Kimberly Brower of The Brower Literary Agency

Kimberly Brower fell in love with reading when she picked up her first Babysitter’s Club book at the age of seven (Super Special editions were her favorites) and hasn’t been able to get her nose out of a book since. She holds a BS in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge and received her JD from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. After spending a decade in the business world, it was kismet that she found herself in publishing. She takes great pride in her client list, from the debut authors to #1 NYT bestsellers, and likes to consider them all her favorite authors. She previously worked for over two years at a boutique literary agency before starting her own. After spending 14 years in California, she is thrilled to be back on the east coast, currently based in Florida. Kimberly oversees all agency projects (frontlist and backlist), handles submissions, negotiates deals and cultivates relationships with publishers, companies and vendors in all media. When she's not facilitating opportunities for authors in expanding their rights, she manages the entire agency as a whole.

Ronald Gerber of Lowenstein Associates

Ronald Gerber is a literary agent 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 is a member of the AALA.

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 (St. Martin’s Press) published to critical acclaim 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. He lives in Queens, New York with his wife and way too many books and DVDs.

Genres: 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.

Sam Hiyate of The Rights Factory

Sam Hiyate worked at the literary magazines Blood & Aphorisms and The Quarterly inthe 90s. He ran the edgy micropublisher, Gutter Press, from 1993 to 2002, as publisher, and launched the literary division of The Lavin Agency in 2003, building a client list and completing his first deals. He's keen to discover new voices and help  writers prepare their works for market, and to help them build lasting careers. Sam is also the host of the podcast Agent Provocateur, giving a behind-the-scenes view into publishing and agenting. The categories he’s most interested in are Book Club, Business, Commercial Upmarket Fiction, Crime, Cross-Genre, Graphica, Health, Lifestyle, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Mystery, Self-Improvement, and Thriller.

Patricia Nelson of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

Patricia Nelson has been a literary agent with Marsal Lyon Literary Agency since 2014, representing all genres of young adult and middle grade fiction, as well as women's fiction and romance. Her clients include bestselling and award-winning authors, and recent sales include books placed with Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster, among others. Patricia holds master's degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Southern California and has previously taught literature and writing at the college level.

For genres: I represent middle grade fiction (all genres), YA fiction (all genres), women's fiction, and romance.

Aimee Ashcraft of The Brower Literary Agency

Aimee has loved books since the days of sneakily reading under her desk in elementary school. Thankfully, reading is no longer a punishable offense, and she is busy seeking out stories that feature all-encompassing worlds and compelling female characters. She loves books that are told from an original point of view and are more addictive than a good Netflix binge. Aimee received her BA from Transylvania University and her MA from NYU. She is now based in New York City and joined Brower Literary & Management in 2016 as an intern, where she is now spearheading the newly formed editorial department as they work with clients fulfilling their individual needs on their projects.

Terri Bischoff from Crooked Lane Books

Senior Editor Terri Bischoff joined Crooked Lane in 2019. Previous to CLB, she spent ten years at Midnight Ink as their acquiring editor.  Terri's interests run the gamut of crime fiction from cozies to serial killers. She is looking for domestic and psychological suspense, thrillers, LGBTQIA2S+, marginalized voices, plots that have an underlying social commentary, cults, and strong female protagonists. Terri has often been heard saying, the more bodies the better.

Joe Brosnan of Grove Atlantic

Joe Brosnan is a Senior Editor at Grove Atlantic where he specializes in crime fiction. Before moving into editorial full-time, he spent nearly a decade managing CriminalElement.com and also running marketing campaigns for authors at St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books.

I exclusively acquire crime, thriller, mystery and suspense titles.

Leticia Gomez of Dafina Books

Leticia Gomez is the Editorial Director for Dafina Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp., which focuses on high-quality fiction and non-fiction that centers on race, identity, and its impact on our experiences. Dafina’s carefully curated list is a home for dynamic stories that innovate and amplify voices too long ignored through books that entertain, challenge, and inspire. Launched in 2000 as the first African American imprint, Dafina has led the market for more than twenty years in highlighting voices of color.

Prior to joining the Kensington family, Leticia was a prominent literary/film/television agent who specialized in bringing culturally diverse voices to the forefront. She has helped her clients secure deals with the largest publishers in the world and has seen several of her projects successfully optioned for TV and film rights. As a literary agent, she placed more than 200 books with independent and mainstream traditional publishers.

Leticia is actively seeking to acquire multicultural fiction and nonfiction in all genres. She is interested inUpmarket Women’s Contemporary Fiction, Family Dramas, Historical, Mysteries, Romance, Suspense Thrillers, Street/Urban lit. She’s also actively on the prowl for nonfiction with a focus on authors of color (BIPOC) as well as specific projects for marginalized communities. The genres she’s most interested in the nonfiction arena are: prescriptive Self-Help, historical or contemporary Narrative Nonfiction, Memoir, True Crime, and Political/Current Affairs. Leticia can be contacted at LGomez@Kensingtonbooks.com

Najla Mamou of Wild Rose Press, Inc.

Najla Mamou is an Editor with The Wild Rose Press, Inc. Her manuscript wishlist includes historical, mystery/thriller/suspense, women's fiction, and some speculative fiction. She would like to read more stories with roadtrips or moving cross-country, rural families and dynamics, inner-city environments and themes, more set in the west pre-1970s, military family stories, and anything that explores poverty, struggle, resilience, defeat, compassion, loyalty, integrity, family dynamics, and complex relationships.

She is a meticulous editor, and loves learning new facts about history as she researches different time periods and places.