Nonfiction Proposals: What Agents & Editors Want

What are agents and editors looking for in a nonfiction proposal these days? Join us for a discussion about the current trends, the elements that matter most, and the common weak spots that can lead to rejection. Our speakers will include literary agents and acquiring editors from trade and university presses, providing insights on what makes a proposal stand out right now in various nonfiction genres. Registrants will receive some brief suggested reading for those not already familiar with the basic elements of a proposal, so that we can begin the discussion with the fundamentals squared away. Special thanks to Literary Agents of Change for collaborating with the Authors Guild Foundation on this event. Panelists Jane Chun joined Transatlantic Agency in 2023 after four years at Janklow & Nesbit Associates. Prior to her time at J&N, she worked on a freelance project for HG Literary and interned at Writers House and Maximum Films & Management. Before entering the publishing world, Jane attended NYU where she majored in History and minored in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology; Creative Writing; and Spanish. She returned to NYU shortly after graduation and a brief stint at Asian CineVision and the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) to receive her M.S. in Publishing with distinction. She is a native New Yorker. For more details on what she’s looking for, please refer to her MSWL. Robin Coleman edits the public health and health policy lists at Johns Hopkins University Press. In addition to publishing essential books on the discipline’s foundational concepts, he brings focus to the list by highlighting new ways of thinking about the field and the issues it confronts—from global health security to the social and political determinants of health. Robin seeks queries, proposals, and manuscripts for new works that can offer authoritative lessons on the essential knowledge and skills of public health practice, that introduce new concepts, or offer big ideas to transform our understanding of familiar areas that we take for granted. Find out more about Robin’s work at his website WriteLikeAnExpert.com. Ismita Hussain is a literary agent at Great Dog Literary. She is a Georgia native and graduate of Emory University, where she studied Human Health and Italian. In her Desi household, she grew up speaking Bangla, Hindi, and Urdu. Ismita pivoted to the publishing industry from a career in healthcare, where she worked for various Atlanta area hospitals in departments ranging from neonatal to geriatric care. Ismita’s continued passion for disability representation and advocacy led her to be a founding member of Disability in Publishing, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors. Ismita represents an eclectic list of clients who write literary fiction, non-fiction, and YA. The books she represents often have gritty realist writing, are set in the South, or explore health and disability. For more info, please refer to her website. Moderator: Ariel Curry is senior editor for nonfiction at Sourcebooks. As an editor, she enjoys brainstorming and outlining new book ideas, bringing clarity and purpose to prose, and helping authors find resilience in their writing journey. When she’s not working on books, you can find Ariel practicing yoga, playing piano, or reading with a cup of coffee. She lives in Chattanooga, TN, with her husband, foster children, two rescue dogs, a kitten, and a beehive. Learn more about her book and podcast: Hungry Authors. In Collaboration With: Literary Agents of Change, the nonprofit born out of American Association of Literary Agents’ (AALA) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, was formed to help dismantle the barriers to entry into a career as a literary agent for members of historically underrepresented groups, particularly people of color while recognizing the systems of overlapping oppressions in regard to race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, class, and ability. Literary Agents of Change offers a Fellowship Program to encourage recruitment into the profession, and a Mentorship Program focused on the retention and promotion of agents from these communities. Special Thanks to Our Supporters and Partner Organizations With support from the National Endowment for the Arts and our donors, the Authors Guild Foundation is pleased to offer this program free to the public.