Month: December 2024

Get to Know a Literary Scout in Attendance: Chelsea Moyer of The Tobias Agency

Chelsea Moyer is a literary scout with The Tobias Agency.

Chelsea came to The Tobias Literary Agency as an intern and today she’s the agency’s Adult Department Assistant and Social Media Maven. Chelsea holds an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and has been in the marketing industry for nearly a decade.

She is taking pitches on behalf of Tobias agent Jacqui Lipton.

Jacqui’s tastes are broad and eclectic. She loved (and still does) everything from a good murder mystery to space opera to contemporary romance and everything in between. She also loves nonfiction projects with a compelling narrative voice. Jacqui represents authors of fiction and nonfiction from middle grade through to adult, as well as selected projects for younger readers (picture books, chapter books etc.) She is currently focusing on developing her adult fiction and nonfiction lists and particularly enjoys mystery/crime, romance, how-to books, and compelling contemporary novels. She is not currently seeking high fantasy, and considers science fiction selectively.

Get to Know an Agent in Attendance: Kara Grajkowski of 3 Seas Literary Agency

Kara Grajkowski is a literary agent with 3 Seas Literary Agency.

“As an elementary classroom teacher turned elementary behavioral interventionist, I am always looking to expand my classroom library with high-interest, low-readability books. If I can see my students and their interests in the project, it is a good fit for my classroom and a better fit for my query box. Please send me #OwnVoices stories!”

Middle Grade / Young Adult:

MG is my favorite of all types of books! I have a soft spot for contemporary fiction stories that my students can align with, especially if the main character doesn’t have it all figured out yet (I mean, who does anyway?!). I am searching for the best MG and YA fiction stories that have you smiling, crying, and growing right along with the characters. Bonus if the stories take place in urban settings and/or celebrate Black joy! I am not a good fit for fantasy or time travel stories.

Picture Books:

Picture books that highlight the beauty in diversity, community, and childhood are the best – right up there with humorous stories. I love any book that can make you giggle, especially if you can learn a valuable lesson in the meantime. Please send me books that break the fourth wall and/or have non-traditional narration styles like “Press Here” or “The Book With No Pictures”! I love to champion stories about disability, SEL, and/or regulation strategies. Also, educational picture books are up my alley, especially ones that can easily align with curriculum. I’m usually not a good fit for rhyming books (unless they’re funny!).

New Adult:

I (very selectively) take new adult rom coms. Fresh takes on traditional narratives are a plus for me, but I really look for sharp, witty storytelling.

Nonfiction:

I would love any nonfiction about education/issues in schools or mental health/trauma. No memoirs, please!

Fun facts about me:

I have two corgis – one is like a cat and the other is like a tornado.
My favorite part of the school day is teaching ELA, but I despise teaching the bossy r syllable type. Gurrrr.
I love hip hop music. You can never go wrong with a little Sada Baby in the background while you’re working.

Get to Know an Agent in Attendance: Kara Rota of Thompson Literary

Kara Rota is a literary agent with Thompson Literary.

Kara is excited to represent nonfiction authors including activists, artists, witches, and revolutionaries; cookbooks about more than food, parenting books that see care work as central to social change, illustrated projects that inspire delight, and other nonfiction books that seek to change the world. 

Kara grew up in Sewell, New Jersey reading and counting down the days until she could move to New York City and work at a magazine, which she did in 2005 after graduating from Sarah Lawrence College. Before joining TLA, she worked as an Executive Editor at Chicago Review Press from 2019-2023, acquiring narrative nonfiction, music, and pop culture titles.

Previously from 2014 Kara worked at Macmillan, acquiring and editing cookbooks, mind/body/spirit projects and other nonfiction for multiple Macmillan imprints including Flatiron and St. Martin’s Press. She also served as director of recipe website and Macmillan portfolio company Cookstr.com.

She lives in Evanston, IL with her husband, their daughter Maeve, and Cat.

Get to Know an Agent in Attendance: Rachel Estep of D4EO Literary Agency

Rachel Estep is a literary agent with D4EO Literary Agency.

She is seeking: literary fiction; mainstream fiction; all types of middle grade and young adult (especially that centers underrepresented voices); voicey, high-stakes psychological thrillers; stories that mess with your head in the best way; gothic fiction that blends deep senses of foreboding with modern themes; true crime projects that dig deeper than the headlines and center empathy alongside the horror; queer romcoms that bring the banter, the swoon, the spice, and a whole lot of heart; historical fiction driven by complex, unforgettable women in the style of Marie Benedict.

Rachel brings a passion for sharp storytelling, vibrant voices, and fierce author advocacy. A lifelong book lover, Rachel’s path to publishing began with a pandemic-era BookTok and led to her role as a bookseller, event coordinator, and now agent. She lives on a small Ohio homestead with her husband, two kids, her parents, and an entire animal kingdom that includes dogs, cats, ducks, and a turkey. As a Jewish and Bisexual woman raised in the Midwest, and now a mom to a disabled and medically fragile child, Rachel is deeply committed to uplifting underrepresented voices and helping storytellers thrive.

Get to Know an Agent in Attendance: Sorche Fairbank of Fairbank Literary

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screen-shot-2024-10-15-at-8.19.16-pm-1.pngSorche Fairbank is a literary agent and the founder of Fairbank Literary.

A small, selective agency and member of AAR, the Author’s Guild, the Agents Round Table, PEN, and Grub Street’s Literary Advisory Council, Fairbank Literary Representation is happily entering its nineteenth year. Clients range from first-time authors to international best-sellers, prize winning-journalists to professionals at the top of their fields.

They can be found with all the major publishers, as well as in the New York Times, The Boston Globe, Harper’s, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Granta, Best American Short Stories, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Glimmertrain, and more.

Our tastes tend toward literary and international fiction; voice-y novels with a strong sense of place; big memoir that goes beyond the me-moir; topical or narrative nonfiction with a strong interest in women’s voices, global perspectives, and class and race issues; children’s picture books & middle grade from illustrator/artists only; quality lifestyle books (food, wine, and design); pop culture; craft; and gift and humor books. We are most likely to pick up works that are of social or cultural significance, newsworthy, or that cause us to take great delight in the words, images, or ideas on the page. Lately we have been doing extremely well in the humor/gift/pop culture category, international fiction, and children’s picture books by illustrator artists, and we’d love to take on more projects in those categories. Above all, we look for a fresh voice, approach, story, or idea.

(No genre romance, sci-fi, fantasy, sports fiction, YA, screenplays, or children’s works unless by an illustrator/artist. Also, if your work is much over 120,000 words, chances are it’s too long for us.)