2024 Agents/Editors

Agent

Chris Bucci, Aevitas Creative Management

Bio: Chris Bucci represents bestselling and award-winning fiction and non-fiction authors including, Bath Haus by PJ Vernon; Highway of Tears by Jessica McDiarmid; Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? by Timothy Caulfield; KISMET by Amina Akhtar; and The War Widow by Tara Moss.

Chris began his career at the University of Toronto Press as an acquisitions editor in the social sciences. He joined HarperCollins Canada in 2003 as a non-fiction editor and then moved to McClelland & Stewart. In 2008 he joined The McDermid Agency as a literary agent and later bought the agency, along with Martha Webb. In 2017 they merged with the Cooke Agency to form CookeMcDermid where Chris was Proprietor and Literary Agent before joining Aevitas in 2020.

Chris aims to work with some of the culture’s best writers, thinkers and experts—authors whose work helps us to interpret and understand our times as well as our future.

Looking for: Mysteries, thrillers, literary fiction, historical fiction, commercial literary fiction, and narrative nonfiction. For nonfiction, he seeks popular science, sports, popular culture, politics, and history.

Not looking for: YA, Fantasy and Sci-Fi.

Agent

Claudia Cross, Folio Literary Management

Bio: Advocate, adviser, ally, coach, counselor, and negotiator: an agent, at times, can play one or all of these roles in the literary life of an author. In responding to the changing needs of the writers she represents, Claudia brings to each a high level of individualized attention. She began her career at William Morris, and then joined Sterling Lord Literistic, where she worked for just over a decade before joining Folio and becoming a partner. She has worked with a range of authors in both fiction and nonfiction, from CEOs, chefs and debut writers to New York Times bestsellers. Among the diverse clients she represents are the literary Estate of Mother Teresa; entrepreneur and designer Emily Ley; art historian and Renoir scholar Barbara Ehrlich White; and novelists Rachel Gibson and Christina Lynch.

Looking for: For thrillers specifically, she is looking for compelling female characters; modern espionage with a classic feel, and stories involving people going about their daily lives who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

Editor

Robert Davis, Forge Books

Bio: Robert Davis is an Editor at Forge Books (an imprint of the Macmillan division, Tor Publishing Group). He started off at TPG working under former President & Publisher, Tom Doherty, in 2015 and has been acquiring for the Forge list since 2019.

Looking for: For Forge, Robert is looking for addictive page-turners with characters I want to root for, particularly in the categories of near-future fiction, technothrillers, and (outdoor) survival adventures.

Not looking for: Robert is seeking adult fiction only.

Agent

Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency

Bio: Liza Fleissig, with her partner Ginger Harris-Dontzin, opened the Liza Royce Agency (LRA) in early 2011. A cross-platform company providing development, representation, and strategic career management for clients in all media, their goal is to represent clients in all stages of their careers, from the most established to those developing their craft, as well as debuts. Both former partners in NYC based litigation law firms, Liza and Ginger bring a combined 40 years of negotiating experience to the field. This background, along with connections rooted in publishing, movies and television, allowed them to focus and build on a referral based clientele.

Clients: Robert Bailey II, Isabella Maldonado, Amy Impellizzeri, Sara DiVello, Retired FBI Agent Jerri Williams, Jon Lindstrom, Kimberly G. Giarratano, Estate of Marc Olden, among others.

Looking for: Domestic Suspense, all kinds of Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Police Procedurals, State/Federal Law Enforcement (if author is/was a LEO), Medical (would love the next generation of Quincys or Scarpettas)

Not looking for: High Sci/Fi or Fantasy, Crazy Presidents, Russia/China/Middle East Espionage/Terrorists, Military Thrillers (unless author is/was Military), Covid/Pandemic Stories

Agent

Ronald Gerber, Lowenstein & Associates

Bio: Ronald Gerber is a literary agent and manages foreign rights, permissions, and contracts at Lowenstein Associates, the agency best known for representing internationally bestselling mystery writer M.C. Beaton. Before joining the Lowenstein team in 2019, he spent several years in literary scouting at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates and Maximum Films & Management and supported two agents at Writers House.

Ronald’s clients include Sonja Thomas, whose debut children’s novel SIR FIG NEWTON & THE SCIENCE OF PERSISTENCE (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster) is a 2023 Oregon Book Awards finalist, and Lorissa Rinehart, whose biography FIRST TO THE FRONT about pioneering photojournalist Dickey Chapelle will publish from St. Martin’s Press in July, 2023. Ronald is focused on cinematic stories with strong hooks and relatable characters, and he is always looking for projects from queer, BIPOC, and other underrepresented authors.

Looking for: Thriller, crime, cozy mystery, upmarket and commercial contemporary fiction, historical fiction, romance, romantic comedy, grounded sc-fi, narrative nonfiction, memoir/biography, true crime, and middle grade.

Not looking for: Military thrillers, screenplays, puzzles, games, religious fiction, erotica, practical nonfiction (i.e. business, advice, hobbies, DIY), or textbooks.

Editor

Elana Gibson, CamCat Publishing

Bio: Elana Gibson is the Associate Editor and Acquisitions Manager at CamCat Publishing, a boutique publisher of award-winning genre fiction. She joined the CamCat team in 2021 and previously interned at Browne & Miller Literary Associates.

Looking for: YA and adult mystery, suspense, thriller (spy, domestic, political, legal, and psychological thrillers), sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, romance, horror, western, historical fiction, and true crime

Not looking for: military thrillers, middle grade fiction and younger

Editor

Jenna Jankowski, Sourcebooks

Bio: Jenna Jankowski is an Associate Editor at Sourcebooks, a midsized publisher in Chicago. She joined in 2019, after interning at Browne & Miller Literary Associates and Sourcebooks. She works primarily under the Poisoned Pen Press imprint.

Looking for: In adult fiction, Jenna acquires horror with feminist elements, psychological suspense, crime fiction that subverts traditional tropes, thrillers, and trade paperback cozies. She’s also looking for fiction with a speculative edge, grounded fantasy, and stories with crossover potential—all with an emphasis on diverse voices.

Not looking for: YA, romance

Agent

Sandy Lu, Book Wyrm Literary Agency

Bio: Sandy Lu founded Book Wyrm Literary Agency in 2020 after working as a literary agent for more than a decade at the L. Perkins Agency. Her client list includes Amazon, Barnes  & Noble, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestsellers, Stoker Award, Hammett Prize, and Anthony Award nominees, Goodreads Choice Awards finalists, and New York Times Best of the Year recipient.

Sandy is seeking stories that will draw her in with a unique voice, make her miss her bedtime with a thrilling plot, and characters that will stay with her long after she turns the last page. Bonus points if you can make her laugh out loud or unable to hold back tears. She especially loves historical fiction, atmospheric world building, and anything dark, twisted, or with a supernatural bent. She favors unreliable narrators and serpentine plots that will keep her guessing till the end. And her white whale is a great spy novel set in early 20th century Shanghai.

Looking for: mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, science fiction, fantasy, historical  fiction, upmarket women’s fiction, and YA.

Not looking for: Picture books, graphic novels, and screenplays.

Clients: M. H. Boroson, B.J. Graf, Heather Levy, Jeneva Rose, and Randall Silvis.

Agent

Lynnette Novak, The Seymour Agency

Bio: Lynnette Novak is an agent at The Seymour Agency.

Prior to joining The Seymour Agency, Lynnette spent seventeen years freelance editing. She worked with new writers, advanced writers, as well as New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Lynnette earned a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Manitoba, where she specialized in English and French. She excelled in Advanced Creative Writing in university and studied writing for children and teens through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She was a Pitch Wars mentor in 2015 and 2016. Both her mentees acquired an agent. Lynnette has since closed her editing business and is excited to bring her passion for the written word to agenting.

Although Lynnette was born and raised in Manitoba, Canada, she now lives in Minnesota with her husband, twin girls, and many pets. Her personal interests include reading, writing, exercising at the gym (okay, that’s a love/hate relationship), working on an assortment of crafts, all things having to do with animals (if she could own a farm, zoo, and animal shelter, she would), and enjoying time with family and friends.

She loves dark and suspenseful, mysterious twists, unique worlds, light and funny, a good love story, and lots of voice.

Follow Lynnette on Twitter: @Lynnette_Novak

Looking for: (Always looking for own voices, diversity, and LGBTQ+!!!)

In adult fiction: thrillers, psychological suspense, and mysteries (traditional, amateur sleuth, and cozy)

In young adult fiction: thrillers, psychological suspense, horror, contemporary, mysteries, and fantasy

In middle grade fiction: contemporary, horror, fantasy, action/adventure, mystery, humor, and novels in verse

In children’s: fiction and nonfiction picture books (non-rhyming preferred)

In graphic novels: MG, and YA (author/illustrator preferred)

Not looking for: science fiction in any age category, adult romance, adult fantasy, adult horror. (This list changes, so check Query Manager and our website for the most updated version.)

Agent

Gina Panettieri, Talcott Notch Literary Services

Bio: Gina Panettieri is Founder of the Milford, Ct-based Talcott Notch Literary, a five-member literary agency seeking the freshest voices in adult and juvenile fiction and nonfiction. Some of her more prominent recent sales includes SONS OF VALOR and DARK INTERCEPT by WSJ-bestselling authors, Andrews & Wilson, THE HIDING PLACE by USA-Today bestselling author, Paula Munier, and UNDER COLOR OF LAW, by Aaron Philip Clark.

Clients: Her list includes Jeffrey Wilson and Brian Andrews, Scott Deitche, Dr. Seth Meyers, Drew Eric Whitman, Paula Munier, Kevin Wolf, Aaron Philip Clark.

Looking for: Gina wants to see all types of crime fiction, including mysteries, thrillers and suspense. She’d like to see well-researched stories set in less common settings. She is open to historicals and is particularly interested in stories set against iconic world events and biographical novels about groundbreaking real women. She is also open to nonfiction – true crime, organized crime history, memoirs and biographies of major figures in law enforcement.

Not looking for: She is not keen on crime fiction involving drug cartels, sex trafficking, child sexual abuse, or cults. If one is writing a story set in the military or law enforcement, accuracy is absolutely essential and she is not interested in stories where the research has exclusively consisted of reading other novels set in those worlds. 

Editor

Melissa Rechter, Crooked Lane Books

Bio: Melissa Rechter is an Editor at Crooked Lane Books, an independent publisher of crime fiction, mysteries, and thrillers and Alcove Press, their new book club fiction imprint, based in New York. She joined the team in 2019, while obtaining her Masters in Publishing.

For Crooked Lane, Melissa is seeking cozy mysteries, horror, suspense and thrillers that deal with small town secrets, complicated family dynamics, and has a particular interest in unreliable narrators, cults, poisonous plants, and locked room mysteries. She’s also looking for historical mysteries with interesting premises.

For Alcove Press, Melissa is seeking historical fiction (particularly in the 20’s, 40’s) and is always looking for new stories about women and their roles in WWII, stories that center around female friendships and found family, and book club fiction that sparks conversation.

Agent

Katie Reed, Andrea Hurst and Associates

Bio: Katie Reed began her career in publishing with Andrea Hurst and Associates while pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in English at Sacramento State, and has worked in the publishing field for over a decade. Boo Walker (The Singing Trees), Hannah Jayne (Truly, Madly, Deadly), and international bestselling author Dr. Bernie Siegel, are among the many clients and works the agency represents.  Katie loves discovering new talent, building lasting connections with her authors, and working diligently to represent books readers will love. Katie lives in Lewiston, Idaho with her husband, three children, a Bichon Frise, and two obstinate cats.  In the summer you can find her on the beach upriver in Hells Canyon, preferably with a good book.

Looking for: Katie is actively building her client list and looking for standout projects to champion. She is looking for stories that hit that sweet spot between commercial and literary, where strong, poignant prose and twisty, high stakes plot intersect. Katie is especially drawn to books with universal human themes that resonate with readers and seep through the pages.

In the adult suspense/thriller genre, Katie is looking for female led psychological thriller with a distinct voice and unique plot that can stand on the shelf next to authors like Lucy Foley, Karin Slaughter, Alice Feeney, Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, Ruth Ware, and Stacy Willingham. In YA, she would love to find something voice driven and similar to The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. She is always willing to look at women’s or historical fiction with a strong suspense/thriller slant, a la Liane Moriarty’s The Husband’s Secret, or literary thriller like The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Her favorite thriller so far this year: The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz. Anything with an unreliable narrator and an ending or twist she doesn’t see coming is a huge plus!

Not looking for: sci-fi, fantasy, military/legal/spy thriller, cozies, or crime fiction.

Agent

Michelle Richter, Fuse Literary

Bio: Michelle Richter is a Senior Agent at Fuse Literary, which she joined from St. Martin’s Press. Crime fiction is her true love, from police procedurals to domestic suspense to thriller. And let’s not forget heists and con artists. She’s rarely found a British or Scandinavian crime show she couldn’t get wrapped up in. Recent favorite authors include Eli Cranor, Ruth Ware, S.A. Cosby, P.J. Vernon, Halley Sutton, and David Heska Wanbli Weiden.

Looking for: She is currently looking for suspense, thriller, amateur sleuth, traditional mystery, police procedural, commercial women’s fiction, and book club reads. She loves a strong voice, character-driven fiction, dual timelines, family secrets, sister/friend stories, lots of twists, and unreliable narrators. LGBTQ, BIPOC, and disabled voices are very welcome.

Not looking for: She is not looking for WWII or pre-20th century historical fiction; private investigators; political, military or espionage thrillers; science fiction/fantasy; poetry; YA or middle-grade fiction; memoir. Stories with human or drug trafficking, sexual assault or abuse, religious themes or characters aren’t a good fit for Michelle’s list.

Clients: E.A. Aymar, L.A. Chandlar, Kellye Garrett, Jennifer Gold, Tara Laskowski, Alan Orloff, Carl Vonderau, Erica Wright.

Agent

Nikki Terpilowski, Holloway Literary Management

Bio: With a B.A. in English and Marketing, along with a minor in creative writing and a graduate degree in international relations, Nikki’s passion for literature and thirst for knowledge led her to pursue a career in the publishing world. She established Holloway Literary in 2011 and currently has two associate agents on her team.

Nikki’s outstanding achievements include representing  RITA nominated titles, RT Book Reviews Top Picks, and starred Publishers Weekly reviews. Notably, her Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Globe & Mail, and iBooks UK best-selling author bestselling author, Kimberly Belle was a Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee for Best Mystery/Thriller in 2017.

She has also worked with several best-selling authors, including Amazon US & UK best-selling author Katie Oliver, USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns. Other notable clients include: Daytime Emmy nominee BlackSouthernBelle.com’s Michiel Perry, Food Television personality Saba Wahid and screenwriter Greg DePaul (Bride Wars, Saving Silverman)

As a full-service agency, Holloway Literary represents writers in various genres, including romance, women’s fiction, mystery, thriller, historical fiction, literary fiction, southern fiction, and select young adult. Holloway Literary is a member of Sisters In Crime and International Thriller Writers, among other associations.

Nikki is often a judge for League of Romance Writers competitions, and consults with entertainment industry websites Stage 32 and Writer’s Roadmap on both novel and screenplay writing.

Lastly, Nikki is a tv and film producer specializing in book IP with several projects in development.

Looking for: Nikki is looking for small-town romance, Regency romance, historical mystery, light fantasy and scifi in both adult and ya, fresh takes on domestic suspense, westerns, Afrofuturism, thrillers written by veterans/law enforcement/intelligence operatives, lifestyle non-fiction, southern fiction and magical women’s fiction.

Not looking for: cozy mysteries, crime fiction, horror, erotica, crimes against children, serial killers.

Agent

Ann Leslie Tuttle, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret

Bio: Ann Leslie Tuttle joined DG&B in 2017 after working for 20 years at Harlequin Books where she worked on an extensive and varied list of bestselling and award-winning titles in romance and women’s fiction. She received her B.A. degree from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from the University of Virginia. Helping to grow the careers of established and debut writers has always been Ann Leslie’s passion. Ann Leslie lives in New York City with her husband and young daughter, who is just discovering the magic of books and writing.

Looking for: Ann Leslie is especially seeking women’s fiction (e.g. relationships, family sagas, historical fiction and psychological thrillers) romance (e.g. romantic comedies, medical romance and contemporaries) and Southern Gothics on the adult fiction side as well as Middle Grade fiction and narrative nonfiction.

For thrillers/mystery/suspense, she is especially looking for domestic thrillers and cozy and historical mysteries and would welcome some #OwnVoices authors. She would also welcome some that have a speculative element, and thriller/mysteries for the YA market.

Not looking for: stories with a dystopian element or science fiction.

Agent

Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary Agency

[Dawn will be taking pitches live during PitchFest over zoom.]

Bio: Dawn Dowdle began Blue Ridge Literary Agency, LLC in Virginia in 2009 to help authors, especially newer authors. Prior to establishing her agency, she was a freelance copy editor and an avid reader of cozy mysteries. Murder at Redwood Cove by Janet Finsilver, Staging Is Murder by Grace Topping, and Murder at Harbor Village by G.P. Gardner, are Cozy Mysteries she represents that are USA Today Bestsellers. The agency now has 3 agents.

Looking for: Genres and subgenres of interest to Dawn Dowdle are Cozy Mystery, Historical Mystery, Mystery, Suspense, Fiction Picture Book, Amish Romance. Inspirational Romance, Middle Grade Fiction, Cookbook, Travel, Children’s Graphic Novel.

Not looking for: Romance, Nonfiction (other than listed), Fantasy, Sci-fi, Magic Realism

Agent

Terrie Wolf, AKA Literary Management

[Terrie will be taking pitches live during PitchFest over zoom.]

Bio: Since founding AKALM in 2010, Terrie has been honored to manage authors who are at all stages of the writing journey and their eclectic and unforgettable works. She primarily represents adult fiction (mystery, thriller, women’s, regional and inspirational), the occasional non-fiction offering, and children’s fiction (especially MG mysteries) and non-fiction. Maintaining a global outlook, Terrie has sold rights in more than forty countries and thirty languages. She was named ACFW Agent of the Year in 2021.

Clients: Terrie’s clients include Forest Jones, Brian Tracey, Kirsche Romo, Byron Graves, Margaret Mizushima, Jeff Nesbit, Maria Shriver, and the estate of “the King of the Paperbacks” Harry Whittington. She also represents two cozy mysteries series co-authored by Jeff Ayers and Brian Tracey.

Looking for: in adult fiction: debut, general/other, historical, mystery/crime/thriller/suspense, inspirational, paranormal (light), regional saga, women’s fiction, romance. Terrie is also looking for picture books, young adult and middle grade.

Not looking for: in adult fiction: anthology, erotica, horror, literary, poetry, sci-fi/fantasy.