The 24th Annual Conference of the
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Get your Query Letter and First Five Pages Personal Attention by Publishing Professionals and Give an In-person Verbal Pitch
Don't forget to register for time with an agent, editor, or publisher!
Literary Agents and Editors
Claudia Gabel
Claudia Gabel is an Executive Editor at Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books, acquiring and developing middle grade and teen fiction in a variety of genres. Her best known titles are the Stonewall Award winning book Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher, the New York Times bestselling series Summer Boys by Hailey Abbott, and the Scarlett Wakefield mystery novels by Lauren Henderson. She is also the author of the tween series In or Out (Scholastic/Point), the mash-up novel Romeo & Juliet & Vampires (HarperTeen), and a forthcoming science-fiction YA series. She lives in New York City with her husband.
Georgia McBride
Georgia loves a good story. Whether it's writing her own, or publishing someone else's, story is at the heart of everything Georgia does. Founder of Month9Books, YALITCHAT.ORG and the weekly #yalitchat on Twitter, Georgia spends most of her days writing, editing, or talking about books. That is, of course, when she is not reading. She is represented by Tamar Rydzinski of The Laura Dail Literary Agency.
With a particular interest in and passion for genre fiction, Georgia seeks to fill the gap left by major publishers who may have had their fill of paranormal, horror and fantasy novels. And it's a good thing, because Georgia has never met a vampire, angel or werewolf she didn't like.
With her experience in vetting submissions for twenty-three agents and publishers, marketing, launching products for teens and tweens, and judging writing contests (three of her contest-winning books have been published by major publishers, and one has gone on to win a literary award!), Georgia seeks to create a niche imprint that publishes deeply emotive works for teens and tweens set in worlds not unlike our own.
Georgia is seeking middle grade with heart and engaging characters who experience life a bit differently. She especially enjoys mysteries, fantasy, and superhero stories. For YA, Georgia seeks works that make readers think, aren't afraid to be smart, different, or off the beaten path. She is especially interested in genre mash-ups, and welcomes character-driven, coming of age stories with a romantic element. Fangs and zombies welcome.
Brittney Ross
Brittney Ross is in editorial at the Hudson Street Press and Viking imprints of Penguin USA . Currently specializing in narrative nonfiction and popular science books, she also has experience on the agency side, working with children's, YA, women's and general commercial fiction.
Jessica Sinsheimer
Jessica Sinsheimer has been reading and campaigning for her favorite queries since 2004. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she went east for Sarah Lawrence College and stayed for the opportunity to read soon-to-be books for a living.
Now an Associate Agent at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, she's developed a reputation for fighting office members to see incoming manuscripts first — and for drinking far too much tea.
Always on the lookout for new writers, she is most excited about finding literary, women's, and Young Adult fiction, and — on the nonfiction side — psychology, parenting, self-help, cookbooks, memoirs, and works that speak to life in the twenty-first century.
Meghan Stevenson
Meghan Stevenson worked in publishing for nearly a decade at Penguin Group USA (Hudson Street Press and Plume) and Simon & Schuster (Touchstone Books.) She edited four New York Times bestsellers, including two books by actress and mathematician Danica McKellar (Hot X and Girls Get Curves), The First 20 Minutes by New York Times columnist Gretchen Reynolds, and The Bro Code, a tie-in book based on the Emmy award-winning CBS show "How I Met Your Mother". She specializes in helping authors of both practical (how-to) and narrative nonfiction polish their work at any stage, from query letters to proposals and manuscripts. Check out more details on the services she offers and/or contact her at meghanstevenson.com.
Roseanne Wells
Roseanne Wells joined JDLA as an associate agent in 2012. Previously with the Marianne Strong Literary Agency, she has also worked as a proofreader and a special sales and editorial assistant. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with degrees in Literature and Dance. An avid reader, Roseanne discovered her passion for book publishing during her internship at W. W. Norton, and she approaches agenting as a writer's advocate, editor, and partner. She is also an arts reviewer for PlayShakespeare.com and a volunteer for Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in Soho, NYC.