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2022 AGENT ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS
No Additional Cost/Limited Availability
Included with your Regular One- or Two-Day Conference Registration
Take advantage of this opportunity to secure one individual session with a literary agent, based on availability. These are optional sessions, which must be scheduled in advance unless otherwise announced. Included with your regular conference ticket at no additional cost.
These appointments are not transferable to others and no one can have more than one agent meeting/consultation. Appointment slots are limited.
Scheduling
When you register for the conference you will be able to select your first and second choices for agents. Your second agent choice indicates who you would like to see if your first choice is not available. It is not a second meeting. Be sure to review the agent choices below and make your selections prior to beginning the registration process.
By early September, we will send you further information about your scheduled appointment(s). Please do not contact us with questions about scheduling until after that time.
These individual meetings are assigned on a first-come-first-served basis and may fill up. Early registration is recommended to ensure you can take advantage of these opportunities.
On Selecting an Agent
How to make the best use of your appointment
We are pleased to offer a diverse selection of agents who represent a wide range of genres. However, please note, not all genres are available. When reviewing which agents you would like to select as your first and second choices on your conference registration form, review each bio carefully, including any links to their agent websites and manuscript wishlists (MSWL), to make sure you are selecting agents who represent the type of work you write. Many of these agents are not currently open to submissions or queries without referrals, so this is an opportunity not to be squandered. It’s a waste of your time and theirs (not to mention taking an appointment that might be a good match for someone else) if you pitch an agent on your inspirational memoir when the agent primarily represents young adult science fiction and fantasy. Choose carefully to maximize the benefit to everyone.
You will make your agent selections when completing your regular conference registration form.
Confirmed agents for 2022:
LITERARY AGENTS
Lori Steel
Lori Steel began her career in young people’s literature, first as an educator and school librarian, and later as a freelance editor and writing instructor. She has an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and approaches her work from these diverse industry experiences and perspectives. She’s a long-time member of AALA, SCBWI and ALA, and continues to seek diverse perspectives, literary approaches, and unique story experiences to add to her list.
You can view Lori\’s Manuscript Wishlist HERE.
Dawn Michelle Hardy
Dawn Michelle Hardy is an award-winning book publicist and highly sought-after publishing consultant who was recently featured in Forbes Women and the Access and Opportunity podcast hosted by Carla Harris. She has served on the NAACP Image Award Literary Committee and will celebrate her 20th year advocating for authors and their debut books this fall. Called a “powerhouse who shares industry truths” in Upscale magazin,e Dawn is a frequent podcast guest and conference presenter who teaches platform building, proposal writing, and best practices for securing a traditional book deal. Some of her past clients include: New York Times Bestselling authors Clint Smith and D. Watkins, and women’s fiction authors Sadeqa Johnson, Tia Williams and Jayne Allen. Affectionately known as The Literary Lobbyist, Dawn continues to passionately champion for BIPOC writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children’s books, and memoir.
Dawn\’s Manuscript Wishlist: Memoir Everyday people with a strong message beyond their personal experience. Looking for a narrative that will spark national conversation with the author serving as a talking figure on it. Example: Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land. The book itself was put on “Obama’s 2019 Summer Reading List” and described on Amazon’s reviews as “a single mother’s personal, unflinching look at America’s class divide, a description of the tightrope many families walk just to get by, and a reminder of the dignity of all work.” YA novels with BIPOC protagonist. Comparable authors would be Tiffany Jackson, Jacqueline Woodson, Melissa Acevado, Nic Stone, and Kwame Alexander Fiction Fast paced, plot driven, entertaining and accessible commercial women\’s fiction by BIPOC writers– shared audiences are readers of Tia Williams (Seven Days in June), Sadeqa Johnson (Second House from the Corner) and work by Sophie Consella and Jodi Picoult
Saritza Hernández
A Literary Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Saritza Hernández is a self-professed geek who loves escaping into worlds and stories from all walks of life. A passionate advocate of the BIPOC & LGBTQ+ communities, she enjoys fresh voices in Adult and KidLit genre fiction, and select non-fiction.
View Saritza\’s Manuscript Wishlist HERE.
William Roberts
Will is the Associate Director of Foreign Rights and a literary agent at The Gernert Company. He joined the team in 2008 after working at Vintage Books, and, before that, at a newspaper in Jackson, WY, covering the courts and police department. He is looking for suspense novels, both literary and commercial, that are original and unpredictable, as well as nonfiction projects focused on current affairs, politics and history. A graduate of Middlebury College, he lives in Brooklyn with his wife and children.
Will\’s Manuscript Wishlist: Suspense novels, both literary and commercial, that are original and unpredictable, as well as nonfiction projects focused on current affairs, politics and history.
Susan Velazquez Colmant
Susan Velazquez Colmant is a literary agent and the subsidiary rights director at JABberwocky Literary Agency. She manages the agency’s translation and audio rights in addition to her own growing client list. In general, she gravitates toward any story that details a complicated family dynamic, illustrates a transformative coming-of-age experience, and features unique voices like multicultural and LGBTQIA+ characters. She represents adult and YA fiction and the occasional nonfiction.
Susan’s Manuscript Wishlist can be found HERE.
Jessica Felleman
Jessica Felleman\’s appointments are full.|
Jessica Felleman began her publishing career in Los Angeles after receiving her MFA in writing from CalArts. She relocated to New York in 2015, where she spent five years at a mid-sized agency before joining the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency in 2020. She represents a range of fiction and nonfiction authors, and loves fresh stories about magic and books that make readers think differently about themselves or the world around them.
Jessica\’s Manuscript Wishlist can be found HERE.
Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts
Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts | AGENT
Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts\’ appointments are full.|
Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts joined HG Literary in 2017 after agenting at Writers House and the Susan Golomb Literary Agency, where she was also Foreign Rights Director. At HG Literary, she represents literary novels and collections, upmarket fiction, and non-fiction, both narrative and prescriptive. Though she is primarily seeking Adult genres, she also represents select, realistic middle-grade and YA. She is a board member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) and serves on their International Rights Committee. Originally from the California Bay Area, Soumeya now lives in Brooklyn with her family.
| Soumeya\’s Manuscript Wishlist: Soumeya seeks vivid voices and compelling, well-developed story-telling. Observant writing that illuminates dynamic relationships between complex but sympathetic characters, unconventional settings and subcultures, and controlled experiments with form catch her eye. She is particularly, but not exclusively, interested in fiction that reflects on the post-colonial world, marginalized and liminal spaces, and narratives by people of color. In non-fiction, she is primarily looking for idea-driven or voice-forward memoirs, personal essay collections, and narrative non-fiction of all stripes. She also represents a curated list of practical and how-to books by makers across creative fields including design, craft, and lifestyle. |