Agent, Writer

In my MFA workshops at the University of Southern Mississippi, I was the one asking my fellow writers who's going to buy this? Who are you writing this for? That's when I knew I wanted to be a literary agent. I finished my degree ASAP and moved to New York to work in publishing.

I've been with the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency since 2006, where I've built a diverse client list from New York Times best selling internet sensations like I Can Has Cheezburger to beloved humorist and novelist Daniel M. Lavery to New York Times best selling YA horror writer Madeleine Roux and New York Times best selling fantasy writer Alix E. Harrow. 

I was an adjunct professor at New York University in the School of Professional Studies, teaching about agents and publishing for over a decade. As a writer, I am represented by Michael Bourret at Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret. I write the newsletter Agents & Books.

I live in Brooklyn with my husband and kid and our many, many books. 

I’ve written a lot about writing, and more. Here’s where to read more of my work

  • Ten Novels Agents Have Already Seen a Billion Times, Electric Lit

  • An Agent Explains the Ins and Outs of Book Deals, Electric Lit

  • No, You Probably Don’t Have a Book in You, The Outline

  • What We Talk About When We Talk About Book Titles, Catapult

  • What’s Genre, Anyway?, Catapult

  • Book Contracts: Let’s Talk Money, Catapult

  • Book Contracts: Let’s Talk Rights, Catapult

  • Book Contracts: Let’s Talk Surprises, Catapult

  • Spring Migration (Fiction), Catapult

  • Deal or No Deal: Why Being a Literary Agent Doesn’t Make It Easier to Write a Book, Catapult

  • What Bird Watching Gave Me After My Miscarriage (Personal Essay), Catapult