2023

Chelsey Emmelhainz

Chelsey Emmelhainz joined Copps Literary Services as a literary agent after a decade as an editor in the NYC publishing world, working on a wide range of adult commercial fiction and nonfiction. As an editorial agent, she enjoys helping authors elevate their work through a collaborative revision process designed to best position their book for success. While lucky enough to have worked with authors at all stages of their careers, Chelsey has a special affinity for those just starting out and seeks to create a lasting partnership in service of helping authors achieve their career goals. Chelsey is building a highly selective list, focused mainly on adult fiction and nonfiction. Regardless of genre, she is always looking for authentic storytelling and to elevate diverse voices.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

Fiction: Chelsey loves high-concept adult fiction that expertly weaves complex, layered conflicts into a fast-paced narrative. Her target genres include: horror, supernatural thriller, suspense, mystery, and upmarket commercial fiction. Her ideal projects feature fresh, high-concept hooks and multifaceted, layered conflicts. She is especially interested in unique takes on modern relationships—be they romantic, platonic, or familial.

Nonfiction: Chelsey gravitates toward American history, hidden history, true crime, platform-driven nonfiction in the social sciences (especially concerning politics, feminism, and social justice), as well as deep dives into specific subjects with a prescriptive approach, aiming to help the reader live a better life, such as Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus. Regardless of topic, Chelsey’s nonfiction authors bring a well-rounded platform and unparalleled expertise to their chosen subject matter.

Specializes In

FICTION: Commercial Fiction, Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thrillers/Suspense, Upmarket Women's Fiction

NONFICTION: Adventure/True Story, Cultural/Social Issues, Current Affairs, Memoir, Narrative, Politics, Women's Concerns

Considers

FICTION: Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Crime, Family Saga, GLBT, Historical Fiction, Horror, Literary Fiction, Multi-Cultural, Mystery, Romance, Thrillers/Suspense, Upmarket Women's Fiction

NONFICTION: Adventure/True Story, Cultural/Social Issues, Current Affairs, GLBT, History, Investigative Journalism, Memoir, Multi-Cultural, Politics, Pop Culture, Psychology, Science, True Crime, Women's Concern

Rebecca Podos

Dara Hyde

Dara Hyde is Senior Agent at the Hill Nadell Literary Agency in Los Angeles and represents a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, including literary and genre fiction, graphic novels, narrative non-fiction, memoir, young adult, and children’s literature. Her clients include Myriam J.A. Chancy, Angie Cruz, Natashia Deon, Maggie Downs, Jamie Harrison, Matt Mendez, Justin Eisinger, Gene Ha, Rye Hickman, Soo Lee, Jordan Morris, Samuel Sattin, Lilah Sturges, and more, and they have been winners or finalists for the the Women’s Prize, NAACP Image Award, Carnegie Medal, Eisner Award, Anthony Award, YALSA Award, Harvey Award, International Latino Book Award, and the Reading the West Award, among others. Before joining Hill Nadell, she spent over a decade as an editor and rights and permissions manager at independent publisher Grove Atlantic in New York City.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

I’m drawn to stories that examine social issues in unique ways, and voices that have been historically under-represented in publishing; stories that explore the bonds and complexities of both blood and chosen families; stories with crossover appeal, whether that’s YA/adult or blending genres in surprising ways. I relish being hooked by a high concept and a clever premise, but that creative vision needs strong character development and an attention to every word. I find imperfect characters more interesting than those that start off with all the answers, and I want to walk away from every book having learned something new.

JL Stermer

A native New Yorker, JL has worked in theater, fashion, network TV and hospitality before finding her way to publishing. After attending Temple University in Philadelphia and The Fashion Institute of Technology, JL earned her BA in English from Columbia University.

With over a decade of agenting experience prior to starting NEXT LEVEL LIT she and her team are uniformly dedicated to getting authors book deals that build and grow careers.

When she's not at her desk, JL can be found roaming the city streets feeling energized by the creativity bubbling up through the heaviness of the pandemic. She loves park benches, preferably with coffee and a donut.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

Fiction: adult & YA, contemporary, upmarket, commercial: family stories, coming-of-age, rom-coms, general fiction that is giving readers a new perspective on a world they already know OR a peek into a world they wish they knew.

Nonfiction: prescriptive, narrative, memoir: style & fashion, art & culture, mental health, spirituality, self-help, sports, humor, pop culture/business/science/tech, social justice, human rights, feminist issues, men’s issues, projects that are on the leading edge of important conversations we are having today.

Queer, neurodivergent, POC, and all underrepresented voices are always welcome!

Specializes In

FICTION: Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, GLBT, Multi-Cultural, Upmarket Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Family Saga

NONFICTION: Cultural/Social Issues, Current Affairs, Dating/Relationships, GLBT, Health & Fitness, Multi-Cultural, Narrative, Parenting, Pop Culture, Psychology, Self-Help, Spirituality, Sports, Women's Concerns

Considers

FICTION: Humor/Satire, Romance, Thrillers/Suspense, Upmarket Women's Fiction

NONFICTION: Investigative Journalism, History, Men's Concerns, Music, Nature/Ecology, True Crime, Technology

Ann Rose

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

YA of all genres
MG of all genres, especially ones that push the boundaries of middle grade
Swoony romances
Rom-coms
Romantacy
Joyful stories
Light sci-fi or fantasy (emphasis on the light)
Commercial fiction
Heartwarming or heart wrenching contemporaries (even better if it’s both)
Graphic Novels (Author/Illustrators only at this time)
LGBTQIA+
Stories from underrepresented voices
I'm always looking for unique voices, diverse perspectives, vivid settings, and stories that explore tough topics. Give me your dark and edgy stories with unlikable characters.

Sacha Idell

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

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.

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).

CHELSEY EMMELHAINZ

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REBECCA PODOS

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DARA HYDE

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JL STERMER

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ANN ROSE

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SACHA IDELL

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HALEY CASEY

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JOSÉ ARAGUZ

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HALEY HEIDEMANN

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AYLA ZURAW-FRIEDLAND

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