Taj McCoy at Rees Literary seeks Middle Grade, Young Adult and Adult Fiction, plus Nonfiction

Vampires, Hearts, & Other Dead Things
a YA novel by Margie Fuston
represented by Rees Literary

Rees Literary Agency

One Westinghouse Plaza, Suite A203
Boston, MA  02136-2075

http://www.reesagency.com/

Note: Don't ever miss what’s happening with Quick Brown Fox. If you’re not yet on my newsletter, send me an email, including your locale to:  brianhenry@sympatico.ca   ~Brian

The Rees Literary Agency was founded in 1983 by Helen Rees, who died in 2015. With Helen’s son, Lorin Rees, now the company president, Rees Literary now has five agents, though one of them (Ann Collette) is preparing to retire. The agency represents literary and commercial fiction, memoirs, history, biography, business, young adult and middle grade, self-help, psychology and science. 

At the Rees Agency, Rebecca Podos, who represents Adult and Young Adult fiction, expects to reopen to queries this fall {See here}. Currently, the only agent at Rees who’s accepting queries and looking for new authors is Junior Agent Taj McCoy:

Taj McCoy has a law degree from Southwestern Law School and a bachelor's degree in Business Law from California State University, Northridge. Taj trained as an agent under Fuse Literary, and has previously served as a Pitch Wars mentor and as co-program manager for Diverse Voices, Inc.’s DVdebut program.

Her Adult Fiction is published through Mira/HQN.  She Tweets here.

Taj is building her list in Adult Fiction and Nonfiction, Young Adult, and Middle Grade, as well as looking for illustrators. Like everyone else, she’s "passionately seeking BIPOC and queer creators who highlight parts of their cultures and experiences. She is an advocate for body positivity in publishing, and loves to highlight intersectionality. Taj aims to widen the entryway for marginalized authors into the publishing industry, and to normalize Black joy, fat joy, celebrations of culture, and love without limitations."

In Adult Fiction, she is searching for:

• Steamy romance
• Comedy-forward rom-coms
• Exciting mysteries (cozy or otherwise) which include a romantic element
• Powerful women’s fiction
• Main characters who are members of underrepresented groups in publishing
• Cinnamon roll love interests {guys who are sweet and soft on the inside}, intergenerational family dynamics, and masculinity that isn’t toxic

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
represented by Rees Literay

In Young Adult, she’s searching for:

• Angsty, emotional love stories
• Rom-coms
• Challenging coming-of-age stories
• Exciting mysteries and thrillers
• Fantasies which include dynamic world-building
• Witty teens who embrace their cultures and differences

In Middle Grade, she’s looking for:

• Adventure stories
• Thrilling fantasies which help kids explore their identities
• Mysteries that allow readers to explore intersectionality and inclusivity.

In Nonfiction, she’s searching for:

• Adult biographies and memoirs which shed light on people and parts of history that are often erased or forgotten
• Self-help collections focused on empowerment
• Cookbooks that highlight family traditions and culture
• YA and MG nonfiction that highlights historical figures and innovators who aren’t included in today’s curriculum

Taj is also looking for illustrators who can work across age groups (picture books, chapter books, MG and YA).

Query Taj through her query manger here.

Literary agent Olga Filina

If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in getting published,  don’t miss our in-person How to Get Published workshop, Saturday, November 19, in Mississauga, with literary agent Olga Filina of 5 Otter Literary. 

As this will be an in-person workshop, attendance will be strictly limited. Details are still to come, but read more about Olga and 5 Otter Literary here, and to reserve your spot, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Beyond that, Brian’s schedule continues to take shape:

Weekly classes:

In-person: Enjoying Creative Writing, Thursday evenings, 7 – 9 p.m., Sept 29 – Nov 24, in Burlington. Details here.

Online: Enjoying Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, 12:30 – 2:30, Oct 11 – Dec 6, 2022 {Or to Dec 13 if the course fills up.} Details here.

Writing Kid Lit with guest speakers Lana Button and Kira Vermond, Wednesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Oct 12 – Dec 7, 2022 {Or to Dec 14 if the course fills up}. Details here.

Online: Writing Personal Stories, with guest speaker Jennifer M. Smith. Monday afternoons, 12:30 – 2:30, Oct 24 – Dec 5, 2022 {Or to Dec 12 if the course fills up.) Details here. 

In-person: Extreme Creative Writing, Thursday evenings, Sept 29 – Dec 1, in Burlington. Details here.

Online: Intensive Creative Writing, offered Tuesday evenings, Sept 20 – Dec 13, Wednesday afternoons, Sept 14 – Dec 14, and Friday mornings, Sept 23 – Dec 16, 2022. Details of all fall classes here. But waiting list only for these classes.

Details of all fall classes here.

Enjoy some fine dining at Sherwood Inn

Writing Retreats:

 

Lake Simcoe Writing Retreat at The Briars, Friday, Sept 16 – Monday Sept 19, 2022. Enjoy a weekend of writing at an elegant southern Ontario resort. Details here. – Waiting list only.

October in Muskoka Writing Retreat at Sherwood Inn, Friday, Oct 14 – Monday Oct 17, 2022. Details here. – Waiting list only for this one, but…

New: March in Muskoka Writing Retreat at Sherwood Inn, Friday, March 24 – Monday, March 27, 2023. Details to come. To reserve a spot or for more details about any course, workshop or retreat, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

***

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. For book publishers in general, see here {and scroll down}. For more children’s and young adult publishers, see here {and scroll down}.