Four agents at ARC literary seek authors ~ picture books to adult fiction and nonfiction

A Beautiful, Terrible Thing, a memoir
by Jen Waite, represented by ARC 

ARC Literary Management

New York

https://arcliterarymanagement.com/

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ARC is a new full-service literary agency established by Myrsini Stephanides in the fall of 2021. She was previously with the Carol Mann agency. ARC represents everything from picture books to adult fiction and nonfiction. All four agents at ARC are looking for authors:

Agnes Carlowicz joined Arc Literary Management in April 2022 as a full-time agent. As the most junior member of the team, she is likely the hungriest for new authors.

Agnes began her publishing career in 2015 as assistant to Joy Tutela at the David Black Agency, while completing her English B.A. and Creative Writing concentration at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York. In 2017, she joined Carol Mann Agency as assistant to the president where she worked closely with renowned novelist and essayist Paul Auster. 

While there, she began growing her own list to include authors from varied perspectives interested in disrupting the status quo. Agnes wants to use her position in the publishing industry to help create a world where writers are liberated to unabashedly express themselves, and readers of all identities see themselves represented on the page.

In Nonfiction, Agnes is looking for projects written from underrepresented perspectives covering both history and current events, intersectional social justice, lifestyle with a personal touch, deeply honest and self-reflective memoir, and fresh humor/gift books.

Agnes would love to see fiction that includes well-developed and imperfect characters with atypical relationships dealing with relatable issues.

In children’s, Agnes is interested in complex topics made palatable for kids of all ages for parents to read with their children. She would also love to see heart-warming stories and silly wholesome humor.

Submit to Agnes through her query manager here.

Iris Blasi has close to two decades of experience in publishing, working in multiple facets of the industry. She joined Arc Literary Management in 2021 after four years at the Carol Mann Agency. Prior to becoming a literary agent, she was Marketing Director and Senior Editor at Pegasus Books. She has held editorial, marketing, publicity, and consulting roles at Random House, Pegasus Books, Union Square Press, Open Road Media, literary PR firm Hilsinger-Mendelson, and consulting firm Idea Logical, Inc.

She has worked on best-selling and award-winning books by authors including Lawrence Block, Rachel Carson, Michael Dirda, Erica Jong, Ira Levin, Alexandra Silber, Jerry Stahl, Gloria Steinem, Charles Strouse, and Fay Weldon.

She is seeking nonfiction in the categories of biography, memoir, history, science/nature, pop culture, cultural criticism, current events, politics, and narrative nonfiction. She has a strong interest in feminism (especially intersectional feminism), in nature, climate change, and conservation, and in social and racial justice. She has a particular penchant for books stemming from a quirky journalistic, academic, or personal obsession. 

On the fiction side, she is presently seeking literary and commercial fiction with a strong voice. She is also seeking upmarket mysteries and thrillers. She has a special weakness for books about a major event (a wedding, a reunion, a funeral) that reunites a group of people, books that take place in compressed time periods or places (i.e. The Dinner), books set in boarding schools or on college campuses (Prep; The Secret Place), and books with a gently comic touch.

She is a big fan of Jami Attenberg, Megan Abbott, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Emily Henry, Linda Holmes, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Curtis Sittenfeld, Emma Straub, J. Courtney Sullivan, Jonathan Tropper, and Kevin Wilson, and would love to see submissions along any of those lines.

Query Iris at: iris@arcliterary.com

For fiction, send a query letter including a brief bio and, if applicable, publishing history with sales figures, and the first 25 pages of your manuscript. For nonfiction, send a query letter including a brief bio and a proposal with sample material. All material should be pasted into the body of your message; attachments will not be opened.

Maile Beal joined Arc Literary Management in 2021 after over five years at the Carol Mann Agency. She began her career as an intern before becoming subrights manager and assistant to Myrsini Stephanides and eventually growing her own client list.

She is passionate about advocating for writers and artists so that they are empowered to create work that will have a lasting impact – books in which readers will see themselves represented, find tools for social change, learn something new, connect with a different perspective, and deepen their understanding of the world.

Maile is interested in adult nonfiction as well as children’s, middle grade, and YA fiction and nonfiction. In all categories, like everyone else, she is looking for projects that amplify underrepresented voices and untold stories.

In adult nonfiction, Maile is interested in journalistic, investigative deep dives, narrative retellings of untold histories, business and leadership resources centering underestimated identities, lifestyle and cookbooks with a fresh, personal hook, and unexpected humor and gift books.

In children’s, Maile is seeking fiction and nonfiction in all age categories. In picture books and MG, she gravitates toward heartfelt, earnest stories that use humor and silliness to connect with readers. In YA, she’s drawn to voice driven projects focusing on community and relationships with strong, complex characters that will stick with readers beyond the last page.

Submit to Maile through her query manager here.

Myrsini Stephanides founded Arc Literary in Fall 2021. A publishing professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry, she spent the first 10 years of her career as an editor at book packagers, Indie, and Big 5 publishers specializing in illustrated nonfiction. From 2009 to 2021 Myrsini was a literary agent at the Carol Mann Agency, where she built an eclectic roster of clients while managing day-to-day operations.

From 2009 to 2021 Myrsini was a literary agent at the Carol Mann Agency, where she built an eclectic roster of clients while managing day-to-day operations. She brings her clients and her passion for fostering a supportive community around colleagues, affiliates, and budding creatives to her next chapter at Arc Literary.

Myrsini is currently looking for projects in the following adult categories: voice-driven business/tech books with clear perspectives from experts in their fields; scientist-storytellers writing accessible narratives for a general, non-academic audience; women's health, self-care, and progressive parenting books geared toward a millennial audience; narrative humorists and/or illustrators with unique voices and a strong platform/community of supporters (on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc).

In the children’s world, she is looking for early readers, middle grade and young adult fiction; graphic novels for all reading levels; narrative or illustrated nonfiction for all reading levels; picture books by writer-illustrators (no scripts without illustrators already attached).

Like everyone else, Myrsini welcomes submissions (adult and children’s) from authors and creators with diverse backgrounds who have been misrepresented or marginalized and want to share their work with the world.

Submit to Myrsini through her query manager here.

Full submission guidelines here.

Kids Can Press Senior Editor
Patricia Ocampo

If you’re interested in writing for children or for young adults, don’t miss the online Writing Kid Lit workshop, with Kids Can Press senior editor Patricia Ocampo, August 13. Details here. 

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