Authors Lunch

Valentina Rice has been vp, sales and marketing at Bloomsbury Publishing overseeing sales, marketing, publicity and rights across adult, children’s and special interest since 2018. Before Bloomsbury, she spent 15 years in international sales at Penguin and left in 2012 to found an online marketplace for artisanal food. She returned to publishing in 2017 to launch Zaffre Books in the US, an imprint of Bonnier. It can be surprising for authors to realize how long the publication process takes, even when a manuscript is already completed. Can you explain what goes into that timing—selling to bookstores, planning marketing, pitching media, […]

The Complex. (Viking, March 10. Editor: Allison Lorentzen. Agent: Jin Auh, Wiley Agency.) Karan Mahajan is the author of The Association of Small Bombs, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, won the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award, and was named one of the Ten Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review. His debut novel, Family Planning, was a finalist for the Dylan Thomas Prize. He has been selected as one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, […]

Take It from Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch. (Pantheon, 1/20. Editor: Denise Oswald. Agent: Meredith Kaffel Simonoff.) Alia Hanna Habib is a vice president and literary agent at The Gernert Company, where she represents MacArthur Fellows, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, National Book Award finalists, and numerous New York Times-bestselling authors. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. You include a lot of yourself in the book, and mention that you don’t think writers should completely erase themselves in an effort for neutrality and objectivity. Why do you think having a clear perspective is a strength? Putting […]

The Poet Empress (Bramble, January 20.) Editor: Ali Fisher. Agent: Jennifer Azantian. Shen Tao immigrated to Canada at an early age, and grew up inspired by both Chinese and Western stories. She has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. The Poet Empress is her first book. How did you find your agent? My agent, Jennifer Azantian, found me during an online pitching event called DVPit, which I believe will be held again in October. She invited me to query her after seeing my short pitch, which I’ve attached below: “In the declining Azalea Dynasty, […]

Kindall Gant is a senior publicist at Phaidon. Prior to her current role, Kindall held a variety of positions at Hachette Book Group, Oxford University Press, Poets & Writers, and Artbook D.A.P. In addition to her full-time roles with trade, academic, and independent publishers, she has volunteered at Ugly Duckling Presse as a contributing editor and as a reader at a literary organization called The Word Works. In her free time, she writes poetry and creative nonfiction. You can find more about her writing at kindallgant.com. Her newly acquired book THE HARLEM TABLE is forthcoming from Phaidon. Tell us a […]

Best Offer Wins. (Celadon, Nov. 25, 2025. Editor: Ryan Doherty. Agents: Meredith Miller and Ethan Schlatter, UTA.) Marisa Kashino was a journalist for 17 years, most recently at The Washington Post. She spent the bulk of her career at Washingtonian magazine, writing longform features and overseeing the real estate and home design coverage. She grew up near Seattle, graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in journalism and political science. She lives in the D.C. area with her husband, two dogs, and two cats. Best Offer Wins is her first novel. How did you find your agent? I […]