Amy Moore-Benson joins Canadian literary agency Cooke McDermid, seeks commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction

All the Colour in the World
by CS Richardson
represented by CookeMcDermid

CookeMcDermid Literary Management

219 Dufferin Street
Unit 208B
Toronto, Ontario

https://cookemcdermid.com/ 

Note: You can now get new postings on Quick Brown Fox delivered straight to your Inbox as I publish them. Subscribe to  Quick Brown Fox page on Substack here:  https://brian999.substack.com/

CookeMcDermid was created in 2017 by the amalgamation of two pre-eminent Canadian agencies, The Cooke Agency and The McDermid Agency.

CookeMcDermid is a full-service literary agency, representing authors in Canada, the U.S., and throughout the world. The agency represents literary, commercial and speculative fiction, a broad range of nonfiction, and middle-grade and young adult books. These books have been adapted into major motion pictures and translated into more than 60 languages.

CookeMcDermid sells directly into Canada, US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and India and sells translation rights in conjunction with 35 co-agents around the world. CookeMecDermid also has an in-house film/tv division that sells these rights directly or works with associates to do so.

Amy Moore-Benson is the newest member of the team at Cooke-McDermid, but she’s been in publishing since she was 17 and worked for Passion magazine in Paris. After graduating from McGill University, she spent 13 years at Harlequin Enterprises, where she launched and acquired fiction for MIRA Books, the company’s mainstream commercial fiction imprint. 

After leaving Harlequin, Amy became a literary agent, first at her own agency, AMB Literary Management, and then with Meridian Artists, representing a stellar roster of authors, both in Canada and the US.

Amy is primarily focused on commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction: domestic thrillers, high-concept suspense, romance, voice-driven women’s fiction, memoir, ripped-from-the-headlines narratives, personal investigations. At the heart of all the books she sells are singular voices and high-impact storytelling, stories that challenge the reader, offer new experiences and more than anything else, entertain and engage.

Some of her clients include: Rick Mofina, Alisha Rai, Victoria Helen Stone, Elaine Lui, Johanna Schneller, Brandi Leifso, Teo Paul, Jamie Mason, Andre Fenton, Corey Liu.

Amy lives in Toronto with her family.

You can query Amy here.

Rachel

Note: Rachel Letofsky of CookMcDermid will the guest speaker for our upcoming “How to Get Published" workshop. Details here.

Read more about the CookeMcDermid agency here.

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

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. For more literary agents looking for authors see here (and scroll down). If you’re looking specifically for Canadian agents, see here (and scroll down). And if you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.

Canadian literary agency CookeMcDermid has six agents looking for new authors

Daughter by Claudia Dey
represented by CookeMcDermid

CookeMcDermid Literary Management

219 Dufferin Street
Unit 208B
Toronto, Ontario

https://cookemcdermid.com/

Note: You can now get new postings on Quick Brown Fox delivered straight to your Inbox as I publish them. Subscribe to the new Quick Brown Fox page on Substack here:  https://brian999.substack.com/

You can also get an email about twice a month about what’s coming up in terms of writing classes, workshops, and retreats, plus providing links to the other material on the Quick Brown Fox blog. For that, add your name and email in the Sign-Up box in the righthand column. ~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, representing authors in Canada, the U.S., and throughout the world. The agency represents literary, commercial and speculative fiction, a broad range of nonfiction, and middle-grade and young adult books. These books have been adapted into major motion pictures and translated into more than 60 languages.

CookeMcDermid sells directly into Canada, US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and India and sells translation rights in conjunction with 35 co-agents around the world. CookeMecDermid also has an in-house film/tv division that sells these rights directly or works with associates to do so.

Six of the nine agents with CookeMcDermid are seeking new authors:

Ron Eckell is a literary agent and co-owner of CookeMcDermid. A graduate of Simon Fraser University’s Master of Publishing program and a twenty-nine-year veteran of Canadian publishing, Ron worked with Penguin Canada, Westwood Creative Artists, and Random House of Canada before joining CookeMcDermid in 2009. He also co-owned Cooke International, an agency specializing in foreign rights management for a diverse group of publishing clients, until the end of 2021. 

Ron’s client list at CookeMcDermid includes international bestselling author, RUSH bassist, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Geddy Lee, culture writer, broadcaster and bestselling author Scaachi Koul, CBC Radio columnist, writer, broadcaster and producer Jesse Wente, horror writers Michael Wehunt and Adam Pottle and the Women’s Prize longlisted author Alicia Elliott.

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 and on Instagram at @eckelron.

Ron is particularly drawn to dark fiction, both commercial and literary, in the areas of horror, science fiction and fantasy, suspense, and psychological thrillers that terrify.

He is also seeking story-driven narrative nonfiction in the areas of pop culture, music, sports, pop science, and story-driven current affairs that start conversations.

In both fiction and nonfiction, he wants strong, unique voices that have a compelling, engaging story to tell.

Query Ron through his Query Manager here.

Note: If you’re interested in getting published, check out our upcoming “How to Get Published” workshops here.

Rachel Letofsky joined the agency in 2010, and specializes in children’s literature (middle-grade and YA, fiction and nonfiction), narrative driven nonfiction, and literary, commercial, contemporary and historical fiction for adults.

Her clients include National and International bestsellers, and nominees and winners for many prestigious awards. She frequently travels throughout North America to writers’ festivals and literary events to moderate panels, take part in quick-pitch sessions, and host workshops for authors. 

When not travelling or reading for pleasure or work, Rachel loves spending time with her family, going on hikes, inventing new recipes under the strict supervision of her cats, Mimsy and Frodo, listening to true-crime podcasts, planning for the upcoming alien/zombie invasion, and swimming in lakes and oceans as much as possible. She is on Twitter at @rachelletofsky.

Rachel is actively seeking ground-breaking and heart-breaking middle grade and YA titles in all genres. She is drawn to works with a whimsical nature or a grounded, gritty edge in equal measure, though in either instance, unforgettable characters and original concepts are a must.

Rachel also has a natural soft spot for exquisite literary fiction, and thought-provoking, high-concept speculative fiction.

In nonfiction, Rachel is looking for narrative-driven memoirs and anything quirky, life affirming or mind blowing.

Specifically, Rachel is seeking Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction and nonfiction (but not prescriptive nonfiction).

For adults, she’s looking for Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Speculative Fiction.

She also wants Narrative nonfiction or Essay-driven nonfiction in the areas of politics, pop culture, true crime, humour, personal history

Query Rachel through her Query Manager here.

Note: If you’re interested in writing kid lit, don’t miss our one-day “Writing for Children and for Young Adults” workshops. Details here.

And, check out upcoming weekly “Writing Kid Lit” courses. See here here (and scroll down, because we may have more than one course running.

Hana El Niwairi is a literary agent and the Rights Manager at CookeMcDermid. She leads the rights team in representing the works of agency authors outside of North America: in Asia, Europe, the UK, and more. Since 2017, Hana and her team have placed agency books into over 50 territories around the globe. 

Prior to joining the publishing industry, she worked in the non-profit, arts, and culture sectors with organizations such as the Book and Periodical Council, Culture Days, and Paprika Festival. She is a graduate of Humber College's Arts Administration and Cultural Management program and holds an Honours BA (Specialization in Creative Writing and English Literature with a Major in Psychology) from Western University. Outside of her role at the agency, Hana is also one of the co-founders of BIPOC of Publishing in Canada.

Hana's tastes are eclectic and she reads widely across genres. She’s drawn to character-driven stories, featuring morally grey protagonists, “difficult” women, and commercial fiction written by and about marginalized communities.

Additionally, in her (somewhat futile) pursuit to learn everything, ever, Hana is an avid reader of nonfiction, particularly politics, social science, media criticism, science, and history. She is keenly interested in nonfiction exploring systemic issues and how they play out in the day-to-day lives of the average person.

Specifically, in fiction, Hana is seeking Science Fiction & Fantasy (adult and YA), Romance: works in the vein of Emily Henry's Beach Read or Mia Sosa's The Worst Best Man, Book Club fiction, and Thrillers

For nonfiction, Hana wants well-researched projects in various topics including but not limited to: politics, social justice issues, pop culture and media, sciences, and history.

Examples of her recent favourites include: Elaine Castillo’s How to Read Now, Ethan Cross’s Chatter, Johnny Pitts’s Afropean, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s The Disordered Cosmos

Query Hana through her Query Manager here.

Suzanne Brandreth is a co-owner of CookeMcDermid and a hands-on agent who works with her clients to help them turn their ideas and books into conversation-shifting, enduring commercial successes. Her clients’ books have been published across the globe, in English and into over 40 languages, and have appeared on numerous international bestseller and “Best of” lists. 

Suzanne is the agent for #1 New York Times bestselling poet Rupi Kaur’s global hits the sun and her flowers and home body, Ritu Bhasin’s instant bestseller We’ve Got This: Unlocking the Beauty of Belonging, and thinker and bestselling author Charles Montgomery’s forthcoming book on how the modern world kills our trusting relationships, and what we can do to revive them.

Suzanne has worked as a bookseller, an editor, and most recently ran and co-owned Cooke International, one of the few agencies worldwide focused solely on foreign / translation rights. Suzanne has a keen understanding of what succeeds in international markets and works closely with a network of editors, publishers, and scouts around the world.

In fiction, Suzanne s seeking voice-led (upmarket and literary) novels with indelible characters, unexpected plot points, and compelling perspectives.

In nonfiction she wants idea-driven narrative non-fiction that grapples with what it is to be human (especially in the 21st century), particularly in the areas of economics, nature, organizational behavior, psychology, philosophy, and science.

She’s also seeking practical nonfiction from authors with well-established platforms in all areas of personal development, including work life / finance / health / wellness / transformation.

Query Suzanne through her Query Manager here.

Cody Caetano began his agenting career at Transatlantic Agency, where he worked as an Associate Agent, Editorial Agent, Agent Assistant, Receivables Clerk, and Contracts Administrator before joining CookeMcDermid in 2022. He has an MA in English in the field of Creative Writing and a BA in Professional Writing and Communication from the University of Toronto.

As an agent, Cody represents writers of original literary fiction and nonfiction, poets transitioning into prose, and storytellers who take risks for the betterment of their readerships.

Cody is Anishinaabe, Portuguese, and an off-reserve member of Pinaymootang First Nation. His mother’s family comes from the Manitoba Interlake and his father’s family emigrated from the Azores in the 1960s. Cody’s memoir, HALF-BADS IN WHITE REGALIA, sold in a seven-bid auction, received two Indigenous Voices Awards, was longlisted for Canada Reads 2023 and the 2023 Leacock Medal for Humour, and debuted as a national bestseller via Penguin Canada’s Hamish Hamilton imprint.

Cody is seeking literary fiction.

In nonfiction he’s looking for memoir, investigations, and book-length essays.

Query Cody through his Query Manager here.

Martha Webb is an agent and co-owner of CookeMcDermid. Her list comprises literary fiction, 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: Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Jen Agg, Michael Crummey, Claudia Dey, Robyn Doolittle, Cathal Kelly, Sonya Lalli, Carol Off, Saleema Nawaz, Joan Thomas, Shannon Lee Simmons, and Britt Wray.

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.

Martha is currently seeking upmarket commercial fiction and literary fiction.

She’s also looking for narrative nonfiction of all kinds, but especially investigative reporting, adventure, and science & nature.

Query Martha through her Query Manager here.

See CookeMcDermid’s submissions page here.

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

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. For more literary agents looking for authors see here (and scroll down). If you’re looking specifically for Canadian agents, see here (and scroll down). And if you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.

Six agents at Canadian literary agency CookeMcDermid seek manuscripts: Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult fiction and nonfiction

I love you, call me back
by Sabrina Benaim
represented by CookeMcDermid

CookeMcDermid Literary Management

320 Front St. W.
Suite 1105
Toronto, Ontario

https://cookemcdermid.com/

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.