nominees and winners for awards
such as the Kirkus Prize, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General’s
Awards, the Trillium awards, the OLA’s Forest of Tree Awards, the BC and Yukon
Book Awards, CBC’s Canada Reads, the Sunburst Award, the Canadian Jewish
Literary award, the Lambda Literary Awards, and the Rogers Writers' Trust
Awards. She frequently acts as a judge for writing competitions, and travels
throughout North America to writers’ festivals and literary events.
When not travelling or
reading, Rachel loves spending time with her family, cooking, gardening,
planning for the upcoming alien/zombie invasion, and swimming in lakes and
oceans as much as possible. Twitter @rachelletofsky
Query Rachel via the agency’s
submissions form here. Full guidelines here.
Ron Eckel is a literary agent at
Cooke-McDermid and co-owner of Cooke International, an agency specializing in
foreign rights management for a diverse group of publishing clients.
He is a graduate of Simon
Fraser University’s Master of Publishing program and a twenty-year veteran of
Canadian publishing. Ron worked with Penguin Group Canada, Westwood Creative
Artists, and Random House of Canada before joining CookeMcDermid and Cooke
International.
As an agent Ron is
particularly drawn to dark fiction, commercial, upmarket, and literary, in the
areas of horror, science fiction/fantasy, suspense, and psychological thrillers
that terrify him and make him think.
On the nonfiction side,
Ron is seeking narrative-driven books on pop culture, music, pop science, and
story-driven current affairs that start conversations.
In general he wants
strong, unique voices that have a compelling and engaging story to tell.
Ron’s client list at
CookeMcDermid includes bestselling author Scaachi Koul, CBC Radio columnist and
pop-culture critic Jesse Wente, RUSH bassist and Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of
Famer Geddy Lee, and horror writers Eric McCormack and Michael Rowe. On his
bedside table you will find equal amounts of fiction and non-fiction, but
always, always at least one biography (authorized or
not) of the Ramones.
Ron is a former president
and current member of PACLA (the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents)
and you can find him on Twitter @roneckel
Query Ron via
the agency’s submissions form here. Full guidelines here.
Suzanne Brandreth is an
agent with CookeMcDermid and a co-owner of Cooke International, an agency
specializing in foreign rights management for a diverse group of publishing
clients.
Whether literary or commercial novels or evidence-based and narrative nonfiction, Suzanne seeks stories that challenge the mind and/or move the heart. She is the agent for Rupi Kaur’s international bestseller the sun and her flowers, CS Richardson’s perennial bestseller The End of the Alphabet, and Emily White’s ground-breaking Lonely: Learning to Live with Solitude.
In
particular, Suzanne is seeking upmarket or book club fiction, both contemporary
and historical. She also wants author-driven or expert-driven nonfiction in all
categories, and practical nonfiction in the areas of health and wellness,
cookery, personal development, meditation, trauma, and addiction
Suzanne
has worked in publishing for over 20 years, as an independent bookseller, an
editor, and, since 2003, an agent. She has close working relationships
around the world, frequently travels to New York, London, and Europe. She has
participated in numerous publishing fellowships in Frankfurt, Jerusalem,
Taiwan, Turin, and the United Arab Emirates. Suzanne is a hands-on agent and
works with her clients to brainstorm and fine-tune book ideas and substantively
edit proposals or manuscripts before submission.
Query Suzanne via the agency’s
submissions form here. Full guidelines here.
Martha Webb is an agent and part owner
of CookeMcDermid. She is currently seeking upmarket commercial fiction and a
broad range of nonfiction, including investigative journalism, memoir with a
particular focus, popular science, history and philosophy, and some self-help.
She is drawn to rebels and
contrarians with a good sense of humour, and to books that are topical, deal
with important issues, or strive for social betterment while also being great
reads. She values distinctive voices and good storytelling, in whatever form.
Her clients include Jen Agg, Michael Crummey, Robyn Doolittle, Cathal Kelly,
Tima Kurdi, Saleema Nawaz, Pasha Malla, Zoey Leigh Peterson, and Shannon Lee
Simmons.
Martha began her career in
publishing in 2005 with The McDermid Agency, of which she later assumed
co-ownership prior to the creation of CookeMcDermid. She holds an MA in
literature from the University of Edinburgh, and was born and raised in
Montreal.
Query Martha via the agency’s
submissions form here. Full guidelines here.
Patricia Ocampo, senior editor
Kids Can Press
If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in getting published, don’t miss our
online How to Get Published, workshop, Saturday, Nov 27, with guest,
literary agent Paige Sisley. Details here. {If you’re looking at this after Nov 27, 2021, see
current upcoming How to Get Published workshops here {and scroll down}.
If you’re particularly
interested in Kid Lit, check out our online Writing for
Children and for Young Adults workshop with
Patricia Ocampo, senior editor, Kids Can Press, and author Tanaz Bhathena,
Saturday, January 15. Details here.
Beyond
that, Brian Henry’s schedule continues to take
shape...
Weekly
classes:
Online: Exploring
Creative Writing ~ Discover your creative side, Tuesday
afternoons, 1 – 3 p.m., January 25 – March 29 {no class March 8}. Details here.
In-person: Exploring
Creative Writing ~ Discover your creative side, Thursday
evenings, Jan 13 – March 24, in Burlington, Ontario. Details here.
Online: Writing Kid
Lit, Picture Books to Young Adult Novels, Monday
afternoons, 1 – 3 p.m., January 10 – March 28, 2022 {no class Feb 21 or March
7}. Details here.
Online: Intensive
Creative Writing ~ Grow as a writer
3 different sessions:
Tuesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:45, January 11 – March 22. Details here.
Wednesday afternoons, 12:30 – 3:00 p.m., January 12 – March 23. Details here.
Friday
mornings, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., January 14 – April 1 (no class March 4).
Details here. Note: The Friday
session is full.
Workshops:
Online: How to Make
Yourself Write ~ A Creativity Workout, Sunday, Jan 23, 2022.
Details here.
Writing
Retreats:
Jackson's Point on Lake Simcoe: Writing Retreat at The Briars Resort and Spa. Get away to this modern lakeside resort built around a historic country
estate. Friday, March 4 – Monday, March 7, 2022. Details here.
 |
| The Briars |
Algonquin Park: Writing Retreat
at Arowhon Pines Resort, Friday, June 3 – Monday, June 6. Details here.
***
Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post;
they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're
searching for more interviews with literary agents or a literary agent who
represents a particular type of book, check out this post.
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