Amanda Orozco joins Transatlantic Literary Agency, seeks new authors

Diamond Mistake Mystery
by Sylvia McNicoll, 
represented by Transatlantic

Transatlantic Agency

2 Bloor Street East,Suite 3500

Toronto, Ontario, Canada 

http://transatlanticagency.com/

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the Follow Brian by Email box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. If you’re not yet on my newsletter list, send me an email, including your locale to:  brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~Brian

Transatlantic Agency offers a full spectrum of career representation to authors (Adult, Children’s & YA, and illustrators) and storytellers (Speakers, Industry leaders & Influencers) across all genres and formats for book, content development, speaking and TV & Film.

Amanda Orozco recently joined Transatlantic and is looking for authors. Six other agents at Transatlantic are also open to queries – see here.

Amanda is particularly drawn to stories from Asian and Latinx writers, though she is always looking for stories with compelling writing featuring protagonists with a distinct voice and personality; clever, quirky, gritty, and/or twisty stories that surprise her and keep her reading through the night.

For fiction, she’s looking for YA contemporary romance and fantasy, as well as adult fiction in the speculative, horror, literary, and upmarket genres. She has a soft spot for coming-of-age stories, short story collections, and the occasional urban fantasy. Recent favorites include Mary H.K. Choi, Elizabeth Acevedo, Weike Wang, Kiley Reid, Ling Ma, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, and Leigh Bardugo.

For nonfiction, she’s interested in stories that offer fresh cultural, political, and/or social critiques along with personal narratives on art, pop culture, tech, and forgotten, unexamined history. She is looking for perspectives from the margins or from emerging artists and academics with original ideas and sharp commentary. 

She is open to select poetry, memoirs, and illustrated gift/humor books. Recent favorites include Carmen Maria Machado, Cathy Park Hong, Roxane Gay, Ayad Akhtar, and Jenny Odell.

Before joining the Transatlantic Agency, Amanda Orozco gained a breadth of experience in academic publishing, publicity, subsidiary rights, and agenting. She completeed the New York University Masters of Science in Publishing: Digital and Print Media and, while at NYU, worked at the National Book Foundation, Shreve Williams Public Relations, and The Gernert Company; she was also selected to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Beijing International Book Fair. Upon graduating from NYU in 2019, she worked in Subsidiary Rights at Little, Brown until discovering agenting was her true calling. She worked at Park & Fine Literary and Media before moving back to Los Angeles, where she grew up and where she is now excited to build her list at Transatlantic.

Amanda has been a member of PoCinPub since 2018 and currently works for Dryland, the literary journal born in South Central, where she aims to amplify marginalized voices from the literary underground.

Query Amanda at: queryamanda@transatlanticagency.com

Please include “Query” in the subject line, include a 25-page sample (for fiction) or proposal (for nonfiction), and please notify her if you receive another offer of representation. Alternatively, queries can be submitted through Query Manager here,

See Transatlantic’s Submissions Page here.

If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in getting published, don’t miss our online How to Get Published workshops Saturday, Oct 24, with Paige Sisley of the CookeMcdermid agency (see here though this one is probably full) and Saturday, Nov 28, with Stephanie Winter of P.S. Literary (see here).

And if you’re specifically interested in writing and publishing Kid Lit, don’t miss our  online Writing for Children and for Young Adults workshop with Anne Shone, Executive Editor, Scholastic Books, Saturday, January 30, (see here) and the Writing Kid Lit weekly class Tuesday afternoons in the new year, Jan 26 – March 23 (see here).

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

Online: How to Write Great Characters, Saturday, Oct 31. Come in costume! Details here.

Online: How to Write a Bestseller, with New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong,  Saturday, Nov 7. Details here.

Jackson's Point: Writing Retreat at the Briar's Resort & Spa on Lake Simcoe: The ambiance of a country estate and the comforts of a modern resort – a perfect place to write. Friday, Nov 13 – Monday, Nov 16. Details here.

Weekly classes starting in January:

Online: Exploring Creative Writing, an introductory, low pressure course to get the creative juices flowing Thursday evenings, Jan 21 – March 25. Details here.

Online: Writing Personal Stories, nine weeks of creativity and fellowship. Thursday afternoons, Jan 28 – March 25. Details here.

Online: Writing Kid Lit, Picture Books, Chapter Books, Middle Grade books, and Young Adult novels, with enormously talented and experienced authors as guest speakers for two of the classes, Tuesday afternoon, Jan 26 – March 23. Details here.

For more details or to register for any workshop, retreat or weekly class, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including online and in-person writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Southampton, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

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.

Six literary agents who represent short story collections (and many other things: literary and commercial fiction, MG and YA fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, etc )

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. ~ Brian

It’s difficult finding agents who represent short story collections, because there’s not much money in short stories. But I’ve uncovered half a dozen agents who are seeking short stories and who are currently accepting submissions:

Chad Luibl of Janklow and Nesbit. This is a large firm with many well-known authors. Chad Luibl is an assistant there, very low on the totem pole. But that’s okay; it means he needs clients. 

He says: “I tend to lean more toward darker tales and gritty settings, culture-crossing perspectives, structures that are a bit experimental (see David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas), and always narratives with a strong emotional core. Having lived in Poland and Hungary, I have a niche-interest in books that feel Eastern European in voice/perspective (or explore post-Soviet and Cold War themes), and I find anything that deals with exile and expatriation immediately arresting.”

Specifically, he’s seeking : Commercial and literary fiction, horror, fantasy and, science fiction, crime fiction, mysteries, thrillers, LGBTQ, and military fiction. plus middle grade and young adult fiction. His favourite sub-genres: magical realism, military, southern literary, speculative fiction, and westerns.

In nonfiction, he’s looking for humor, LGBTQ, memoir, pop culture, sports, travel and true crime.

Query Chad at: cluibl@janklow.com

Include the word “Query” in the subject line. Send your query letter, a synopsis and the first fifty pages of your manuscript attached as a word document. 

Katie Grimm of Don Congdon Associates: This is a prominent well-established agency that’s been around since 1938. They represented Ray Bradbury (author of Farenheit 451 among other well-known science fiction books) and currently represent such well-known authors as David Sedaris (Theft by Finding) and Kathryn Stocket (The Help). 

Katie joined Don Congdo Assoiciates in 2007. She represents literary fiction (be it voicey, historical, speculative, or mysterious), up-market women’s fiction, cohesive short story collections, and graphic novels.

The key is “cohesive” collections of stories – there needs to be something strong holding them together.

Katie says: “Most generally, I focus on adult literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, middle grade, and young adult fiction.  Across all genres and ages, I’ll always be interested in the darker and weirder side of the human condition as well as previously under- or misrepresented experiences and voices.”

Query Katie at: dca@doncongdon.com

Include the word “Query” and the agent’s full name in your subject heading. As always in a query, include a short description of your work and your relevant background information and must all fit easily on one page. Also paste the first story of your collection into the email. No attachments.

Full submission guidelines here.

Christopher Rhodes has been involved in the publishing business and agenting for years, but only recently joined The Stuart Agency. Prior to that, he was an agent at The James Fitzgerald Agency. Previous to that, he worked at The Carol Mann Agency and in the sales and marketing departments at Simon and Schuster.

Christopher specializes in literary fiction and nonfiction. He’s actively seeking queries in the following areas: literary fiction (including thriller and horror); connected stories/essays (humorous and serious); memoir; creative/narrative nonfiction; history; religion; pop culture; and art & design. 

“What would I dearly like to see right now?” says Christopher. “Horror. I really want to read and advocate for a smart and literary horror novel. I don’t get many submissions in this area.” 

You can read an interview with Christopher here.

Query Christopher at: christopher@stuartagency.com

For fiction, include the first 50 pages; for nonfiction, include a proposal. A Word document or a PDF is fine.

Waverly Place Literary Agency. This is a one-woman outfit for literary agent Debbie Carter. 
Update: Hey, Brian. As of fall 2018, I stopped working as a literary agent. I'll continue to read new writers of short fiction and talk it up with others I meet at NYC book events, but I'm not scouting for new talent. If you're a new writer, don't give up - keep going. Become a good public speaker and do something meaningful in media. Name recognition has a lot to do with getting published. 

Sarah Yake has been with Frances Collin Literary Agency since 2005 and handles foreign and subrights in addition to her own client list.

“A quirky, interesting voice is my number one consideration,” says Sarah. “I love a touch of humor, whether overt or sly. My reading tastes are wide-ranging and my goal is to keep building a similarly diverse, multi-genre list.”

Specifically, in fiction, she’s looking for action/adventure, commercial, fantasy, general fiction, historical, literary, science fiction, women’s fiction and short story collections.

She also seeks middle grade and young adult fiction.

In nonfiction, she’s looking for biography, history, LGBTQ, memoir, and pop culture.

See more at Manuscript Wish List here and at Publishers Marketplace here.

Query Sarah at: queries@francescollin.com

Paste the first five pages of your manuscript into the email. No attachments.

Full submission guidelines here.

Renée Zuckerbrot founded the Renée Zuckerbrot Literary Agency after working as an editor at Doubleday and Franklin Square Press/Harper’s Magazine. She is a member of the AAR and Authors Guild. She serves on PEN’s Membership Committee, and is a Board member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) and Slice Magazine. You can read an interview with Renée and her colleagues at Poets & Writers. See her top ten list of short stories at Storyville.

Authors represented by Renée have won or been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction, the PEN Jacqueline Bograd Weld Prize for Biography, the National Magazine Award, the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, the NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award, B&N’s Discover Great New Writers Award, the Story Prize, the PEN/O. Henry Prize, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Locus, the Hugo, the Nebula, the Pushcart, and others.

Renée’s own boutique agency, seems to be part of Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agency, which means she has the backing of a much larger agency.

Renée is seeking literary and commercial adult fiction and narrative nonfiction, with a particular focus on science, history, and popular culture.

Query Renée at: Submissions@rzagency.com

Include a synopsis of your project, your publication history (if any), a brief bio, and your contact information. Please also attach an excerpt, up to three sample chapters (or three short stories), as one Word document. The attachment should be paginated and double-spaced.

If you’re interested in and finding an agent or publisher (someday soon or down the road), check out upcoming How to Get Published workshops. See here (and scroll down). 

If you’re interested in Kid Lit, check out upcoming  Writing for Children and for Young Adults mini-conferences, workshops, and weekly classes here (and scroll down).

For a weekly writing classes, from introductory to intensive and including Writing Personal Stories and Writing Kid Lit, see here (and scroll down).

If you'd like to get away for a weekend to recharge your creative batteries, pick up great writing tips, and get a lot of writing done in idyllic surroundings, check out the details of upcoming writing retreats, here (and scroll down.)

For more details or to reserve a spot in any workshop, retreat, or weekly course, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Read reviews of Brian’s courses and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here,  including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Navigation tips: Always check out the labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. Also, if you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.

Literary agencies representing Short Story Collections for adults; Picture Books, Rhyming Picture Books, Middle Grade. YA, etc….

Stacey Donaghy, lead agent at the Donaghy
Group, which represents fiction for Adults,
New Adults, Young Adults & Middle Grade

Are you looking for a literary agent who represents picture books? How about chapter books or graphic novels? I’m working on making Quick Brown Fox blog postings (especially recent ones) more easily searchable for that special agent you want.

All literary agents listed on the blog can be found by clicking on the Literary Agents button at the top of the page (below the banner). Canadian Literary Agents can be found by clicking on the button in the right-hand column under More Content.

But if you start scrolling through listed agents and agencies, notice that there are other Labels listed immediately below the posts (and be sure to scroll down to go through the listings):

Children's/YA agents includes agents and agencies that represent children's authors of all kinds. See here (dozens - and for all of these categories, I'm adding more all the time ~Brian).
PB Agents stands for agents or agencies that represent picture books. See here.

Agents representing Rhyming Picture books here.
Chapter Book Agents here.

Middle Grade (MG) Agents here.

Young Adult (YA) Agents here.

New Adult (NA) Agents here.

Graphic Novel Agents here.

And agents who represents short story collections (for adults) here.

Detailed interviews with literary agents here.

Speechless, a middle grade book by
Jennifer Mook-Sang, a regular guest speaker
at Brian Henry's Kid Lit workshops
and weekly courses

Note: For up-to-date listings of Writing for Children & for Young Adult workshops with senior editors from children’s book publishers as guest speakers and for weekly Kid lit classes, see here (and scroll down).

For up-to-date postings of current How to Get Published workshops with literary agents as guest speakers here (and scroll down).

For information on upcoming weekly creative writing classes, beginner to advanced, see here (and scroll down).

For writing retreats at Arowhon Pines Resort in Algonquin Park, at the Briars Resort on Lake Simcoe, and at Sherwood Inn, in Muskoka, see here (and scroll down).

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

For more information or to reserve a spot in any Saturday workshop or weekly course, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Christopher Rhodes of The Stuart literary agency seeks literary fiction and nonfiction, including connected stories / essays, thrillers, horror, memoir, and more

The Stuart Agency
260 W. 52 St., #25C
New York, NY 10019

http://www.stuartagency.com/

I recently attended the Windsor International Writers’ Conference. The writers in attendance enjoyed plenty of face time with agents and editors, plus 20lucky attendees left with irresistible query letters re-written with help from yours truly. While there, I took the opportunity to find out what various agents are looking for right now so I could share this info with you, dear reader, and sometimes also to pitch the agents on behalf of my students who have a manuscript almost ready to go. One of the agents in attendance was Christopher Rhodes of the Stuart Agency. …. ~ Brian

The Stuart Agency was founded in 2002 by Andrew Stuart, who had previously worked as an editor at Random House and Simon & Schuster. The agency has three agents, including... 

Christopher Rhodes has been involved in the publishing business and agenting for years, but only recently joined The Stuart Agency. Prior to that, he was an agent at The James Fitzgerald Agency. Previous to that, he worked at The Carol Mann Agency and in the sales and marketing departments at Simon and Schuster.

Christopher specializes in literary fiction and nonfiction. He’s actively seeking queries in the following areas: literary fiction (including thriller and horror); connected stories/essays (humorous and serious); memoir; creative/narrative nonfiction; history; religion; pop culture; and art & design. 

“What would I dearly like to see right now?” says Christopher. “Horror. I really want to read and advocate for a smart and literary horror novel. I don’t get many submissions in this area.” 

You can read an interview with Christopher here.

Query Christopher at: christopher@stuartagency.com

For fiction, include the first 50 pages; for nonfiction, include a proposal. A Word document or a PDF is fine.

Bhavna Chauchan, editor with
Penguin Random House Canada

Brian Henry will lead a Writing for Children & for Young Adults workshop on Sunday, May 29, in Ottawa with acclaimed author Alan Cumyn (see here).

Also, Brian hosts From the Horse's Mouth ~ Strategies for Getting Published on Saturday, June 18, with Barbara Berson of Helen Heller Agency, Michael Mirolla, publisher Guernica Editions, and Bhavna Chauhan, editor, Penguin Random House Canada, at Ryerson University in Toronto (see here).

Other upcoming workshops include  How to Write Great Characters, Saturday, May 14 in Toronto (see here) and Sunday, June 5 in Georgetown (see here), and Writing and Revising, May 28, in Mississauga (see here).

For those who love great food and a beautiful setting with their writing, Brian has two Writer’s Retreats coming up at Arowhon Pines Resort in Algonquin Park: Friday, June 10 – Sunday, June 12 (see here) and Friday, Sept 16 – Sunday, Sept 18 (see here).

For more information or to register, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Canoeing at Arowhon Pines Resort

Finally, this summer, Brian will offer a variety of classes:

“Welcome to Creative Writing,” Tuesday afternoons, Tuesday afternoons, July 5 – Aug 23, in Burlington

“Intensive Creative Writing,” Wednesday afternoons, July 6 – Aug 24, in Burlington

“Intensive Creative Writing,” Wednesday evenings, July 6 – Aug 24, in Burlington 

See details of all three classes here. 

To reserve a spot, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Read reviews of Brian’s courses and workshops here.

To register or for more information for any class or workshop, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. Also, if you’re not yet on my newsletter, send me an email, including your locale, to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~ Brian

See Brian’s full schedule here, including writing workshops, writing retreats, and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Alton, Barrie, Bracebridge, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Ingersoll, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.