Eight agents at Canadian agency P.S. Literary seek fiction and nonfiction for adults, teens and kids

The Inkwell Chronicles by J.D. Peabody
represented by P.S. Literary

P.S. Literary Agency

2010 Winston Park Drive
2nd Floor
Oakville, Ontario
Canada

http://www.psliterary.com/

Note: You can hang out and chat with quick brown foxes and vixens on my Facebook page (here). Just send a friend request to Brian Henry. Also, if you're not yet on my newsletter list, send me an email, including your locale to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~Brian

P.S. Literary is a full-service literary agency with eight agents, representing everything from picture books through young adult, and literary and commercial fiction and nonfiction for adults. Their goal is to support clients from draft to post-publication and to pursue foreign, audio, digital, TV/film, and serial rights on their behalf. P.S. has launched many new authors on their careers.

All eight agents at P.S. Literary are looking for new authors – fiction and nonfiction, for adults and young people.

Stephanie Winter is an Associate Agent. She first joined the agency as an intern before becoming the agency’s Relations Assistant. Stephanie holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto in English Literature and an M.A. in English: Issues in Modern Culture, from University College London.

Stephanie acquires across three main pillars: nonfiction, graphic novels, and picture books for young readers, in addition to select adult fiction in upmarket and thriller categories. Stephanie lovingly describes her list as geeky, young at heart, and queer-affirming. Some of Stephanie’s projects include Danny Loves Pasta (DK, 2023), The Case for Cancel Culture (Macmillan, 2023), and The Embroidered Closet (Abrams, 2022).

Query Stephanie at: query@psliterary.com

Include the first 10 pages of text or the full text of fiction or nonfiction picture books pasted into the body of your email. If your work is illustrated, please include a link to your portfolio or sample art. Address your query to Stephanie’s attention.

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Note: Stephanie will be the guest speaker for our upcoming online How to Get Published  workshop, Saturday, May 27, 2023. Details here.

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Rose Ferrao is an Associate Agent and is the newest member of the team at P.S. Literary. Like all new agents, she needs authors. Rose began her career in publishing in London, working in nonfiction at Bloomsbury and in science fiction, fantasy and horror at Orbit Books. She has a B.A. in English Literature and Film from Queens University and an M.A. in publishing from University College London. 

Rose is acquiring both fiction and nonfiction.

In fiction, she is looking for commercial romance, adult and crossover fantasy, science fiction, horror, upmarket thrillers, contemporary fiction, and select young adult fiction. She is drawn to stories that embrace genre conventions from a fun, fresh angle.

In nonfiction, she is looking for cookbooks and food writing, sports, pop culture, music, psychology, lifestyle and wellness, especially when approached from a specific, unique perspective.

She welcomes and encourages submissions from neurodivergent writers.

Query Rose at: query@psliterary.com

Include the first 10 pages of text pasted into the body of your email. If your work is illustrated, please include a link to your portfolio or sample art. Address your query to Rose’s attention.

Cecilia Lyra is an Associate Agent and is acquiring a wide range of both fiction and nonfiction for adults. 

In terms of nonfiction, no title is too serious or too accessible for her taste, and she is seeking original and provocative expert-led proposals in psychology, history, current affairs, science, politics, narrative journalism, nature and the environment, wellness, spirituality, business and economics, mathematics, parenting, lifestyle, pop culture, and memoir.

As for fiction, Cecilia’s taste gravitates towards books by women, for women, whether commercial, upmarket, or literary. She can’t get enough of: family sagas, female friendship, edgy psychological suspense, closed-setting novels, anti-heroines, smart romances, comedy of manners, found family, and stories with light speculative elements. Above all else, Cecilia is looking for a story she can’t put down.

Query Cecilia at: query@psliterary.com   

Include the first 10 pages of text. If your work is illustrated, please include a link to your portfolio or sample art. Address your query to Cecilia’s attention.

Maria Vicente is acquiring fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages. She looking for literary fiction and upmarket speculative fiction {fantasy, magical realism, horror}; young adult novels, middle grade novels, graphic memoirs, and graphic nonfiction; and narrative nonfiction for kids, teens, or adult readers about culture, arts and entertainment, history, and science topics.

“She welcomes and encourages submissions from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled creators.”

You can view her detailed manuscript wish list here. 

Query Maria at: query@psliterary.com  

Include the first 10 pages of text or the full text of fiction or nonfiction picture books pasted into the body of your email. If your work is illustrated, please include a link to your portfolio or sample art. Address your query to Maria’s attention.

Eric Smith is eagerly acquiring fiction and nonfiction projects. 

He’s actively seeking out new, diverse voices in young adult (particularly sci-fi and fantasy), middle grade, and literary and commercial fiction (again, loves sci-fi and fantasy, but also thrillers and mysteries).

In terms of nonfiction, he’s interested in cookbooks, pop culture, humor, middle grade, essay collections, and blog to book ideas.

You can view his detailed manuscript wish list here. 

Query Eric at: query@psliterary.com  

Include the first 10 pages of text. If your work is illustrated, please include a link to your portfolio or sample are. Address your query to Eric’s attention.

Claire Harris is acquiring both fiction and nonfiction projects for adults. She’s actively seeking projects that spotlight people, places, and events that are often overlooked or not given the attention they deserve. 

In fiction, she’s looking for adult rom-coms, contemporary fiction, psychological thrillers, select horror, and cozy mysteries – all for millennial audiences. Claire is happiest when reading manuscripts with unexpected endings or new twists on classic genre tropes.

For nonfiction, Claire is seeking a range of projects, including lifestyle guides, pop culture celebrations, pop psychology, cultural criticism, humor, true crime, essay collections, and illustrated books for adults.

Query Claire at: query@psliterary.com 

Include the first 10 pages of text. If your work is illustrated, please include a link to your portfolio or sample are. Address your query to Claire’s attention.

Carly Watters is currently acquiring both fiction and nonfiction.

In terms of fiction, she is seeking women’s fiction, upmarket adult, commercial adult, domestic suspense, literary mystery and thrillers, historical, contemporary romance, and smart book club fiction.

In terms of nonfiction, she is looking for pop science, business, psychology, cookbooks, unique memoirs, lifestyle (health, wellness, relationships, parenting), narrative, and platform-based nonfiction (must have demonstrable expertise and a quantifiable market). 

Query Carly at: query@psliterary.com  

For fiction queries, format your email subject line as: Fiction: TITLE / GENRE / AUTHOR NAME

For nonfiction queries: TOPIC / TITLE / AUTHOR NAME

Include the first 10 pages of text. If your work is illustrated, please include a link to your portfolio or sample are. Address your query to Carly’s attention.

Curtis Russell is currently acquiring both fiction and nonfiction. 

In terms of fiction, he is seeking literary, commercial, mystery, thriller, suspense, romance, young adult, middle grade, and picture books.

In terms of nonfiction, he is looking for business, history, politics, current affairs, memoir, health, wellness, sports, humor, pop culture, pop science, and pop psychology.

Query Curtis at: query@psliterary.com  

Include the first 10 pages of text or the full text of fiction or nonfiction picture books pasted into the body of your email. If your work is illustrated, please include a link to your portfolio or sample art. Address your query to Curtis’s attention.

See P.S. Literary’s full submission guidelines here.

Katie Hearn, Editorial Director at Annick Press
will be the guest speaker for our Kid Lit workshop
Sunday, June 25, 2023. Details here.

If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in getting published, don’t miss our upcoming How to Get Published workshop. Details here.

If you’re particularly interested in writing Kid Lit, don’t miss our upcoming Writing for Children and for Young Adults workshop. Details here.

Check out upcoming Writing Retreats here {and scroll down}.

See all upcoming weekly classes, writing retreats, and one-day workshops 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 interviews with literary agents or a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.

 

Online Writing Kid Lit workshop with Katie Hearn, Editorial Director of Annick Press, Sunday, June 25

The Final Trial, a middle grade novel
by Kelley Armstrong, a NYT #1 bestselling author
and one of Brian's students

Writing for Children and for Young Adults

  ~ The world’s hottest market

With Katie Hearn 

   ~ editorial director of Annick Press

Sunday June 25, 2023
 1:15 – 5:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom and accessible wherever there’s Internet

If you want to write the next best-selling children’s books or just want to create stories for your own kids, this workshop is for you. Learn how to write stories kids and young adults will love and find out what you need to know to sell your book. This is your chance to speak with someone within a publishing company in a small group setting and to pull back the curtain and see how it all works. Be sure to bring your questions – we'll have lots of time for interaction.

Special option: Participants are invited to submit the opening couple pages (first 500 words) of your children’s book or young adult novel (or up to 1,000 words if that gets you to the end of your picture book or to the end of your first chapter). Email your pages to me prior to our workshop. We want to do some peer critiquing for everyone, and Katie and I will publicly critique about half a dozen submissions so everyone can see what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve your story-telling. If you’re not currently working on a children’s story, don’t worry, we’ll get you started! ~Brian

Guest speaker Katie Hearn is the editorial director at Annick Press. Annick has been publishing books for young readers, including board books, picture books, early readers, and middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction, for almost 50 years. The publishing house is perhaps best known for the classic picture books The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and Kathy Stinson’s Red is Best.

As editorial director, Katie’s responsibilities include overseeing the acquisition and development of Annick's publishing program, which consists of 20–25 new titles a year. She also acquires and edits select titles in a wide range of formats. Prior to her time at Annick, Katie worked in both educational and adult trade publishing. 

Learn more about Annick here: Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor, author, and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers and is the author of a children’s version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tribute Publishing Inc). But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.

Read reviews of Brian’s classes and workshops here.

Fee: $45.13 + 13% hst = $51 paid in advance by mail or Interac

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

“Bright memories of The Dark Side” by Laurie O’Halloran

One of the true joys of moving back to my hometown in retirement has been getting the local newspaper delivered every morning. Yes, I am one of those dinosaurs who still enjoys reading a real, print newspaper. When I returned to Burlington last year, the first thing I did was get a subscription to the Hamilton Spectator. I grew up with “The Spec.” I even delivered it for a couple of years as a preteen. Today, with my coffee in hand, I check the stock quotes, peruse my favourite columnists, and then set aside the crossword puzzle to complete with my lunch.

The Spec is a constant reminder of my teenage history. So it was no surprise last week to open up the newspaper and find a story about the infamous Pink Floyd concert held at Ivor Wynne Stadium in June of 1975 - infamous because of the booze and the drugs and the mess. I was there. I was only 15 at the time but I will never forget it. I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night, but I can remember every detail of that concert like it was yesterday.

As the Spec writer pointed out, “it was huge, loud and messy, with more than 55,000 drug-addled fans descending on Hamilton”, each paying a whopping $8.50 per ticket. For a teen who thought Dark Side of the Moon was a musical masterpiece, it was a dream come true.

Dressed in long demin skirts and peasant blouses, three friends and I took the bus from Burlington into Hamilton the day before the much anticipated concert. We were fortunate my grandmother lived just around the corner from the stadium. Since the tickets were open seating - first ones in the door got the best seats - we decided to sleep over at my grandmother’s and get up around 4 a.m. to camp out on the sidewalk. This way we could grab a good spot when the doors opened later that afternoon.

By sunrise on the Saturday of the concert, we had taken up our position on the sidewalk along with dozens of other eager fans. It was a warm June morning, promising to be a very hot day. The scent of marijuana was in the air, and the beer was flowing even at that early hour. We felt so hip, so grown up. 

But by noon, we were feeling nothing but the scorching heat. We each had a bottle of Pepsi and a wineskin filled Baby Duck sparkling rosé (don’t ask). By noon, it was over 80° (this was before metric) and we discovered that cheap, warm wine is not exactly thirst quenching. 

We were considering leaving our precious spots in line when suddenly, through a haze of hashish, I saw my grandmother walking down the sidewalk. She was carrying a big platter of sliced watermelon! It seemed unreal, but there she was, looking for us and calling my name. Nothing has ever tasted as sweet as that cold watermelon. My fellow concert goers swarmed my poor little grandma and she was a hero for a day.

Thanks to Facebook, I am still in touch with many of my high school friends who were at that concert. They all remember my grandmother and her watermelon.

When we finally entered the stadium, we had been waiting for over 12 hours but it was everything we imagined. There was a huge round screen behind the massive stage and the entire ground turf was covered with a plastic tarp. We found a good spot to sit at about the 30 yard line and laid our blanket on the ground. It disappeared within an hour. So did the tarp, which was soon covered with slimy concoction of vomit, beer and urine. 

We lost our shoes. Pills were being popped, pipes were being passed around and more than a few people were already passed out. But there was no violence at all. No fights. No arguments. We were all just so damn happy to be there.

The music was like nothing we had ever heard before. Dark Side of the Moon really is the soundtrack to my generation. The entire night was a euphoric drink and drug-infused musical blur - and we didn’t want it to end. Sadly, it eventually did, so we all straggled out and proceeded to hitchhike home. In our bare feet. It was 1975, remember. Different times.

I’ll be 63 years old next month and I’ve seen a fair share of A-list concerts in my life. Nothing will ever compare to Pink Floyd. My 25-year-old daughter has reinforced my conviction. She has Dark Side of the Moon in her vinyl record collection and it’s one of her favourites. Like my memory of that night, it has stood the test of time. (Of course I would kill her if I ever found her hitchhiking!)

The Spec article mentioned that one of columnists is writing a feature story on the concert and he invited anyone who had attended to contact him. At first I was hesitant. Did I really want the world to know the concert-going sins of my youth? Then I thought, my parents have both passed away, what did it matter? Well, my children matter of course. But then I realized my comments would be in a Hamilton Spectator article and neither of my kids would ever read a newspaper.

I think I’ll give him a call.

***

Laurie O’Halloran is the former publisher/owner of Home Style Magazine, a national trade magazine for kitchenware retailers. She retired two years ago and moved back to her hometown of Burlington, Ontario, where she indulges in her love of travel, golf, jazzercise, jigsaw puzzles and honing her writing skills so she can one day complete that book.

See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

 

TouchWood Editions and Brindle & Glass seek nonfiction and literary fiction, especially from western writers

All the Quiet Places
by Brian Thomas Isaac
published by TouchWood 

TouchWood Editions

Victoria, BC
Canada

https://www.touchwoodeditions.com/

Note: You can hang out and chat with quick brown foxes and vixens on my Facebook page (here). Also please check out my new Facebook Page and please Like it here. ~Brian

TouchWood Editions is an independent Canadian publisher with a big love for books on food and wine, history, art and photography, gardening, pets, house and home, as well as compelling literary fiction. They We only publish Canadian authors, with a strong preference for publishing authors who are from, and who write about topics pertinent to western Canada (includes BC, AB, SK, MB and the North).

Brindle and Glass is the literary imprint of TouchWood. Its mandate is to showcase the varied, unique, and homegrown literary talents of Western Canadians. Through literary fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction, B&G offers compelling and relevant stories that represent diverse people and perspectives.

Touchwood and Brindle and Glass publish books in the following categories:

Food & Wine

Art & Photography

Gardening & Pets

House & Home

Regional & Popular History

Literary fiction

Memoir

Narrative nonfiction

Literary anthologies

Email your submission to: submissions@touchwoodeditions.com

Literary agent Stephanie Winter
will be our guest speaker for
"How to Get Published"
May 27, 2023. Details here.

Your book proposal should include: a synopsis of the work, a marketing plan and a summary of your current platform, a biography, including your publication history, sample chapters and a table of contents (where applicable), sample images, contact information (though clearly some of this is less pertinent to a fiction submission).

Full submission guidelines here.

If you’re interested in publishing your book and in meeting
 a literary agent, join us for an upcoming How to Get Published workshop. See here.

See details of all upcoming writing retreats, one-day workshops, and weekly classes here. 

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 children’s and young adult publishers, see here {and scroll down}.