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

Mackenzie began her career in publishing in 2010 and spent 10 years at Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency before it merged with DeFiore & Co in 2026. Her clients have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, and frequently win or are finalists for some of publishing’s highest honors, such as the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the NBCC Award, ALA Carnegie Medal, various PEN awards, and the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize.

She is actively looking for compelling, deeply researched narrative non-fiction that guides readers toward a better understanding of the societal forces and systems that shape their lives, whether it takes the form of "big idea" books, literary journalism, feminist history, science, or cultural criticism. 

On the fiction side, she is interested in stories that are deeply rooted in place (especially if that place is Maine), examine the formative relationships (romantic or platonic) of youth or the lives we could’ve led. She’s also hungry for literary mystery, a juicy love triangle, and anything that can make her laugh. 

In addition to being an agent, she is also a Founding Board Member of the 501(c)(3) non-profit INKLUDED, whose mission is to make the publishing industry more accessible and inclusive.

Please send your query letter and either your full proposal (for non-fiction) or 20 pages of your manuscript (for fiction/poetry) in the body of an email addressed to mbwquery@skagency.com. Please also disclose the nature of any AI use in your initial query. Mackenzie aims to read all queries within two weeks. If at any point you receive an offer of representation, please let Mackenzie know. Unfortunately, due to the volume of queries she receives, she will be in touch only if she’s interested in reading more material.

SEPARATE ACCOUNTS

I AM ENHEDUANNA

OPTIMIST ECONOMY

MEN TOO

THERE IS ENOUGH

Mackenzie Brady Watson

Tamara joined DeFiore and Company in 2022. She started her career with internships at Macmillan and Writers House, then worked at ICM for five years. Tamara represents writer and illustrator clients in both the children’s and adult markets, with a particular focus on talented LGBTQ+ and BIPOC storytellers. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Princeton University and an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia University. She is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents, and serves on the board of the nonprofit organization Literary Agents of Change, where she co-directs a mentorship program for early career agents from underrepresented backgrounds.

Tamara is actively seeking graphic novels for all ages and across genres; science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction for middle grade, YA, and adult readers; upmarket and book club fiction, especially genre-bending stories, and those with an international bent; and adult & YA rom-coms and romance featuring LGBTQ+ characters. She also represents select nonfiction, including illustrated projects. Across all categories, she is passionate about championing marginalized voices and perspectives.

Please submit your query here: querymanager.com/tkawar

Tamara Kawar

Miriam Altshuler began her career at Russell & Volkening, where she worked for twelve years with such writers as Anne Tyler, Eudora Welty, Joseph Campbell, Nadine Gordimer, and Bernard Malamud. In 1994 she established her own agency, which she ran for twenty-one years until she joined DeFiore and Company in 2016.

Miriam specializes in adult literary and book club fiction, narrative nonfiction, and books for children. She is particularly interested in finding emerging and underrepresented voices, and she loves reading and representing books that focus on diversity and explore the experiences of BIPOC people.

First and foremost, she responds to voice and stories that are character-driven. She searches for books that draw her in and give her a new perspective on a world she doesn’t know, or make her think more deeply about a world she does know. Miriam seeks books with a heart and writers with wonderful storytelling abilities.

In fiction, she is most interested in family sagas, historical novels, and stories that offer a new twist or retelling of some kind. She does not work with adult romance, sci fi, or fantasy.

In nonfiction, she loves memoir, narrative nonfiction, and self-help (as long as it is not highly prescriptive). She particularly responds to books that have an important cultural, social, or psychological focus.

For children’s books, she focuses primarily on YA and middle grade, and her tastes vary broadly in those areas. It always comes back to the voice and the heart of a story for her.

Leila Philip (BEAVERLAND: How One Weird Rodent Made America)

Elizabeth Rosner (SURVIVOR CAFÉ: The Legacy of Trauma and the Labyrinth of Memory; THIRD EAR: Reflections on the Art and Science of Listening)

Karleigh Frisbie Brogan (HOLDING: A Memoir About Mothers, Drugs, and Other Comforts)

Barbara Becker (HEARTWOOD: The Art of Living with the End in Mind)

Marja Mills (New York Times bestselling THE MOCKINGBIRD NEXT DOOR: Life With Harper Lee)

Wednesday Martin (New York Times bestselling PRIMATES OF PARK AVENUE: A Memoir)

Dr. Sue Johnson (HOLD ME TIGHT: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love; LOVE SENSE: The Revolutionary New Science of Romantic Relationships; CREATED FOR CONNECTION: The "Hold Me Tight" Guide for Christian Couples)

Harriet Brown (SHADOW DAUGHTER: A Memoir of Estrangement and Reckoning; BODY OF TRUTH: Change Your Life by Changing the Way You Think About Weight and Health; BRAVE GIRL EATING: A Family's Struggle With Anorexia)

Donna Freitas (CONSENT: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention; CONSENT ON CAMPUS: A Manifesto; THE HAPPINESS EFFECT: How Social Media is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost; THE END OF SEX: How Hookup Culture is Leaving a Generation Unhappy, Sexually Unfulfilled, and Confused About Intimacy; SEX & THE SOUL: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America’s College Campuses)

Arlene Stein (UNBOUND: Transgender Men and the Remaking of Identity)

Dr. Molly Millwood (TO HAVE AND TO HOLD: Motherhood, Marriage, and the Modern Dilemma)

Andrew Carroll (MY FELLOW SOLDIERS: General John Pershing and the Americans Who Helped Win the Great War; New York Times bestselling WAR LETTERS: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars; HERE IS WHERE: Discovering America's Great Forgotten History; OPERATION HOMECOMING; BEHIND THE LINES)

Dr. Craig Malkin (RETHINKING NARCISSISM: The Bad--and Surprising Good--About Feeling Special)

Adina Hoffman (BEN HECHT: Fighting Words, Moving Pictures; TILL WE HAVE BUILT JERUSALEM: Architects of a New City; SACRED TRASH: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza; MY HAPPINESS BEARS NO RELATION TO HAPPINESS: A Poet's Life in the Palestinian Century)

Phil Zuckerman (WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MORAL; LIVING THE SECULAR LIFE: New Answers to Old Questions)

Maya Shanbhag Lang (WHAT WE CARRY: A Memoir)

Jill Santopolo (New York Times bestselling and Reese's Book Club pick THE LIGHT WE LOST; MORE THAN WORDS; EVERYTHING AFTER; THE LOVE WE FOUND; STARS IN AN ITALIAN SKY)

B.S. Shapiro (THE LOST MASTERPIECE; THE ART FORGER)

Jennifer Murphy (SCARLET IN BLUE; THE GHOST WOMEN)

Donna Freitas (THE NINE LIVES OF ROSE NAPOLITANO)

Robb Forman Dew (National Book Award winner DALE LOVES SOPHIE TO DEATH; THE EVIDENCE AGAINST HER; THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER; BEING POLITE TO HITLER)

Maya Shanbhag Lang (THE SIXTEENTH OF JUNE)

Walter Dean Myers, former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature (MONSTER; FALLEN ANGELS; SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH; ON A CLEAR DAY; DARIUS & TWIG; BAD BOY; HANDBOOK FOR BOYS; GAME; WE ARE AMERICA; FREDERICK DOUGLASS)

Leslie Connor (THE TRUTH AS TOLD BY MASON BUTTLE; A HOME FOR GODDESSES AND DOGS; ANYBODY HERE SEEN FRENCHIE?)

Ted Sanders (The Keepers series: THE BOX AND THE DRAGONFLY, THE HARP AND THE RAVENVINE, THE PORTAL AND THE VEIL, THE STARLIT FORGE)

Donna Freitas (THE HEALER; UNPLUGGED; THE BODY MARKET; THE MIND VIRUS; THE TENDERNESS OF THIEVES; THE SURVIVAL KIT; THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD; THIS GORGEOUS GAME; GOLD MEDAL SUMMER; GOLD MEDAL WINTER)

Tod Olson (LOST series: LOST IN THE PACIFIC, LOST IN OUTER SPACE, LOST IN THE AMAZON; LOST IN THE ANTARCTIC; INTO THE CLOUDS: The Race to Climb the World's Most Dangerous Mountain)

Alex Sanchez (YOU BROUGHT ME THE OCEAN; THE GREATEST SUPERPOWER; RAINBOW BOYS, RAINBOW HIGH, and RAINBOW ROAD; GIRLFRIENDS WITH BOYFRIENDS; BAIT; THE GOD BOX; SO HARD TO SAY)

Charles R. Smith (28 DAYS: Moments in Black History That Changed the World; BRICK BY BRICK; I AM THE WORLD)

Jill Santopolo (SPARKLE SPA series; CAN YOU GROW A STRIPED BANANA?)

Christine Kendall (RIDING CHANCE; THE TRUE DEFINITION OF NEVA BEANE)

PLEASE NOTE: For all subsidiary rights and permission inquiries, please contact Miriam at miriam@defliterary.com

For all manuscript queries, please send an email to her at querymiriam@defliterary.com. Miriam only accepts email queries. Include the following:

The first chapter pasted in the body of your email. Attachments will not be opened.

I also really want to know what you feel the heart of your book is, in one or two sentences.

Miriam Altshuler

David Patterson represents a wide variety of narrative and idea-driven nonfiction and literary fiction, with an emphasis on journalists, public figures, scholars, and performers. His clients include Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, winners of the Polk, Livingston, Whiting and Lukas Awards, and contributors and writers on the staff of The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Texas Monthly, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Slate, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, Oxford American, and other publications.

David has been involved in publishing since his graduation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a degree in English, Highest Honors, in 1996. After completing an internship at Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, David worked for several years at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, DC, and then worked for over a decade as an editor at PublicAffairs and then Henry Holt and Company. 

He is married, with two children, and lives in Brooklyn. His children's interests have informed his own over the last several years, which has led to an increased or renewed interest in soccer (you can call it football, or fútbol, or calcio, if you want), graphic arts, music, and theatre. He grew up in the North Carolina Piedmont with a mother from and deep family roots in Puerto Rico, and his list represents and aspires to represent the most perceptive authors and books about Americana and Latinidad.

David Patterson

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

Linda joined DeFiore and Company in 2015 after 15 years at the Crown Publishing Group as VP, director of subsidiary rights. Before Crown, she had worked at the Walt Disney Company’s start-up publishing group, Hyperion, where she worked with Brian. She has nearly thirty years of subsidiary rights experience and has licensed across all categories including children’s books, history, science, cooking, craft, spirituality and self-help as well as literary and commercial fiction.

She has negotiated many deals on behalf of, among others, Gillian Flynn, Anthony Marra, Martha Stewart, Andy Weir, Tim Ferriss, Deepak Chopra, Barack Obama, George Bush, Byron Katie and Hayley Pomroy.

In addition to her DCO responsibilities, Linda is also the director of a separate business, Kaplan/DeFiore Rights, which represents North American literary agents and independent publishers in the UK and translation marketplace. For more info on Kaplan/DeFiore Rights, click here.

Originally from Minnesota, Linda graduated with a B.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Montclair, NJ with her husband and twin daughters.

Linda Kaplan

Subsidiary Rights Director

Aemilia Phillips is a literary agent representing a range of fiction and non-fiction writers, including a National Book Award nominee, PEN America finalist, Pulitzer winning journalist, and more.

She’s excited to work with writers who push boundaries to address social justice issues. A dual Mexican American citizen with interests in narrative non-fiction, hybrid memoir, commercial and literary fiction, and select poetry and self-help, she looks for diverse writing with an impactful story to tell.

For non-fiction, Aemilia is looking for obsessed writers who challenge the way we think about the world. She loves character driven projects that at first glance appear to be commercial, but that are also smart cultural critiques. She’s fascinated by complex fictional characters who upend preconceptions, and stories with just a touch of magic, magical realism, and speculative elements.

Aemila began her publishing career at Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency in 2016, and joined DeFiore & Co a decade later in 2026. In addition to her work as an agent, Aemilia is a board member and the Communications Director of La Unidad Latina Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of Latinx education. She graduated from Harvard University with honors, and completed the Columbia University Publishing Course. She lives in Manhattan, and is an avid New York sports fan.

Ruben Reyes Jr. (THERE IS A RIO GRANDE IN HEAVEN, Mariner. ARCHIVE OF UNKNOWN UNIVERSES, Mariner.) 

Lizz Huerta (THE LOST DREAMER, FSG Children's)

Sarah Weinman (WITHOUT CONSENT, Ecco. EVIDENCE OF THINGS SEEN, Ecco. 

Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez (FOR BROWN GIRLS WITH SHARP EDGES AND TENDER HEARTS Seal Press. TIAS AND PRIMAS, Seal Press) 

Christina Wilcox (TAKE CARE OF YOUR TYPE Tiller. TAKE CARE OF YOUR FRIENDS, Andrews McMeel)

Gabriel Dozal (THE BORDER SIMULATOR, One World)

Please send a query letter and the first ten to fifteen pages of your manuscript or proposal, pasted into the body of an email, to aemilia.query@defliterary.com. No attachments will be opened. Please let her know if you’ve used any AI tools in the research or organization of your manuscript. If you use AI for writing or editing, she respectfully asks that you query elsewhere. Due to the number of submissions she receives, Aemilia will be in touch only if she’s interest in reading more material.

Aemilia Phillips

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

Jocelyn Chung - WHEN LOVE IS MORE THAN WORDS; THE RIVER OF CAREGIVING

Sarah Shin and Shin Maeng - THE GREAT WAKING UP; THE DELIVERER HAS COME

Chris Park

Melissa represents a wide-range of Adult fiction and non-fiction titles. In fiction, she gravitates towards high-concept novels with a fresh perspective, energetic writing, deep emotional connection, and an immersive sense of place. Favorite categories include contemporary book club fiction, mystery, crime, psychological thrillers, speculative fiction, horror, and historical novels. She also represents history, science, memoir and idea-driven non-fiction books that are rigorous, emotionally compelling and have something big to say about our world. Across all categories, she is looking for a diversity of voices and projects that are both entertaining and enlightening, the types of books that you can get lost in and then when you finally resurface, want to discuss with others.

THE DEVIL TAKES YOU HOME, Gabino Iglesias (Mulholland/Little Brown)

YOU’RE INVITED, Amanda Jayatissa (Berkley)

GLITTER AND CONCRETE, Elyssa Maxx Goodman (Hanover Square Press)

OLD SCHOOL INDIAN, Aaron John Curtis (Tin House/Zando)

KILLER VIBES, Jack Friday (Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press)

SLIP, Mallary Tenore Tarpley (Simon Element)

To query Melissa, please send an email to Melissa.Query@defliterary.com with the following:

A query letter stating the Word Count and including 10-15 sample pages from the opening of your manuscript or proposal. This must be pasted in the body of the email, and all queries with attachments will automatically be deleted.  

If you have used AI to write any part of your manuscript, I respectfully ask that you don’t submit your project to me. You must disclose the nature of any other AI use in the initial query.

Due to the volume of queries, I am unable to provide feedback, and I will only be in touch if I’m interested in reading more material.

If I have not responded within 6 weeks, you are welcome to submit to another agent.

Melissa Danaczko

Rebecca Strauss is an agent at DeFiore and Co. and focuses on literary and commercial fiction, women's fiction, fantasy, science fiction, romance, mystery, YA, pop culture and select non-fiction. In all genres, she's looking for a compelling story, clear concept, fresh voice and emotional heart—a work that grabs you from the first page. She's especially interested in emerging writers and underrepresented voices; and, she's looking to develop long term relationships.

Before joining DeFiore and Co., Rebecca was at McIntosh and Otis for seven years where she was an agent and Director of Subsidiary Rights.  Prior to M&O, she was a foreign rights associate at Trident Media Group, and a book scout and development assistant at Sony Pictures. She's originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and earned her degree in English Literature from Duke University.

You can follow Rebecca on Twitter @rebeccaliterary.

Amanda Weaver (FAST & RECKLESS and KISS & COLLIDE)

Ali Solomon and Janine Annett (I AM "WHY DO I NEED VENMO?" YEARS OLD)

Beth Cato (A THOUSAND RECIPES FOR REVENGE, A FEAST FOR STARVING STONE and THE HOUSE BETWEEN SEA AND SKY)

Bethany Bennett (ANY ROGUE WILL DO, WEST END EARL, DUKES DO IT BETTER, GOOD DUKE GONE WILD and MY BEST FRIEND'S EARL)

Faye Delacour (THE LADY HE LOST, A LADY'S GUIDE TO LONDON and A MOST WORTHY HUSBAND)

Liana De la Rosa (ANA MARIA AND THE FOX, ISABEL AND THE ROGUE and GABRIELA AND HIS GRACE) 

Priscilla Oliveras (HIS PERFECT PARTNER, HER PERFECT AFFAIR, THEIR PERFECT MELODY, ISLAND AFFAIR, ANCHORED HEARTS, WEST SIDE LOVE STORY and KISS ME, CATALINA)

Tori Anne Martin​ (THIS SPELLS DISASTER and NO CHARM DONE)

Samara Parish (WHILE THE DUKE WAS SLEEPING and THE DUKE'S GOT MAIL) 

Please email her at Rebecca@defliterary.com with a brief query letter containing information on your book, your bio and the first five pages in the body of the email. Please include the word “query” and your book title in the subject line.

Rebecca Strauss

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.