Penelope Burns came to Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents as an intern in 2012, after graduating from Colgate University and attending the Denver Publishing Institute. She became a full time literary agent in late 2015 after working briefly at a book-to-film scouting agency. She considers herself a “generalist,” representing an eclectic variety of literary and commercial fiction in Adult, Young Adult, and Middle Grade, as well as some narrative non-fiction. She’s always looking for an engaging voice.
Category: WilWrite26 YA
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Lee O’Brien
Lee O’Brien (he/they) is an associate agent at Looking Glass Literary. Lee started his career at Irene Goodman Literary Agency as an assistant in 2019, before going on to build his own list as a junior agent after completing his MA in English literature at UC Davis in 2020 and moving back to New York. He joined LGLM when it was founded in 2023.
Lee is interested in MG, YA, and Adult in a range of genres, from fantasy to thrillers to romcoms. Within the genres he represents, he’s especially looking for stories with a strong commercial hook or a compelling high-concept, and he loves anything full of twists and turns, an unforgettable cast of characters, or a mystery he can’t put down. He’s actively seeking diverse books and marginalized voices, and has a particular love for anything queer.
When not working as an agent, Lee writes YA fantasy about trans kids, magic, and monsters of all kinds as Lee Paige O’Brien.
Learn more here: https://www.lookingglasslit.com/lee-obrien
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Keir Alekseii
Keir is an associate agent with Azantian Literary. As a neurodivergent, queer person of color, they are invested in discovering engaging work with similar representation, and passionate about creating space for voices not often recognized.
Learn more here: https://www.azantianlitagency.com/about-us/keir-alekseii
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T.S. Ferguson
Before joining Azantian Literary Agency, T.S. Ferguson worked for 16 years as an editor for some of the top children’s and teen book publishers in the business, including Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Harlequin Teen/Inkyard Press, and JIMMY Patterson Books. He has worked with New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors such as Sherman Alexie, Sara Zarr, Suzanne Selfors, Pseudonymous Bosch, Robin Talley, Hillary Monahan (writing as Eva Darrows), and Adi Alsaid.
He is currently seeking: middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, and adult genre fiction (particularly fantasy and horror).
Learn more here: https://www.azantianlitagency.com/about-us/t.s.-ferguson
Schedule
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Sarah N. Fisk
Sarah N. Fisk is a literary agent at the Tobias Literary Agency, representing MG, YA, and most genre fiction and select nonfiction. Sarah is a former mechanical engineer who made the switch to publishing in 2011. They have worked in the publishing industry as an editorial assistant, author’s assistant, publicist, and art director. Sarah is a former Pitch Wars mentor, board member, and Agent Liaison. They host the podcast Queries, Qualms, & Quirks and are one of the founding members of Disability in Publishing.
Find out more at https://manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/sarah-n-fisk/
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Christa Heschke
Christa Heschke graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She started in publishing as an intern at both Writers House and Sterling Lord Literistic, where she fell in love with the agency side of publishing. Christa has been at McIntosh and Otis, Inc. in the Children’s Literature Department since 2009 where she is actively acquiring for all age groups in children’s and some select adult.
Learn more here: https://manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/christa-heschke/
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Daniele Hunter
Daniele Hunter (she/her) is a queer, chronically ill, disabled junior agent in the children’s department at McIntosh & Otis. She started at McIntosh & Otis in 2016 as an intern and has been there ever since. She has a BA in English with concentrations in Literary Criticism, Poetry, and Creative Writing from Drew University. Before agenting, she held various odd jobs in the publishing industry, from proofreading to teaching and working on literary journals. She’s also a member of the American Association of Literary Agents . She’s on the board of Literary Agents of Change, and co-directs their Fellowship program. In her spare time, she reads way too quickly, sings opera, and puts her ambidexterity to good use as a knitter. She lives in New Jersey with her spouse and their cat.
Seeking work in these genres: Children’s, Middle Grade, New Adult, Picture Books, Young Adult
Learn more here: https://www.dhunteragent.com/mswl
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Natalie Kimber
Natalie/Nat Kimber (she/her) has been an agent with The Rights Factory since 2014, and is based in Weehawken, NJ. She represents adult fiction, nonfiction, and books for young adults. She is the lead organizer of the NYC Writers Circle. She takes pride in guiding authors through the strategy and practical process of publishing, and yet she acknowledges that a wondrous magic is at work when books come into form. She appreciates authors who incorporate a strong vision into their writing, writers who fully understand the WHY of their book, and she encourages strong author connection with the writing community. As an aesthete and theologian at heart, she aspires to a “post-mystic modern” philosophy, which attempts to reintegrate our mystic roots and intuition with contemporary life. Nat hails from the West—CO and NM—and cherishes art and books that capture this region. Her wishlist categories can be found on her agent page at therightsfactory.com
Seeking work in these genres: Mystery, Romance, Crime, Thriller, Suspense, YA, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction, Memoir, Poetry, General Fiction, Literary Fiction
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Anjanette Barr
Anjanette Barr is a literary agent at Dunham Literary, representing authors and illustrators across all genres and age categories. She lives in beautiful Juneau, Alaska.
Seeking work in these genres: Romance, SF, Fantasy, YA, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction, Memoir, Middle Grade, General Fiction, Literary Fiction
Find out more at https://www.dunhamlit.com