Matthew Elblonk joined DeFiore and Company in 2010. He currently represents writers in the world of music, pop culture, narrative non-fiction, food, young adult, literary fiction and humor. Interests also include science and any authors with great ideas and an equally strong platform. He tends to have a soft spot for all Beatle related projects. He is currently not considering any poetry or genre fiction.

Curtis Armstrong - REVENGE OF THE NERD: Or...The Singular Adventures Of The Man Who Would Be Booger (Thomas Dunne Books)

Paul Brannigan and Ian Winwood - BIRTH SCHOOL METALLICA DEATH (Da Capo)

Rex Brown - OFFICIAL TRUTH, 101 PROOF: The Inside Story of Pantera (Da Capo)

Leslie Bruce - YOU ARE A F*CKING AWESOME MOM (Seal Press)

Jason Feifer - BUILD FOR TOMORROW (Harmony)

Peter Hook - UNKNOWN PLEASURES: Inside Joy Division (It Books); THE HACIENDA (It Books); SUBSTANCE: Inside New Order (Dey Street Books)

Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair - MCCARTNEY LEGACY VOL. 1 (Dey Street Books)

Holly Madison - DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE (Dey Street Books); THE VEGAS DIARIES (Dey Street Books)

Ralph Macchio - WAXING ON: The Karate Kid and Me (Dutton)

Matthew McConaughey - GREENLIGHTS: Your Journal, Your Journey (Clarkson Potter)

John Pring and Rob Thomas - VISUALIZING THE BEATLES (Dey Street Books)

Paul Rees - ROBERT PLANT: A LIFE (It Books)

Rob Sheffield - HEARTBREAK IS THE NATIONAL ANTHEM (Dey Street Books)

Alison Sweeney - THE STAR ATTRACTION (Hachette Books); SCARED SCRIPTLESS (Hachette Books); OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS (Hachette Books)

Bryan & Michael Voltaggio, VOLT INK. (Olive Press) and HOME, by Brian Voltaggio (Little, Brown)

Kenneth Womack - MAL EVANS BIOGRAPHY (Dey Street Books); MAL EVANS ARCHIVE (Dey Street Books)

Katie Alender - BAD GIRLS DON’T DIE Series (Hyperion); MARIE ANTOINETTE, SERIAL KILLER (Scholastic); THE DEAD GIRLS OF HYSTERIA HALL (Scholastic); THE COMPANION (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers)

Lauren Conrad - LA CANDY Series (HarperCollins); THE FAME GAME Series (HarperCollins); Lauren Conrad STYLE (HarperCollins); Lauren Conrad BEAUTY (HarperCollins); Lauren Conrad CELEBRATE (HarperCollins)

Hena Khan - AMINA’S VOICE (Salaam Reads); AMINA'S SONG (Salaam Reads); ZARA'S RULES FOR RECORD-BREAKING FUN (Salaam Reads); UNDER MY HIJAB (Lee & Low Books); THE MAIN EVENT (Little Brown Books for Young Readers)

Matthew McConaughey - JUST BECAUSE (Viking Books for Young Readers)

Jeffrey Michael Ruby - PENELOPE MARCH IS MELTING (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

Lauren Shippen - THE INFINITE NOISE (Tor Teen); A NEON DARKNESS (Tor Teen); SOME FARAWAY PLACE (Tor Teen)

Bella Thorne - AUTUMN FALLS Series (Ember)

Kristina Webb - COLOR ME CREATIVE: Unlock Your Imagination (HarperCollins); COLOR ME INSPIRED (HarperCollins)

Matthew Elblonk

Born in Iraq to Assyrian and Armenian parents, Parik was raised in Florida. She received her BA in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing, from the University of Central Florida. While attending UCF, she was an Editorial Assistant at The Florida Review. She joined DeFiore and Company as an intern in 2017 and became an assistant in early 2018.

Parik is interested in both fiction and nonfiction, and craves stories that center BIPOC and underrepresented voices. She is particularly drawn to immigrant narratives, specifically Middle Eastern stories, as well as the intersection of political and social justice, pop culture and current events, and cookbooks that inspire you to get into the kitchen and try new things, even if you are are still learning (as she is).

Parik Kostan

Laurie Abkemeier started her career in publishing more than thirty years ago and has been a literary agent with DeFiore and Company since 2003. Previously she was a senior editor at Hyperion, where she acquired and edited dozens of nonfiction books, including five New York Times bestsellers and many national bestsellers. As a former editor with extensive experience in what goes on behind publishers’ doors, she works closely with her authors to develop their ideas, polish their proposals, and guide them from deal to publication. She has represented more than a dozen New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers. 

Laurie strives to maintain an eclectic list that spans history, science (physical, biological, and psychological), nature, sports, adventure and the outdoors, health and wellness, self-improvement, investigative journalism, big ideas, women’s studies, pop culture, food, technology (digital and analog), the traditional past and speculative future, and the offbeat. She is very interested in working with people of color and those from historically marginalized communities who are writing on these topics. 

Laurie also represents a select group of artists (see list below). 

Laurie is always open to queries. More than half of her authors have come to her via an unsolicited email query, and many have had no previous writing credits. Something they all have in common is the talent and desire not just to write a book but to be an author. Please see her query instructions below. 

A native of Northern California, Laurie made her way east to attend college and now lives in Northern New Jersey where she enjoys hiking, cooking, walking her dogs, sending her grown children funny comics, and finding the best Taylor ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. 

Narrative Nonfiction and Memoir Highlights:

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong’s SEINFELDIA (Simon & Schuster) and WHEN WOMEN INVENTED TELEVISION (Harper)

Saul Austerlitz’s JUST A SHOT AWAY (Thomas Dunne Books), GENERATION FRIENDS, and KIND OF A BIG DEAL (Dutton)

John Grogan's MARLEY & ME and THE LONGEST TRIP HOME (William Morrow)

Nathalia Holt's RISE OF THE ROCKET GIRLS (Little, Brown) and THE BEAST IN THE CLOUDS (One Signal)

Rachel Lance’s IN THE WAVES and CHAMBER DIVERS (Dutton)

Anne Gardiner Perkins' YALE NEEDS WOMEN (Sourcebooks)

Melissa L. Sevigny’s BRAVE THE WILD RIVER (W.W. Norton)

Jean Kennedy Smith's THE NINE OF US (Harper)

Rebecca Boyle’s OUR MOON (Random House)

Peter Brannen’s THE ENDS OF THE WORLD (Ecco) and THE STORY OF CO2 IS THE STORY OF EVERYTHING (Ecco)

Daniel Chamovitz, PhD's WHAT A PLANT KNOWS (Scientific American Books)

Lisa Cron's WIRED FOR STORY and STORY GENIUS (Ten Speed Press)

Shaun Gallagher's EXPERIMENTING WITH BABIES and EXPERIMENTING WITH KIDS (TarcherPerigee)

Keith Houston’s SHADY CHARACTERS, THE BOOK, and EMPIRE OF THE SUM (W.W. Norton) 

Kimberly Potts’ IT’S (ALMOST) ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (Gallery)

Jessica Lahey’s THE GIFT OF FAILURE and THE ADDICTION INOCULATION (Harper)

Steve Magness’ DO HARD THINGS and WIN THE INSIDE GAME (HarperOne)

Deirdre Mask’s THE ADDRESS BOOK (St. Martin’s Press)

Cal Newport’s SLOW PRODUCTIVITY and DIGITAL MINIMALISM (Portfolio) and DEEP WORK (Grand Central)

Mary-Frances O’Connor’s THE GRIEVING BRAIN and THE GRIEVING BODY (HarperOne)

Brad Stulberg’s THE PRACTICE OF GROUNDEDNESS (Portfolio), MASTER OF CHANGE, and THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE (HarperOne)

Scott Young's ULTRALEARNING and GET BETTER AT ANYTHING (HarperBusiness)

Meg Adams: WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS? (Andrews McMeel)

Lee Crutchley: THE NOCTURNAL JOURNAL and GET LOST! (TarcherPerigee)

Rachel Dougherty: SECRET ENGINEER (Roaring Brook) and A RACCOON AT THE WHITE HOUSE (Simon Spotlight)

Jorey Hurley: NEST, FETCH, HOP, BEEHIVE et al (Paula Wiseman/S&S Books for Young Readers)

Andrew Kolb: EDMUND UNRAVELS (Nancy Paulsen Books), PEACE: A CARD GAME (Chronicle), NEVERLAND, OZ, and WONDERLAND (Andrews McMeel), and the ALL ABOARD! series (Abrams Appleseed)

Meera Lee Patel: START WHERE YOU ARE, CREATE YOUR OWN CALM, GO YOUR OWN WAY et al (TarcherPerigee)

Yumi Sakugawa: THE LITTLE BOOK OF LIFE HACKS (St. Martin’s Press) and COSMIC COMFORT (Clarkson Potter)

Becky Simpson: I’D RATHER BE SHORT (Plume) and THE ROOMMATE BOOK (Andrews McMeel)

Debbie Tung: QUIET GIRL IN A NOISY WORLD and BOOK LOVE (Andrews McMeel)

Katie Vaz: MY LIFE IN PLANTS, MAKE YOURSELF COZY and DON'T WORRY EAT CAKE (Andrews McMeel)

Laurie accepts only email queries. Send a brief email describing you and your project to Laurie@defliterary.com Please include the word “query” and your book title in the subject line. Attachments will not be opened unless requested. Submissions do not need to be exclusive, and response time is generally no more than two weeks. If you have not received a response within four weeks, please check that the defliterary.com domain name is on your email server whitelist; the response might have been rejected by your server. Please note that Laurie does not consider fiction queries of any kind.

Laurie Abkemeier

Hannah Schwartz joined DeFiore & Company as the business manager in 2026, as part of the merger with the Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency. She was the business manager at SKLA for a decade and began her career at InkWell Management, where she worked for four years. A Long Island native, Hannah left New York to earn her degree in English Literature, Writing and Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis. She moved to Brooklyn in 2011 and still lives there with her husband and son.

Hannah Schwartz

Business Manager

Reiko Davis joined DeFiore in 2016. Before that, she was at Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency for four years. She grew up in Kansas City, received her BA in Comparative Literature and Art History from Brown University, and is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course. 

She represents both adult and children's books. 

On the adult side, she's seeking literary and upmarket fiction as well as narrative non-fiction.

Historical and contemporary novels set both in the U.S. and internationally

Ambitious, multigenerational family sagas

Novels that rewrite what it means to be an American today

Stories set in our world with speculative or magical elements

Offbeat novels with troubled but loveable protagonists

Mystery, crime, and suspense novels with a literary edge to the writing

Coming-of-age stories, especially later in life

For adult non-fiction, she loves immersive, investigative works of journalism, history that fills a gap on the bookshelf, and cultural criticism. She's drawn to compelling narratives that read like fiction or that use an intimate personal story as a lens for a larger issue or analysis. This especially includes works that explore social justice, the history and experiences of women and people of color, and contemporary culture. She is also on the lookout for true crime projects that shed light on larger societal issues. She does the very occasional book on writing craft.

For children's literature, Reiko is actively looking for middle grade projects that aren't afraid to tackle big questions or important emotional truths, and do so through remarkable storytelling, humor, and heart. In addition to MG novels, she has a soft spot for MG non-fiction in the areas of mental health, science, political activism, environmentalism, and narrative history. She loves works that empower kids to make a difference in their communities. 

Reiko is not currently looking for YA or picture books. She does not represent genre category SFF, horror, or romance. Nor is she the best agent for practical non-fiction with a prescriptive bent.

Shannon Sanders COMPANY (Graywolf); THE GREAT WHEREVER (Holt)

Devi S. Laskar THE ATLAS OF REDS AND BLUES (Counterpoint); CIRCA (Mariner); MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR (Mariner)

Genevieve Plunkett PREPARE HER (Catapult); IN THE LOBBY OF THE DREAM HOTEL (Catapult); THE LONELY GIRL'S VEGETABLE PATCH (forthcoming from Feminist Press)

Anna Hogeland WILD ASTER (forthcoming from Bloomsbury)

Joseph Moldover TO THE END OF RECKONING (Mysterious Press); PLAY THE VILLAIN (forthcoming from Mysterious Press)

Mary Annaïse Heglar TROUBLED WATERS (Harper Muse); HALLOWED GROUND (forthcoming from Harper Muse)

Lucy Jane Bledsoe A THIN BRIGHT LINE; THE EVOLUTION OF LOVE; LAVA FALLS; TELL THE REST (Akashic); ALL HANDS ON DECK (forthcoming from Akashic)

Sean O'Brien WHITE HOUSE CLUBHOUSE; WHITE HOUSE ON FIRE!; WHITE HOUSE UNDERCOVER (Norton Young Readers)

MinuteEarth HOW NOT TO GO EXTINCT: THE WILD WAYS EARTH’S MOST RESILIENT SPECIES SURVIVE (forthcoming from Bloomsbury Children's)

Stephanie Seales JODIE DOESN'T LOVE DOGS (forthcoming from Candlewick Press)

Andrea Debbink THE WILD WORLD HANDBOOK: Habitats (Quirk Books); THE WILD WORLD HANDBOOK: Creatures (Quirk Books); SYLVIE AND THE WOLF (Sounds True); IF THE RIVERS RUN FREE (Sleeping Bear Press); I WITNESSED: THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY OF 1963: A Graphic Novel (Harper Alley); THE (SUPER)NATURAL INVESTIGATOR OF OTHERWORLDLY WONDERS (forthcoming from Storey); WHAT NEW JERSEY EVENT LED TO A MASSIVE SHARK ATTACK?: The Shark Attacks of 1916: A Who HQ Graphic Novel (forthcoming from Penguin Workshop)

Kristina Wong, Dr. Theodore Chao, Jenessa Joffe, and Anna Michelle Wang AUNTIE KRISTINA'S GUIDE TO ASIAN AMERICAN ACTIVISM (Beaming Books)

Dawn Cusick THE ASTROCHIMPS: America's First Astronauts (Chicago Review Press)

Lucy Jane Bledsoe RUNNING WILD (Holiday House); NO STOPPING US NOW (Three Rooms Press)

Brittany Geragotelis STEALING GREENWICH, GOING WILD, and NO ADMISSIONS (THE INFAMOUS FRANKIE LORDE series) (Pixel + Ink)

Lindsey Klingele THE MARKED GIRL (Harper Teen); THE BROKEN WORLD (Harper Teen); THE TRUTH LIES HERE (Harper Teen)

Nancy A. Nichols WOMEN BEHIND THE WHEEL: An Unexpected and Personal History of the Car (Pegasus Books)

Mary Annaïse Heglar 'TIL HEAVEN AND EARTH RING (forthcoming from Pantheon)

Alison Owings MAYOR OF THE TENDERLOIN: Del Seymour's Journey from Living on the Streets to Fighting Homelessness in San Francisco (Beacon Press)

Katie Simon TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault (forthcoming from Citadel Books/Kensington)

Freda Epum THE GLOOMY GIRL VARIETY SHOW: A Memoir (Feminist Press)

Andrea Debbink THRIVE WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED: A Guided Journal to Help You Connect with the Natural Wonders in Your Neighborhood (Quirk Books); FLOWER FINDING: Delight in the Splendor of Wild Blooms (Chronicle); BIRD WATCHING: Press Pause and Admire the Avian World (Chronicle)

Dennis James Sweeney HOW TO SUBMIT: Getting Your Writing Published with Literary Magazines and Small Presses (New World Library)

Alan Gelb HAVING THE LAST SAY: Capturing Your Legacy in One Small Story (Tarcher Perigee); CONQUERING THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ESSAY IN TEN STEPS; SEVEN STEPS TO CONFIDENT WRITING (New World Library)

Mallory Weggemann LIMITLESS: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance (Thomas Nelson)

Brittany Wagner NEXT CHANCE YOU: Tools, Tips, and Tough Love for Bringing Your A-Game to Life (HCI Books)

Please email her at reiko@defliterary.com with "Query" and the title of the project in the subject line as well as the following:

For fiction, please include the first 15 pages of your manuscript pasted in the body of your email.

Reiko Davis

Barbara Jones worked as an editor for more than thirty years, first in magazines (Harper’s Magazine, Vogue, More Magazine) then in books (as editorial director at Hyperion Books and executive editor at Henry Holt). Some of the writers she worked in magazines include Jennifer Egan, Elizabeth Gilbert, Christopher Hitchens, Jean Korelitz, Lorrie Moore, Ann Patchett and Francine Prose. As a book editor, she edited and published national and New York Times bestsellers as well as national and international prizewinning titles by authors such as Luvvie Ajayi, Paul Auster, Dan Chaon, Susan Choi, Kelly Corrigan, Chitra Divakaruni, Sebastian Faulks, Lauren Groff, Janice Hadlow, Lillian Li, Julie Lythcott-Haims, Rick Moody, Rachel Khong, Lauren Francis-Sharma and many others.

As an agent, she represents an eclectic list of literary and upmarket fiction and nonfiction titles, with a special interest in voices from underrepresented communities. In 2021, she joined the Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, which merged with Defiore and Company in 2026. Her clients include Mohammed Naseehu Ali, Kate Axelrod, Charles Bock, J.J. Duncan, Elizabeth Ferris, Rafael Frumkin, Tali Gumbiner, Tiffany Hanssen, Julia Harrell, Danielle Lazarin, Lisa Lindsay, Isaac Oliver, The Swans of Harlem and Anastasia Taylor-Lind among others. For more than thirty years, Barbara has also led writing workshops—at New York University, Queens University of Charlotte, Yale University and elsewhere.

CHARLOTTE: A Novel of Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Ferris (Forthcoming -- William Morrow)

THE SWANS OF HARLEM: Five Black Ballerinas Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and the Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History Karen Valby (Pantheon)

MY NAME WAS GERRY SASS, Tiffany Hanssen (Atlantic Crime)

I WILL DO BETTER, A Memoir, Charles Bock (Abrams Books)

CONFIDENCE and BUGSY: And Other Stories, Raf Frumkin (Simon & Schuster)

HOW TO GET ALONG WITHOUT ME, Kate Axelrod (Clash Books)

I have eclectic taste but always appreciate books written with respect for and generosity toward readers, books that reward rereading, and books that hum with a sense that the writer has something urgent—be it marvelous, terrifying or both—to show the reader for the reader's sake. (Even memoirs are not about the memoirist but are for and about the reader.)

Please send a query letter that includes, a brief bit of info about your project; a brief, relevant bio, and the first ten pages of your manuscript or proposal (dropped into the body of an email, not as an attachment). If you have used AI in any way to prepare your writing for submission, please disclose that with your query. Note: If you don’t hear anything at all from me within two months, you can assume that I have passed up the opportunity to engage with your work as an agent.

INTIMACY IDIOT

THE SWANS OF HARLEM

THE SWANS OF HARLEM (Adopted for Young Adults)

CONFIDENCE

MY NAME WAS GERRY SASS

I WILL DO BETTER

HOW TO GET ALONG WITHOUT ME

Barbara Jones

Stuart Krichevsky began his career as a part-time mail clerk at The Sterling Lord Agency (later, Sterling Lord Literistic) where he eventually became an agent. In 1995, he founded the Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, and served as its President until 2026, when he and his colleagues at SKLA joined forces with DeFiore and Company.  His list reflects a love of literary non-fiction and narrative journalism, and includes works of history, books about the natural world, adventure narrative, and literary memoir.  He also represents authors of commercial fiction. He has represented dozens of New York Times Bestsellers, and his clients have been recipients of many literary awards, including the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, among others.  He is married with two adult children, is an avid road cyclist, and enjoys working with debut authors as well as his long-term clients.

ROAD TRIP by Mary Kay Andrews, a New York Times Bestseller

THE LOST CITIES OF EL NORTE by Peter Stark

THE ART THIEF by Michael Finkel, a New York Times Bestseller

FIRE WEATHER by John Vaillant, Winner of the Baillie-Gifford Prize, Finalist for the National Book Award, Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

IN MY TIME OF DYING by Sebastian Junger, a New York Times Bestseller

TRIBE by Sebastian Junger, a New York Times Bestseller

SUMMERS AT THE SAINT by Mary Kay Andrews, a New York Times Bestseller

THE PERFECT STORM

IN THE HEART OF THE SEA

MAYFLOWER

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

ALONE ON THE WALL

THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS

THE GUN

THE FUTURE OF THE MIND

QUANTUM SUPREMACY

SO WE READ ON

TRIBE

Stuart Krichevsky

Brian DeFiore began his career in publishing as an editor at St. Martin's Press, and spent several years on the editorial side of publishing, rising through jobs at Dell Publishing, Delacorte Press, William Morrow, as Editor-in-Chief of Hyperion and Publisher of the Villard Books division of Random House.

Some of the authors Brian worked with as an editor and publisher include Ridley Pearson, T. Jefferson Parker, James Lee Burke, Ken Follett, Daniel Silva, Eve Ensler, Jon Krakauer, Leonard Nimoy, Jesse Green, Roger Kahn, M. Scott Peck and Bill Carter.

He started the agency in 1999 and has worked with a select list of exceptional authors and creators, while carefully building the agency with the addition of brilliant and collaborative agents and staff.  He has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of American Literary Agents, as the Chair of their Media and Digital Innovations Committee, and on the faculty of The Center for Publishing at New York University.

Brandon Stanton (DEAR NEW YORK, HUMANS OF NEW YORK)

Frank Warren (POST SECRET, A LIFETIME OF SECRETS)

Dr. Neal Barnard (THE POWER FOODS DIET, YOUR BODY IN BALANCE)

Jay Heinrichs (ARISTOTLE’S GUIDE TO SELF-PERSUASION, THANK YOU FOR ARGUING)

Mihaela Noroc (THE ATLAS OF BEAUTY, THE POWER OF WOMEN)

Dr. Scott Sells (PARENTING YOUR OUT-OF-CONTROL TEENAGER)

Bobby and Cheryl Love (THE REDEMPTION OF BOBBY LOVE)

Joel Fuhrman (EAT FOR LIFE, THE END OF DIETING)

Jill Schlesinger (THE GREAT MONEY RESET, THE DUMB THINGS SMART PEOPLE DO WITH THEIR MONEY)

Tom Ryan (WILL’S RED COAT, FOLLOWING ATTICUS)

Louis Zamperini and David Rensin (DON'T GIVE UP, DON'T GIVE IN)

David Rensin (ALL FOR A FEW PERFECT WAVES; THE MAILROOM)

Bill Shapiro (OTHER PEOPLE'S LOVE LETTERS)

Richard Yancey (CONFESSIONS OF A TAX COLLECTOR)

Rick Yancey (THE 5TH WAVE, THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ALFRED KROPP; THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE DETECTIVE)

Jake Wolff (THE STUTTERING KITCHENS, THE HISTORY OF LIVING FOREVER)

Benjamin Hale (THE FAT ARTIST AND OTHER STORIES, THE EVOLUTION OF BRUNO LITTLEMORE)

My tastes are eclectic, and I tend to respond favorably to projects of any sort if they demonstrate a real storytelling talent. And to me, that means a combination of strong narrative drive and mastery of voice which leads the reader seamlessly into the author's realm and won't let him leave without a fight. It's not easy to do, and not easy to describe. But when it's there, it's hard to miss. That said, the areas I tend to respond more favorably to in non-fiction are memoir, popular culture, pop science, sports, self/help and inspiration, cookbooks, humor and lifestyle. In fiction: not romance or western. But all other sorts of novels that meet the criteria for 'storytelling talent' for both adult and young adult readers.

Send a persuasive e-mail to Querybrian@defliterary.com.

a BRIEF description of the book's contents

anything about your life experiences that will make readers take notice

most importantly: a level of creativity, confidence, and precision in the prose that will make me want to read several hundred more pages written by you…

Brian DeFiore

Chris represents books across a broad spectrum of nonfiction—memoirs, narrative, prescriptive, Christian, and sports—and works with her authors to develop books that are appealing and accessible to a broad audience.

She is passionate about stories that must be told: of an achievement-oriented mother who learns the true worth of every life when her daughter is born with Down syndrome, a medical missionary who puts his life on the line treating patients during the Ebola epidemic, a couple who makes the stunning choice to forgive their daughter’s killer.

Chris is drawn in particular to authors whose faith engages the wider world, such as  American Psychological Association president Dr. Thema Bryant, Bread for the World president and CEO Eugene Cho, The Center for Justice + Renewal founder Christena Cleveland, and the Cave of Adullam Transformational Training Academy (CATTA) director Jason Wilson. 

Her bestselling authors in the sports category include sportscaster Ernie Johnson Jr., Big Ten Network lead studio host Dave Revsine, and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. Publishing a book by NFL legend Brett Favre fulfilled Chris’s wedding vows – in which she pledged allegiance to the Green Bay Packers, for better or worse.

Prior to becoming an agent, Chris worked as an editor for several New York publishing houses, including Hachette Book Group and Random House, and helped launch an independent publishing company. Chris has a degree in English from Harvard University.

Amy Julia Becker - TO BE MADE WELL: An Invitation to Wholeness, Healing, and Hope; WHITE PICKET FENCES: Turning Toward Love in a World Divided by Privilege; SMALL TALK: Learning From My Children About What Matters Most; A GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny

Kent and Amber Brantly - CALLED FOR LIFE: How Loving Our Neighbor Led Us into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic

Dr. Thema Bryant - MATTERS OF THE HEART: Healing Your Relationship with Yourself and Those You Love; HOMECOMING: Overcome Fear and Trauma to Reclaim Your Whole, Authentic Self; RECLAIM YOURSELF: Take Back Your Life from Stress and Trauma

Curtis Chang - THE AFTER PARTY; THE ANXIETY OPPORTUNITY: How Worry is the Doorway to Your Best Self

Eugene Cho - THOU SHALT NOT BE A JERK; OVERRATED: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World Than Actually Changing the World? 

Chanel Dokun - LIFE STARTS NOW: How to Create the Life You’ve Been Waiting For

Christena Cleveland - GOD IS A BLACK WOMAN; OUR LADY OF LIBERATION

Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore - LITURGIES FOR WHOLENESS: Sixty Prayers to Encounter the Depth, Creativity, and Friendship of God in Ordinary Moments; LITURGIES FOR HOPE: Sixty Prayers for the Highs, Lows, and Everything in Between

Kate Grosmaire - FORGIVING MY DAUGHTER’S KILLER: A True Story of Loss, Faith, and Unexpected Grace

Sara Harberson - SOUNDBITE: The Admissions Secret that Gets You Into College and Beyond

Sister Lisa Hezmalhalch - A ROME FOR RESTLESS HEARTS: Finding a Spiritual Home in Catholicism

Ernie Johnson, Jr. - UNSCRIPTED: The Unpredictable Moments that Make Life Extraordinary 

Stephanie Landsem - THE FAULT BETWEEN US; CODE NAME EDELWEISS; IN A FAR-OFF LAND

Helen Lee - THE RACE-WISE FAMILY: Ten Postures of Becoming Households of Healing and Hope

Dave Revsine - THE OPENING KICKOFF: The Tumultuous Birth of a Football Nation

Ekemini Uwan, Christina Edmondson, and Michelle Higgins - TRUTH’S TABLE: Black Women’s Musings on Life, Love, and Liberation 

Jason Wilson - THE MAN THE MOMENT DEMANDS: Master the 10 Characteristics of the Comprehensive Man; BATTLE CRY: Waging and Winning the War Within 

Justin Wren - FIGHT FOR THE FORGOTTEN: How a Mixed Martial Artist Stopped Fighting for Himself and Started Fighting for Others