Three agents at Howland Literary seek new authors

We Love You, Charlie Freeman
by Kaitlyn Greenidge
represented by Howland Literary

Howland Literary

https://howlandliterary.com/

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Howland Literary is a small American agency with just three agents, all of whom are currently looking for new authors:

Victoria Dillman is an Associate Agent and the newest member of team. Like all new agents, she needs authors.

Victoria is most interested in adult literary/upmarket fiction and narrative and expert-driven nonfiction. Like everyone else, she would particularly like to hear from underrepresented communities including neurodivergent, queer, and BIPOC voices. 

In fiction, Victoria looks for a well-paced plot with a strong, distinctive voice. She is fascinated by complex and nuanced characters with conflicting desires. She especially loves literary fiction with a speculative or magical element. She is also intrigued by hybrids of literary-genre fiction: pieces that work to subvert genre conventions. 

She will always be captured by family relationships, particularly the complexities of sibling dynamics and intergenerational trauma. As someone who grew up internationally, Victoria is drawn to narratives exploring transitory homes and cultures. 

In nonfiction, she is looking for projects that have a passion for and in-depth knowledge of niche topics. She is drawn to narratives that focus on the individual and offer fresh perspectives on our world. Some of the topics she is interested include social justice, climate change, mental health, cults, true crime, and counterculture. 

Before Howland Literary, Victoria Dillman was an assistant and foreign rights associate at Sobel Weber Associates and an intern at Linda Leith Publishing, as well as a reader for the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Awards. She holds a B.A. in English from McGill University, and an MFA in Fiction from The New School.

Query Victoria at: submissions@howlandliterary.com

Include the first 20 pages of your manuscript.

Cassie Mannes Murray is only acquiring nonfiction proposals at the moment, from Dec 2021 to Feb 2022 {though she does also represent fiction}. 

Cassie is interested in a lot of different topics and ideas, but she most often looks for narrative nonfiction (including essay collections and memoir), and deep dives into pop culture, theory, and science.

Before pivoting into publishing, Cassie was a high school teacher for six years, and ran an infamous book blog known as Books & Bowel Movements . She holds a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from North Carolina State University, and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from University of North Carolina Wilmington.

She has published fiction and essays in The Rumpus, Joyland Magazine, Passages North, Hobart, Fugue Journal, and StoryQuarterly. Her essays have received notables in Best American Essays, and she's received a Pushcart nomination. 

You can see her full wishlist at her website here.

Query Cassie at: submissions@howlandliterary.com

Include a full proposal for nonfiction.

Carrie Howland founded Howland Literary, LLC in 2018, after thirteen years as an agent, most recently at Empire Literary in New York City.

Carrie is accepting submissions for adult literary, upmarket, and commercial fiction

In nonfiction, she’s looking for memoir, narrative and prescriptive nonfiction.

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.

She attends several conferences, both nationally and internationally, throughout the year. Her talk, “Beyond the Query Letter,” tells all about Twitter pitches here.

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.

Query Carrie at: ssubmissions@howlandliterary.com

For preference, paste the first 20 pages of your manuscript into the email. Attachments also accepted.

Full submission guidelines here.

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