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.
Non-fiction Highlights:
- 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)
- Ivana Chubbuck (THE POWER OF THE ACTOR)
- Dr. Scott Sells (PARENTING YOUR OUT-OF-CONTROL TEENAGER)
- Benjamin Hale (CAVE MOUNTAIN)
- 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)
Fiction Highlights:
- 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)
- David Slavin (ODD GODS)
What I'm looking for:
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.
How to submit to Brian:
Send a persuasive e-mail to Querybrian@defliterary.com.
The note should clearly indicate:
- the kind of book you are writing
- 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…
