Laura Usselman

Laura Usselman represents narrative and idea-driven nonfiction and select literary fiction. Her clients include national bestsellers, Pulitzer finalists, and winners of the Whiting, Gerald Loeb and National Magazine Awards.

Laura’s favorite novels are written in distinctive prose and have memorable characters at their heart. She is forever on the hunt for fiction that broadens or deepens her understanding of what it means to be a person, and she relishes a place or a character that will remain real to her for a long time. Some of her favorite novelists working today include Kate Atkinson, Hernan Diaz, Rachel Kushner, Chang-Rae Lee, Marilynne Robinson, Junot Diaz, and Jesmyn Ward.

In nonfiction, she is particularly on the hunt for striking and original literary nonfiction; deeply reported journalism, especially from the worlds of tech and business; immersive narrative history that illuminates our present moment; and smart cultural criticism that provides a new perspective on film, music, art, or sports. She is always drawn to writers who have an obsession with their subject and a love of language.

Before becoming an agent, Laura earned her MFA in Fiction at Virginia Tech and worked at Cambridge University Press. She enjoys native plant gardening, cooking, and being outdoors. A native of Atlanta and an alum of the University of Georgia, she lives with her spouse and her three daughters in Decatur, Georgia.

Query Instructions

Please send a query letter and the first ten pages of your manuscript or proposal, pasted into the body of the email, to laura.query@defliterary.com. No attachments please. I generally read all queries within two weeks of receipt. I regret that due to the volume of queries received, I will respond only if I am interested in seeing more material.

Please let me know if you’ve used any AI tools in the research or organization of your manuscript or proposal. If you use AI for writing or editing, I respectfully ask that you query another agent.