2022

Sacha Idell

Jacqueline Williams

Jackie Williams joined The Knight Agency in July of 2020, after working as a Food & Lifestyle Editorial Fellow for Chronicle Books. She began her career in government, graduating from Johns Hopkins University in Political Science and Latin American Studies, and subsequently working in consumer protection policy at the Federal Trade Commission. She loves a broad range of commercial and genre fiction, especially stories with psychological suspense, gritty voices, speculative elements, multi-generational plots, and intricate world-building; even better if the stories are set in space. She's interested in collaborating closely with writers throughout all stages of their careers and bringing more multicultural representation to the publishing landscape.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

I'm interested in all types of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, mystery, and suspense in MG, YA, and Adult.

For fantasy and sci-fi, I'm looking for novels that span generations, have wildly imaginative magic systems, or even hints of magical realism or surrealism. I enjoy mysteries, thrillers, and suspense with smart female protagonists and/or unreliable narrators. And in contemporary, I'm into books with a unique take on themes explored in sports and dance.

When it comes to food and drink, I’m particularly interested in projects involving southern food and culture, single-subject books, and projects where food and community intertwine. In the lifestyle and wellness space, I would love to work with authors that explain big ideas and large concepts like happiness, productivity, business, or creativity in ways that are accessible, fun, and humorous. And whether it’s meditation, breathwork, astrology, or Wicca, I would love books or novelty items that explore physical and mental resilience through a BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ lens.

Haley Casey

Haley Casey has always had a special place in her heart for stories, but it was when she wrote her first chapter book in fifth grade that her true love of literature was realized. In 2015, she graduated from The University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing, and that fall, she attended the Denver Publishing Institute. She began her full-time career at Ogden Publications, where she was an editor for four years. There she worked with a variety of authors across multiple magazines, wrote articles, edited podcasts, and even styled photos—anything to add some creativity to her days. In 2020, she interned at Metamorphosis Literary Agency and Creative Media Agency, Inc. before stepping into her role as an associate agent at CMA. She's actively building her list and is ready to assist her authors in achieving their publishing goals!

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

For adult fiction, I'm seeking women’s fiction, book club fiction, and contemporary and paranormal romance. In nonfiction, I'm open to memoirs; narrative nonfiction; true crime; and anything that addresses LGBTQ+ issues, women's issues, or sustainability.

For young adults, I'm open to just about anything: contemporary fiction, mystery, horror, fantasy, light science fiction, dystopian, and nonfiction.

For middle grade, I'm seeking much of the same: contemporary, mystery, fantasy, and light sci-fi.

Send me anything that focuses on minority voices, including POC, LGBTQ+, disability, and mental health issues. I love thoughtful and meaningful magical realism, nuanced characters, urban fantasy, clever fairytale retellings, and reimagined classics.

Specializes In

FICTION: Children's, Commercial Fiction, GLBT, Middle Grade, Multi-Cultural, Romance, Upmarket Women's Fiction, Young Adult

NONFICTION: Cultural/Social Issues, GLBT, Memoir, Multi-Cultural, Narrative, Nature/Ecology, True Crime, Women's Concerns, Juvenile

Considers

FICTION: Children's, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, GLBT, Horror, Middle Grade, Literary Fiction, Multi-cultural, Upmarket Women's Fiction, Young Adult

NONFICTION: Adventure/True Story, Cultural/Social Issues, GLBT, Investigative Journalism, Juvenile, Memoir, Multi-Cultural, Narrative, Nature/Ecology, Travel, True Crime, Women's Concerns

Victoria Dillman

Victoria Dillman is an associate agent at Howland Literary. She holds a B.A. in English from McGill University, and an MFA in Fiction from The New School. She represents adult literary/upmarket fiction and narrative and expert-driven nonfiction. She would particularly like to hear from underrepresented communities including neurodivergent, queer, and BIPOC voices. In fiction, she looks for a well-paced plot with a strong, distinctive voice. In nonfiction, she is looking for projects that have a passion for and in-depth knowledge of niche topics.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

In fiction, Victoria looks for a well-paced plot with a strong, distinctive voice. She is fascinated by complex and nuanced characters with conflicting desires. She especially loves literary fiction with a speculative or magical element. She is also intrigued by hybrids of literary-genre fiction: pieces that work to subvert genre conventions. She will always be captured by family relationships, particularly the complexities of sibling dynamics and intergenerational trauma. As someone who grew up internationally, Victoria is drawn to narratives exploring transitory homes and cultures.

In nonfiction, she is looking for projects that have a passion for and in-depth knowledge of niche topics. She is drawn to narratives that focus on the individual and offer fresh perspectives on our world. Some of the topics she is interested include social justice, climate change, mental health, cults, true crime, and counterculture.

José Araguz

José Angel Araguz, Ph.D. is the author most recently of Rotura (Black Lawrence Press, 2022). His poetry and prose have appeared in Prairie Schooner, Poetry International, The Acentos Review, and Oxidant | Engine among other places. He is an Assistant Professor at Suffolk University where he serves as Editor-in-Chief of Salamander and is also a faculty member of the Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program. He blogs and reviews books at The Friday Influence. His debut lyric memoir, Ruin and Want, is forthcoming from Sundress Publications.

Salamander is a literary organization that publishes a biannual magazine of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and works in translation. It was founded in 1992 and aims to publish work by writers deserving of a wider audience at any stage in their careers as well as focus intentionally on inclusivity and outreach to marginalized writers. Work from the magazine has been reprinted and anthologized in The Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry Prize Stories, The Best American Mystery and Suspense, The Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prize Anthology, New Stories from the Midwest, The Best Small Fictions, and elsewhere.

Sharon Pelletier

Sharon Pelletier joined Dystel, Goderich & Bourret in 2013 after working in editorial at small presses and as a B&N bookseller, and was named senior agent in 2021. Sharon’s list includes upmarket fiction of all sorts, from smart, complex women’s fiction; to unexpected suspense fiction and romance; to hearty, unforgettable book club fiction. She also occasionally takes on compelling, fierce narrative nonfiction by journalists, experts, or emerging voices with a promising platform. Visit her profile on MSWL for more info.

Specializes In

FICTION: Commercial Fiction, Crime, Family Saga, LGBTQIA+, Literary Fiction, Multi-Cultural/Global Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thrillers/Suspense

NONFICTION: Cultural/Social Issues, Investigative Journalism, Current Affairs, Multicultural/Global Perspectives, Narrative, Music, Pop Culture, Religion, Women's concerns, True Crime, LGBTQIA+

FICTION: Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor/Satire, Short Story Collections, Science Fiction

NONFICTION: Adventure/True Story, Dating/Relationships, Gift Books, Food & Lifestyle, History, Humor, Medical, Memoir, Nature/Ecology, Parenting, Psychology, Science, Self Help, Sports, Technology, Travel

Haley Heidemann

Haley has been at WME since 2016. She represents commercial and literary adult fiction, along with narrative nonfiction, pop-culture, and lifestyle. She is drawn to novels with complex female characters, dark female friendships and relationships, queer stories, and a fun family saga. For non-fiction, she’s looking for voice-driven narratives, cultural criticism, sex and dating, essay collections, thought leaders, and lifestyle. In both, she is seeking books that move her and say something subversive about our culture.

Ayla Zuraw-Friedland

Ayla Zuraw-Friedland joined the Frances Goldin Literary Agency in 2022 after starting her agenting career at The David Black Agency in 2019. Previously, she worked as an editorial assistant and assistant editor at Beacon Press in Boston, and as a development editor for encyclopedias at Oxford University Press. She received her BA in English and Creative Writing from Connecticut College in 2015, and her writing can be found or is forthcoming in The Drift, Excerpts Magazine, The Financial Times, GAY the Magazine, Publishers Weekly, and The Cape Cod Poetry Review. She is interested in literary fiction and nonfiction that inspect big questions about queer identity, class, community, and art & technology through a personal lens, as well as poetry and a limited number of graphic or hybrid projects.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

Nonfiction: Always looking for new ways of seeing cultural institutions that been invisibilized by ubiquity--like why are grocery stores like that? What are the uses and misuses of talk therapy in the modern age? Why have we all agreed to pay rent forever to the benefit of a few and the detriment of many? Is statistics real?

For fiction, it is well known that I love ghosts, both literal and figurative. I love a story about a person who has been suddenly tasked with caring for a baby/friend/animal/family member that they are woefully unprepared for, but end up learning about love and support and self care anyways. I love queerness and coming of age and exploring the cruelties of our younger teenage selves with the perspective and experience adulthood brings. I would love a satire novel about a nepo baby in academia who ends up accidentally helping to solve a murder or find a missing artifact or both (like CUNK ON EARTH meets THE CHAIR).

Veronica Goldstein

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

Veronica is drawn to distinctive voices with a new story to tell and a strong sense of urgency, especially Americans whose stories have been underrepresented in publishing and international writers. In fiction, she looks for novels with a contemporary voice that balance the complexities of culture and politics with storytelling that delves deep into the inner worlds of its characters in a way that challenges expectations and deepens the emotional stakes of the story (Elif Batuman, Sheila Heti, Sally Rooney). Autofiction, speculative fiction, and experimental forms are always of interest (Charles Yu, Maria Gainza). She’s also looking for compelling critical takes on cultural and sociological trends, smart and original pop culture, investigative and issue-focused narrative nonfiction, and memoir that makes the personal political and vice versa (Rachel Aviv, Cathy Park Hong, Patrick Radden Keefe, Sarah Smarsh).

SACHA IDELL

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS

JACQUELINE WILLIAMS

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS

HALEY CASEY

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS

VICTORIA DILLMAN

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS

JOSÉ ARAGUZ

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

SAMPLE AUTHORS

SHARON PELLETIER

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS

HALEY HEIDEMANN

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS

AYLA ZURAW-FRIEDLAND

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS

VERONICA GOLDSTEIN

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS

SPECIALIZES IN

CONSIDERS

MAGGIE COOPER

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS