I’M LISTENING TO

Look I know every month this section is the same and every month I act shocked, but genuinely this month I’m shocked to see Hozier in my top 3. I had no memories of listening to him. I thought long and hard about this (how could it be??) and remembered he’s my Plane Guy. The Guy I Listen to On Planes. And then I remembered I had about 30 hours worth of flights this month. I don’t want to talk about Noah Kahan, he’s there by accident and he’s slowly dropping down the rankings. I’m taking a break (not really). Only The Wrecks deserve their spot this month, and it’s because the OUTSIDE EP released.

To make up for my crimes, we will turn to my next top 3. Stray Kids deserve their spot. I tried Miley’s new album and admit I didn’t love (though I tried real hard). I do so enjoy Cain Culto.

MY FOCUS THIS MONTH

Look at me, you’re all here for actual agenting stuff and I’m yapping at length about the media and music I’m consuming. I spent August and September preparing for fall (in large part working with existing clients to prepare books for sub). Now, in October, I’m really looking to sign someone new! I’d love to see—

• The magical version of very regular jobs. Especially infrastructure jobs or blue collar work

• Horror-fantasy.

• Speculative novellas?? But really weird and wild novellas. Think “could you make a TV show out of this?” and if the answer is “oh, totally” then send to me.

• Fantasy-thrillers

Query me here | review my full wishlist here

IN THE NEWS1

• We have two October releases!! Alert Alert! Preorder now!! There’s a goodreads giveaway here, too.

  • OUR BLOODY SOULS by Ana Davis (Oct 6) [Turner]

    • Macbeth retelling—three teenagers scheme for the throne

  • DREAMWEAVING by O. O. Sangoyomi (Oct 13) [Page Street]

    • Dark academia found family anyone??

• We announced the UK deal for Rosália Rodrigo’s next series, a duology that starts with ABOARD THE INTERWORLD EXPRESS. Delighted to be partnered with Daphne Press for this incredible interdimensional train story.

• S. Hati’s latest and greatest, THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES, released with Angry Robot!!! A warm book perfect for fall. Save time! Fall in love!

• Eli Snow made their adult debut with THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK. Gardeners competing for a promotion—I mean, what more could you want?

• Sydney Olivia’s debut A VIPER AMONG KINGS released with Daphne Press in the UK, and self pubbed in the US (go Sydney!) Go get your copies now :)

  • In the UK, AVAK hit the Sunday Times Bestseller list at #6. Star!

  • I can pitch this with the obvious tropes but honestly its best trait is that it’s an epic fantasy with an ambitious, intricate world you can really fall into

• Barbara Truelove’s SHE’S A DOLL released at the beginning of September! Murder doll gets revenge, finds a new family along the way.

  • It was a USA Today bestseller (I admit, my first!!)

  • It’s been a top new release in LGBTQ Fiction or #1 release in LGBTQ Horror Fiction since its pub

• More Truelove news—we announced that Daphne Press will be publishing THE SECRET LIVES OF ZOMBIE WIVES in the UK!

• Cover reveal for Amanda Helms’s THE UPPER TENTACLE (so sleek, so pretty)

• Paperback cover reveal for Cass Biehn’s VESUVIUS (ooo the colors, the edges)

CLIENT RELEASE SCHEDULE…

• OUR BLOODY SOULS by Ana Davis (Oct 6) [Turner]

  • Macbeth retelling—three teenagers scheme for the throne

• DREAMWEAVING by O. O. Sangoyomi (Oct 13) [Page Street]

  • Dark academia found family anyone??

• LOBA by Valentina Cano Repetto (Nov 10) [Angry Robot]

  • The lighthouse is haunted

• SELKIES AND SKEPTICS by Elias Cold (Nov 17) [Page Street]

  • Let’s find some fae with our found family

• WHAT HAUNTS THE ICE by S. Hati (Jan 19) [F&F]

  • Let’s go ahead and stop messing with Antartica

• THE SECRET LIVES OF ZOMBIE WIVES by Barbara Truelove (Feb 2)[Tor/Nightfire]

  • Zombie tradwife breaks free of her husband

• THE UPPER TENTACLE by Amanda Helms (Feb 9) [Union Square]

  • buddy comedy murder mystery and one of them’s an alien

• BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN by Raveena Raju (March 16) [Generous Press]

  • solarpunk workplace romance/uptight dude meets angel goddess woman to imagine better futures

• ICARUS FELL by Cass Biehn (June 8) [Peachtree Teen]

  • the boys are so back

And you can always see client books past and present on my website, here. Try picking up a few! I swear, they’re worth it.

Until next month!

Allegra

Can you tell I’ve been on a big Apple TV kick lately? I really love the humor in this series, it’s subtle but ever present. It’s a good example of a show that hinges on its character(s) more than the sensational plot, though the plot is always gripping.

I’M LISTENING TO

In the immortal words of Upsahl, “I’ve been getting richer, prettier, tougher, smarter/Music grittier, ego larger” — Upsahl, Topic

MY FOCUS THIS MONTH

I am closed to YA. Don’t panic! I know there was a recent uproar about the declining YA market and what this meant for writers in this area (and kidlit more generally). Yeah, it’s not great, but it also has nothing to do with me closing to YA for a while. I’ve been kicking the idea around for 2 years at least. I just…can’t find my thing in that area. I keep passing on books I think could sell big just because they’re not thrilling me, and then seeing them sell big on publisher’s marketplace. It’s not that I’m lacking instinct, it’s that I’m lacking motivation. I’m signing maybe 1 YA client a year, and almost all of them also write adult.

I know that might seem silly—if you can tell a book might perform well, why pass on it? Reason #1 is that I staunchly believe my authors deserve my enthusiasm. Not just as a selling tool, but as something I offer clients directly. I’m a cheerleader! I want you to feel well taken care of, like I actually like your books. Some authors don’t need that. That’s fine, I’m not the right agent for all authors. I also work on commission, which means I’m unpaid until I’m maybe paid. If I’m doing unpaid labor, I better be excited to do it. Otherwise, I’m going to burn myself out of even liking this job.

The last, and particularly critical reason, is that if I’m not signing a high enough volume of YA clients to take on sub, I’m less likely to be keeping up with YA editors and staying on their radar. I can handle subs for existing clients with enthusiasm and cheer, so don’t worry about that if any clients are reading, but it’s not a good use of my time to read hundreds of YA submission in my QM knowing I’m probably going to sign none of them.

I’m reading the writing on the wall. I’m perfectly capable of representing YA, but it’s going to remain a very small part of my list. As I wrote on my website/wishlist:

At this time, I am closed to YA and only representing it for existing clients. That means I am still more than happy to sign you for an adult project and collaborate on any YAs you might have. Or if you are a previously published author I will sign you for a YA if you intend to also move into adult.

Did I close my genres and then immediately request two YAs pending in my QM? Yes. It’s going to be really hard for me to stick to this. I hate closing myself off to anything. But I’m going to try to focus my time and attention. And maybe I’ll miss it so much I’ll change my mind later. I get to do that, in this job that I love.

THIS MONTH…

• THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA by Yejin Suh released in the US this month, and so did the UK paperback!!

  • Yejin did a lovely interview with OUTSFL, “A World Built on Memory: Korean Mythology Meets Historical Fantasy”

  • Locus, New Book Releases: Jul 7, 2026

  • BookRiot, 18 Must-Read New LGBTQ Books Out in July 2026

  • Autostraddle, “Our Most Anticipated Queer Books for July 2026”

  • Lastly, a shoutout for it in BookRiot, The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week

• All things audio

  • THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES will get an audio release with Podium to match the print date (Aug 25) and is now available for preorder!

  • LOBA will get an audio release with Simon Maverick to match the print date (Nov 17)

  • A VIPER AMONG KINGS will get an audio release with Simon Maverick to match the US print date in early September!

• Eli Snow’s DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK is gearing up for a release in just a few short weeks, and it has the media hits to show for it:

  • Reactor, “Read an Excerpt From The Divine Gardener’s Handbook by Eli Snow”

  • Sweety High, “Our Favorite Must-Read Books Releasing in August of 2026”

  • Gizmodo, “92 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books Releasing in August”

• I love to see Rosália Rodrigo’s BEASTS OF CARNAVAL getting some love, just in time for its first birthday:

  • BookRiot, “Where the Extraordinary is Ordinary”

CLIENT RELEASE SCHEDULE…

• MORBID CURIOSITIES by S. Hati (Apr 21) [F&F]

• LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY by Bita Behzadi (June 9) [Hay House]

• THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA by Yejin Suh US Edition + UK Paperback (July 7) [Harper Collins]

• THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK by Eli Snow (Aug 18) [Saturday Books]

• A VIPER AMONG KINGS by Sydney Olivia (Aug 25) [Daphne Press]

• THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES by S. Hati (Aug 25) [Angry Robot]

• SHE’S A DOLL by Barbara Truelove (Oct 6) [Bindery Books]

• OUR BLOODY SOULS by Ana Davis (Oct 6) [Turner]

• DREAMWEAVING by O. O. Sangoyomi (Oct 13) [Page Street]

• LOBA by Valentina Cano Repetto (Nov 10) [Angry Robot]

• SELKIES AND SKEPTICS by Elias Cold (Nov 17) [Page Street]

• WHAT HAUNTS THE ICE by S. Hati (Jan 19) [F&F]

• THE SECRET LIVES OF ZOMBIE WIVES by Barbara Truelove (Feb 2)[Tor/Nightfire]

• THE UPPER TENTACLE by Amanda Helms (Feb 9) [Union Square]

• BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN by Raveena Raju (March 16) [Generous Press]

And you can always see client books past and present on my website, here.

Until next month!

Allegra

I’M WATCHING

My partner went out of town for 4 days and I watched all 3 seasons. Any of y’all heard of this show? So underrated. I can’t believe I’m the first to discover it.

I’M LISTENING TO

I got sick of my top artists being Hozier and the Wrecks month after month, so I thought maybe my songs might have more variety:

Wrong! Top artists this month? Noah Kahan, Hozier, and Florence and the Machine. At least The Wrecks are briefly off, but it will be brief because the OUTSIDE EP is gonna drop and it will go triple platinum in this household.

BTW loving this Noah Kahan guy. Another small, underrated artist I have uniquely discovered. My tastes are so niche and cool!!

MY FOCUS THIS MONTH

I had to close to queries to catch up on all my wonderful fulls and partials, which is always a fun part of this process (getting to sink deeper into longer materials). I should open within the next two weeks. It was supposed to be today, but I’m delaying to make sure I’m totally zeroed out! I think there’s an offer in these partials/fulls… ;)

I’ve also admittedly thinking a lot about what genres and age groups I take and what the best use of my time is. Not in an ominous way, I just want to play into my strengths.

THIS MONTH…

• THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA releases in the US next week. This is the novel Booklist called a “spectacular debut” that’s “reminiscent of Ursula K. Le Guin’s ‘The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,’ with cultural and political tensions that enhance the stakes.” Go get copies!

• LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY by Bita Behzadi is OUT NOW!!!

  • There’s a Goodreads giveaway running for Bita Behzadi’s LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY! Go join!

  • LFTLA was also a Barnes & Noble ebook bestseller (YAYYYY)

  • LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY made Fangirlish’s “The 10 Best Fantasy Books of June 2026”

• Cover reveal for BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN by Raveena Raju!

  • Normally I make a little reel when my clients have cover reveals, but Raveena had such a brilliant scavenger hunt I just sat back and watched with awe. She deserves a follow if you’re not keeping up with her already.

  • BTTS also got a shout out in this Good Good Good article

• The North American audio deal for A VIPER AMONG KINGS by Sydney Olivia was announced. Thrilled to see this book partnering with Simon Maverick. Sydney’s cooking up preorder links now, but remember you can always fill out her interest form early.

• THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK by Eli Snow got a shoutout in two articles:

  • LGBTQ Reads, "Fave Five: New Queer Cozy Fantasy, 2026 Edition."

  • BookRiot, “Gimme, Gimme: My 5 Most Anticipated Fantasy Books of the Summer”

• SORCERY AND SMALL MAGICS was on this great list: The Nerd Daily, “38 LGBTQIA+ Books to Add to Your Pride Month TBR”

CLIENT RELEASE SCHEDULE…

• MORBID CURIOSITIES by S. Hati (Apr 21) [F&F]

• LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY by Bita Behzadi (June 9) [Hay House]

• THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA by Yejin Suh US Edition + UK Paperback (July 7) [Harper Collins]

• THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK by Eli Snow (Aug 18) [Saturday Books]

• A VIPER AMONG KINGS by Sydney Olivia (Aug 25) [Daphne Press]

• THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES by S. Hati (Aug 25) [Angry Robot]

• SHE’S A DOLL by Barbara Truelove (Oct 6) [Bindery Books]

• OUR BLOODY SOULS by Ana Davis (Oct 6) [Turner]

• DREAMWEAVING by O. O. Sangoyomi (Oct 13) [Page Street]

• LOBA by Valentina Cano Repetto (Nov 10) [Angry Robot]

• SELKIES AND SKEPTICS by Elias Cold (Nov 17) [Page Street]

• WHAT HAUNTS THE ICE by S. Hati (Jan 19) [F&F]

• THE SECRET LIVES OF ZOMBIE WIVES by Barbara Truelove (Feb 2)[Tor/Nightfire]

• BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN by Raveena Raju (March 16) [Generous Press]

And you can always see client books past and present on my website, here.

Until next month!

Allegra

Frankly, someone(s) is impersonating at least half the BookEnds agents at this point, and a slew of others across the industry. They’re also impersonating editors, with fake contracts and everything. They’re stealing your manuscripts and praying on your greatest dreams to do so. Please, don’t fall for it.

But besides preaching vigilance (I very rarely cold email you, if I do it will be from an @bookendsliterary.com email address) I’ve been reflecting on how terribly depressing this is. There have always been scams, but it feels like there are so many more these days and they’re fueled by AI and preying upon the desperation of querying writers. It didn’t used to be this bad. You used to be able to face the horrors of querying without worrying all the time about if you were falling for a scam. It’s so hard out there. The sky is falling. Please, stay safe.

I’M WATCHING

Upon seeing live action Tony Tony Chopper I began to cry

I’M LISTENING TO

when will I be free from Hozier and The Wrecks?????

MY FOCUS THIS MONTH

I just got a slew of spring projects out on submission, which means my fall schedule is quite open. I’m acquiring clients extra eagerly, looking for the perfect projects to launch this fall. If you’re reading this and ready to query, or want to send it on to a friend, my wishlist is on my website here.

I’m particularly on a “wild, wacky, wonderful concepts” kick at the moment. If you’ve got a trope subversion, I need it.

THIS MONTH…

• Sydney Olivia announced she’s self pubbing in the US to make sure North American readers can access her incredible fantasy debut A VIPER AMONG KINGS. Preorder links will be up before long, but in the interim you can fill out this form so you’re notified when links are up!

  • She also has a longer post about how she went from a trad pub deal to finding herself self pub, and it’s worth a read and reflection. This industry always finds new (and at times heartbreaking) ways to surprise, and Sydney has weathered this news with a fiercely determined can-do spirit. Your support is more critical than ever—I can promise the book is phenomenal!

• You can preorder the SHE’S A DOLL ebook for just $3.99 from now until publication

• Cover reveal for SELKIES AND SKEPTICS!! Look at those sprayed edges, and add on Goodreads + preorder!

• THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES is now on Netgalley

  • Go request it!

• Bita Behzadi’s LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY made Fangirlish’s “The 10 Best Fantasy Books of June 2026”

• Booklist reviewed THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES and loved it!

  • "Those who enjoy spunky, sweet love stories will enjoy this whimsical romance with banter and funny characters, all of which make this a memorable ride."

• Booklist reviewed THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA and loved it so much they gave it a star!

  • "Yejin Suh’s spectacular debut is reminiscent of Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” with cultural and political tensions that enhance the stakes. Themes of power, identity, and control are woven throughout without sacrificing narrative clarity. Fantasy readers seeking a new sapphic adventure will be delighted by the world of Nava."

• Publisher’s Weekly reviewed THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK and loved it (so much trade review love this month)

  • "Snow’s adult debut (after the YA novel The Duke Steals Hearts and Other Body Parts) is a twisty and humorous sapphic take on a classic rivals-to-lovers plot…Snow’s sharp character work and snappy dialogue rocket readers through this wildly inventive tale. Tamsyn Muir fans will eat it up. "

• S. Hati did an interview with Good Reading Mag to talk about MORBID CURIOSITIES

• Yejin Suh’s THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA made BookRiot’s "The Best New Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2026"

  • Happy Pride, people

CLIENT RELEASE SCHEDULE…

• MORBID CURIOSITIES by S. Hati (Apr 21) [F&F]

• LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY by Bita Behzadi (June 9) [Hay House]

• THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA by Yejin Suh US Edition + UK Paperback (July 7) [Harper Collins]

• THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK by Eli Snow (Aug 18) [Saturday Books]

• A VIPER AMONG KINGS by Sydney Olivia (Aug 25) [Daphne Press]

• THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES by S. Hati (Aug 25) [Angry Robot]

• SHE’S A DOLL by Barbara Truelove (Oct 6) [Bindery Books]

• OUR BLOODY SOULS by Ana Davis (Oct 6) [Turner]

• DREAMWEAVING by O. O. Sangoyomi (Oct 13) [Page Street]

• LOBA by Valentina Cano Repetto (Nov 10) [Angry Robot]

• SELKIES AND SKEPTICS by Elias Cold (Nov 17) [Page Street]

• WHAT HAUNTS THE ICE by S. Hati (Jan 19) [F&F]

• THE SECRET LIVES OF ZOMBIE WIVES by Barbara Truelove (Feb 2)[Tor/Nightfire]

And you can always see client books past and present on my website, here.

Until next month!

Allegra

I’M WATCHING

My sisters are big on reality TV and got me hooked

I’M LISTENING TO

Can’t believe how little variety I’m showing in my music taste. The issue is I do listen to a really wide range, but I also return to the faves regularly, which means they dominate the list

MY FOCUS THIS MONTH

Reading, reading, and more reading. I reopened to queries and have a couple fulls on my plate to review. We also had an agent at the agency leave the industry, and I’m trying to consider as many of their clients as I can to see who we can keep here at BookEnds!

THIS MONTH…

• S. Hati’s amazing STEM dark academia thriller released! Go pick up MORBID CURIOSITIES now and make sure to leave reviews everywhere you can.

  • S. Hati also did a Q&A for Nerd Daily

• Cover reveal for S. Hati’s next YA thriller WHAT HAUNTS THE ICE!

• Cover reveal for Barbara Truelove’s THE SECRET LIVES OF ZOMBIE WIVES!

• Cover reveal for O.O. Sangoyomi’s DREAMWEAVING!

• Bita Behzadi’s LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY got a lovely review in Library Journal!

• Eli Snow’s THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK: OR WHAT TO DO IF YOUR GIRLFRIEND ACCIDENTALLY TURNS OFF THE SUN got a lovely starred review in Library Journal!

• Barbara Truelove’s OF MONSTERS AND MAINFRAMES had spent at least 9 weeks so far this year, and all of April, on the Lit Hub indie bestseller list. Go Demeter!

CLIENT RELEASE SCHEDULE…

• MORBID CURIOSITIES by S. Hati (Apr 21) [F&F]

• LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY by Bita Behzadi (June 9) [Hay House]

• THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA by Yejin Suh US Edition + UK Paperback (July 7) [Harper Collins]

• THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK by Eli Snow (Aug 18) [Saturday Books]

• A VIPER AMONG KINGS by Sydney Olivia (Aug 25) [Daphne Press]

• THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES by S. Hati (Aug 25) [Angry Robot]

• SHE’S A DOLL by Barbara Truelove (Oct 6) [Bindery Books]

• OUR BLOODY SOULS by Ana Davis (Oct 6) [Turner]

• DREAMWEAVING by O. O. Sangoyomi (Oct 13) [Page Street]

• LOBA by Valentina Cano Repetto (Nov 10) [Angry Robot]

• SELKIES AND SKEPTICS by Elias Cold (Nov 17) [Page Street]

• WHAT HAUNTS THE ICE by S. Hati (Jan 19) [F&F]

• THE SECRET LIVES OF ZOMBIE WIVES by Barbara Truelove (Feb 2)[Tor/Nightfire]

And you can always see client books past and present on my website, here.

Until next month!

Allegra

I’M WATCHING

I’m just a sucker for any small town show.

LISTENING TO*

*I’m realizing my top artists are not changing and this is maybe a boring addition to this newsletter

MY FOCUS THIS MONTH

I got really behind in my querymanager and had to close briefly to catch up on my partials and fulls. Somehow, I can always stand ten toes down on my queries, but partials and fulls start to stack up. Sorry to those who had to wait! I’m hustling, I swear, this is just a reflection of how many exciting books I’ve asked to see more of.

I’m going to give away a bunch of books next month to clear my shelves a bit. Make sure to follow me on Instagram if you want a chance at some client books.

THIS MONTH…

• We announced the deal for Raveena Raju’s BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN

• We revealed the cover for Sydney Olivia’s A VIPER AMONG KINGS

• We unveiled the preorder campaign for Bita Behzadi’s LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY, go check it out and preorder now to get a vellum print while supplies last

• THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA is on NetGalley US!!

  • TLSON released in the UK last summer, but this year we get the US release of the project and a UK paperback!! I can’t wait for all new audiences to read this book.

• the BEASTS OF CARNAVAL ebook is on sale for $2.99 until May 1! go go go

RELEASING THIS YEAR…²

• MORBID CURIOSITIES by S. Hati (Apr 21) [F&F]

• LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY by Bita Behzadi (June 9) [Hay House]

• THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA by Yejin Suh US Edition + UK Paperback (July 7) [Harper Collins]

• THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK by Eli Snow (Aug 18) [Saturday Books]

• A VIPER AMONG KINGS by Sydney Olivia (Aug 25) [Daphne Press]

• THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES by S. Hati (Aug 25) [Angry Robot]

• SHE’S A DOLL by Barbara Truelove (Oct 6) [Bindery Books]

• OUR BLOODY SOULS by Ana Davis (Oct 6) [Turner]

• DREAMWEAVING by O. O. Sangoyomi (Oct 13) [Page Street]

• LOBA by Valentina Cano Repetto (Nov 10) [Angry Robot]

• SELKIES AND SKEPTICS by Elias Cold (Nov 17) [Page Street]

And you can always see client books past and present on my website, here.

Until next month!

Allegra

I’M WATCHING

LISTENING TO

THIS MONTH…

• THE GODS MUST BURN released in the US and UK. Get your copy now—

  • UK link

  • US link

• We announced ICARUS FELL by Cass Biehn, the thrilling sequel to VESUVIUS [Peachtree]

• We announced THE SECRET LIVES OF ZOMBIE WIVES by Barbara Truelove [Tor/Nightfire]

• We announced LOBA by Valentina Cano Repetto [Angry Robot], out this November, and there’s a stunning cover to go with it!

• Cover reveal for SHE’S A DOLL by Barbara Truelove (pink!!)

• I signed two new clients, everyone say hello to Raveena and Marianna!

IN THE NEWS…

• BEASTS OF CARNAVAL by Rosália Rodrigo was in this lovely NOLA.com article.

• OF MONSTERS AND MAINFRAMES by Barbara Truelove kept hitting bestseller lists, like the Literary Hub lists and the #1 spot on Amazon’s LGBTQ+ Science Fiction list (hi orange banner)

RELEASING THIS YEAR…2

• THE GODS MUST BURN by T.R. Moore (Feb 24) [Solaris]

• MORBID CURIOSITIES by S. Hati (Apr 21) [F&F]

• LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY by Bita Behzadi (June 9) [Hay House]

• THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA by Yejin Suh US Edition + UK Paperback (July 7) [Harper Collins]

• THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK by Eli Snow (Aug 18) [Saturday Books]

• A VIPER AMONG KINGS by Sydney Olivia (Aug 25) [Daphne Press]

• THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES by S. Hati (Aug 25) [Angry Robot]

• SHE’S A DOLL by Barbara Truelove (Oct 6) [Bindery Books]

• OUR BLOODY SOULS by Ana Davis (Oct 6) [Turner]

• DREAMWEAVING by O. O. Sangoyomi (Oct 13) [Page Street]

• LOBA by Valentina Cano Repetto (Nov 10) [Angry Robot]

• SELKIES AND SKEPTICS by Elias Cold (Nov 17) [Page Street]

And you can always see client books past and present on my website, here.

Until next month!

Allegra

I know my clients have lots going on, and my clients know they have lots going on, but as I move into 2026 and think about what sort of public facing presence I want to have as an agent—I realize all of you might enjoy hearing about all I have going on!1 While I’d love to do this monthly, we’ll just have to see how much bandwidth I have and how long before the number of happenings far exceeds what I can capture in a newsletter.

I’M WATCHING

LISTENING TO

THIS MONTH…

• The cover for Bita Behzadi’s LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY is now live! It’s also on NetGalley, so go ahead and request request request.

• The deal announcement for A. Raven Demory’s THE BARROWVINE SAINT came out

• The preorder campaign for T. R. Moore’s stunning debut THE GODS MUST BURN has gone live. All, you really really want a copy of this amazing dark eco-fantasy. Preorder (or request from your library!) and submit your receipts here.

  • Relatedly, THE GODS MUST BURN releases February 24th!

IN THE NEWS…

• MORBID CURIOSITIES by S. Hati has a starred review from Kirkus. “Cerebral, atmospheric, and genuinely unsettling—science thriller gold.”

  • And a stellar review from Booklist! “A compelling tale that will have readers on the edge of their seats”

  • It was also a Lit Hub most anticipated book of 2026

• THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK by Eli Snow is one of Goodreads readers’ most anticipated romantasies for 2026

• THE GODS MUST BURN was in a Nerd Daily roundup of 2026 releases

• OF MONSTERS AND MAINFRAMES by Barbara Truelove is a Libro.fm bestseller…again!

  • And it’s #21 on the Literary Hub indie fiction bestseller list for the week ending January 18 and #26 for the week ending Jan 25

• THE DUKE STEALS HEARTS by Elias Cold is on the American Library Association 2026 Rainbow Book list

• + I didn’t sell this book, but VESUVIUS by Cass Biehn is also on the 2026 Rainbow List!

RELEASING THIS YEAR…2

• THE GODS MUST BURN by T.R. Moore (Feb 24) [Solaris]

• MORBID CURIOSITIES by S. Hati (Apr 21) [F&F]

• LETTERS FROM THE LAST APOTHECARY by Bita Behzadi (June 9) [Hay House]

• THE LAST SOLDIER OF NAVA by Yejin Suh US Edition + UK Paperback (July 7) [ Harper Collins]

• THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK by Eli Snow (Aug 18) [Saturday Books]

• A VIPER AMONG KINGS by Sydney Olivia (Aug 25) [Daphne Press]

• THE CAROUSEL OF FORGOTTEN PLACES by S. Hati (Aug 25) [Angry Robot]

• SHE’S A DOLL by Barbara Truelove (Oct 6) [Bindery Books]

• OUR BLOODY SOULS by Ana Davis (Oct 6) [Turner]

• DREAMWEAVING by O. O. Sangoyomi (Oct 13) [Page Street]

• SELKIES AND SKEPTICS by Elias Cold (Nov 17) [Page Street]

And you can always see client books past and present on my website, here.

Until next month!

Allegra

Year 3 saw me through a lot—a swirl of things in my personal life, a riot of things in the world [pretty much all horrible, may 2026 bring an end to the genocide in Gaza], a storm of things in my professional life. I moved agencies (did an interview about that), expanded my client list and, most notably, I prepared myself to take the leap.

At the end of January 2026, I will be a full time literary agent. I am leaving my stable job in scholarly publishing that has sustained me for the last two years in order to clear more time for my clients. I am immensely privileged. I am a bit afraid. I am so, so lucky.

I had no choice.

It’s hard for me to admit that, or to be on the internet showing weakness, but I’m just a person. In the last three years, I have quietly watched agents who started around the same time as I did leave the industry. Some with fanfare, and some with hardly a whisper. The message was almost always the same—I don’t make enough money from this. I’m burned out. I can’t sustain it anymore.

Well, for me—I don’t make enough money from this. I’m burned out. I can’t sustain it anymore. So I evaluated my three jobs (agent, author, administrator) and I had to axe one. Agenting was never, ever on the table. When I started, I had thought I’d balance agenting and a dayjob forever. I said (emphatically) that I was never leaving my dayjob. The industry is too volatile, it’s too hard to make a living, I don’t want to put too much pressure on agenting and burn out.

And then I fell in love with this career—really, truly. My client list grew from 5, to 10, to now nearly 20. I felt the constraints of time and, worse, mental space. Moving agencies came in the middle of onboarding several new people at the dayjob, and doing pass pages for my own book. I thought I was going to keel over and simply die. I see what everyone means—there’s not enough money, you burn out, you can’t sustain it. And at a certain point, you plateau. They tell you it takes 5 years to start this career. 5 years of bonus time, over time, all your time.

I hit the limit of how many clients I could handle within my constricted hours. My reading times slowed across the board, my Querymanager piled up. I didn’t want to be this type of agent. I frayed, and I didn’t want to be that kind of person either. I had to give up, or I had to take a leap of faith.

I love this job. Today I called a client and told them a Big 5 publisher was offering on their debut. There’s nothing like making those sorts of dreams come true. I want the freedom to do that fully, wholly, exuberantly. So, I put in my notice. By the end of January, I will no longer be the editorial coordinator at Princeton University Press, and when I write out my bio Literary Agent will come first.

As scary as that is, I’ve survived this long in an industry that seems to chew up and spit out people of color in no small part due to the mentorship and support of others. And now, I get to do something I love, something I do really well, and celebrate some previously unfathomable wins. Every year I write out some highlights, and despite the turmoil, this year will be no different:

5 new clients signed, 8 deals closed, 7 new books published (wtf!!), another Indie Next pick, a Goodreads finalist(!!!), I crossed $750,000 in lifetime sales ($1,000,000 here we come!!!), new book boxes (hi FaeCrate), books on bestseller lists, on year end best-of lists, book deals with or offers from [redacted] and [redacted] (two Big 5 SFF houses), clients signed with film agents, and, most fun—people coming to me as their second or third agent because they’ve heard good things, and because my reputation is growing out of the soft, downy newness of being a baby agent.

I’m determined to spend my 2026 catching up and then getting ahead—thinking of new ways to agent, to engage, to cultivate great books and great writers. I’m really excited by that energy, I hope it brings wonderful things.

The question is broad to give them more room to answer. I admit, I’ve struggled to receive answers that really resonate with me. I think there’s a pervasive struggle to operationalize a given person’s generally well meaning philosophy of diversification. Of course you want to advocate for marginalized writers, but what does that actually mean? You just sign them when you can? Do you open up your wishlist but your client list remains mainly white? When an author looks at your agency, do they see other authors like them? Other agents like them? Book deals for the types of books they might write?

I’ve gotten a range of answers from, “I’m chasing the diversity trend so I just look for authors that don’t do active harm and editors who seem to acquire them” (yes, seriously someone said that to me) to a more reasonable “If publishers act inappropriately I’ll tell them off over email.” People turn red in the face, their answers get a bit rambly, like they weren’t expecting it even if their wishlist or website said clearly they were prioritizing “diverse voices.” I have a long rope of forgiveness when answering this question, because it’s kind of a tough one to answer off the cuff if you haven’t thought it through, but that rope is still quite finite.

When I decided to become an agent, I figured out my answer to this question before I did anything else, because I knew I needed to operationalize it. Turn it into an actual system. I wanted it to genuinely be baked into everything I did. When determining the first steps of becoming an agent, it was this clear desire—I want to champion marginalized writers—that helped shape all the other decisions needed to make this career shift. So—how do I advocate for these types of authors? 

I’m an editorial agent, because marginalized writers often have less access to the resources and communities that will allow them to get betas and produce more polished manuscripts—this means I sign books on occasion that need huge, structural changes or rewrites and I hold your hand the whole time. I create info sheets to send to my authors at major moments (acquisitions, offers, even just creating a website, etc) to give them a behind the scenes explanation of the process or a how-to, since they may not have deep industry knowledge. I stay cc’d on all my author’s emails between them and their publisher, so I can step in unprompted when something goes awry, even if my author doesn’t realize it’s going awry. I backchannel with my authors so we can come up with mutual responses to their publishers and they can vent any frustrations to me so they don’t build up. I read editor feedback when it’s sent to make sure there’s nothing problematic in there, skim copyedits to make sure there’s nothing offensive in there, work hard at the contract phase to get legal protections for my author—consultation or approval on title, cover, copy, audiobook narrator so they have more control over who’s voicing their book or painting the cover. I’m avid about making sure their contracts don’t trap them if their books are delayed. I take a long career view to encourage my authors to keep writing so they don’t flame out after a debut. I’m aggressive on sub, so my authors don’t need to sit around forever when they need that deal money to live off of. I’m always available and friendly so they feel comfortable asking me honest questions. I send resources when I offer rep, (how to nudge other agents) (what questions to ask me). 

This isn’t an exhaustive list and I’m not perfect (I’m so far from it), but I can answer that question, “how do I advocate for marginalized writers in a hostile environment” with the basic acknowledgement that I had to think about this. Hard, and before I did almost anything else. This isn’t lip service and it isn’t surface level. The type of agenting I do isn’t for everyone (agents or authors), and that’s fine. It’s a pretty involved type, more proactive, more systemic. I try to trace issues back to their roots—I can’t sign authors of color and then fail to equip them with the information and resources that they need to understand this industry. That’s only half the battle—I’m not talking about just recruitment, I’m keen on retention. What does retention mean in such a volatile industry? How can you build careers over the long run? I grapple with these questions all the time.

If I can emphasize one thing to figure out before you jump into this career, it’s to determine what kind of agent you’re going to be. What your personal philosophy is, how it will guide you, change you, inform you. What your priorities are (especially if you’re a writer). Gather information from others, steal the bits and pieces that feel right to you. Don’t ever fall into the trap of industry standards that do not serve you and your authors—all within reason. And when you realize you’re doing something wrong, be honest and course correct. 

You set your own standards, that is the great privilege and the great downfall of independent contracting. 

Not really, I mean everything went smoothly—so much more smoothly than I thought it would, I’m lucky!—but so many things could have gone wrong. I could have fumbled opening to queries, my first book on sub, my first sale. And it wouldn’t have just been me falling over; I would have let my authors down—which I dread always. I had to be transparent enough to admit to my authors when I didn’t know something, but confident enough to make sure their faith wasn’t misplaced. I was an agented author and an editor, so my foundations were pretty solid, but those things only take you so far. Humility and curiosity carry you the rest of the way. All these opportunities for firsts in agenting pose new challenges. Even over a year in, there’s a realm of agenting ahead of me—first book releases, first royalties, first option sale—that I haven’t gotten a chance to touch yet, and that I will have to navigate with the invaluable advice of my mentors and peers. 

It’s that same type of advice that has made it possible for me to take every step of my career. In summer 2022 when I first thought to myself “I could become an agent,” I did a number of informational interviews to gather advice on whether or not this was a good career path for me. Even when I ultimately decided “yes, this is what I want to do” and cold emailed Beth Marshea at Ladderbird to pitch myself, Beth was a wealth of advice and information on how to get started. There’s no easy, handy guide to this (at least not one I could find), this career path isn’t one you learn in school, and unlike when I started in scholarly publishing as an editorial assistant, I wasn’t doing a clearly defined job. Starting at a publisher meant I had a formal job description, HR, performance reviews, and a clear list of tasks to learn. Starting as an agent, as an independent contractor, meant how I agent was entirely up to me. The way I organize my files, my sub strategies, my mswl and my authors—I had almost complete freedom over these aspects. 

It was incredible, and it was terrifying.

I’m starting this newsletter to help make things a little less terrifying for the next person like me making a move into agenting, and for all my peers getting started. I don’t do anything the “right” way, because there isn’t really an objective right way in agenting. I only hope my own process of gathering advice from others provides you a mirror through which to reflect back potential avenues, or a big, blaring warning sign to help minimize the number of mistakes you make.

I love agenting, I love it more than nearly anything I have ever started in my life, besides perhaps writing and architecture. It is also one of the most difficult paths I have started down. It really doesn’t pay you enough to live off of in those early years. Publishing is an at times deeply troubled industry. The work of representing and advocating for marginalized writers poses unique, mind boggling obstacles. But beyond the frequent imposter syndrome, every second of this job is worth it.

My aim for Martsch Mayhem is to keep things fairly short—bite sized content with personalized reflections. While it’s geared toward other agents, I hope publishing professionals at large find useful reflections on the industry, and writers enjoy a peek into the ins and outs of agenting. 

And if you ever have specific questions or topics to suggest, feel free to drop them at this link or in the comment section and I’ll do my best to mobilize my own networks to answer them. Because I’m rooting for all of you, especially my fellow agents of color, and when you win, we all win.