Meet the Agents & Editors: Virtual Pitch-O-Rama 2024

Saturday, April 20, 2024, 8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. PT

Have you been anxiously waiting to meet the agents and editors attending this year’s edition of Pitch-O-Rama? With April soon approaching, Pitch-O-Rama will be just around the corner, so we’re eager to share the talents who will provide their expertise to those attending.

Haven’t registered yet? Head on to this page to register for Pitch-O-Rama 2024!

Meet the Agents and Editors for Pitch-O-Rama 2024:

Laurie McLean spent 20 years as the CEO of a publicity and marketing agency and 8 years as an agent and senior agent at Larsen Pomada Literary Agents in San Francisco. Following a stint as the CEO of a successful Silicon Valley public relations agency bearing her name, Laurie switched gears to immerse herself in writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the State University of New York and a master’s degree at Syracuse University’s prestigious Newhouse School of Journalism.

Laurie specializes in middle grade, young adult, and adult genre fiction (romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thrillers, suspense, horror). 

Andy Ross opened his literary agency in January 2008. Before that, he was the owner for 30 years of the legendary Cody’s Books in Berkeley. The agency represents books in a wide range of subjects including narrative non-fiction, science, journalism, history, religion,  children’s books, young adult, middle grade, literary and commercial fiction, and cooking. However, he is eager to represent projects in most genres as long as the subject or its treatment is smart, original, and will appeal to a wide readership. In non-fiction, he looks for writing with a strong voice and robust narrative arc by authors with the authority to write about their subject. For literary, commercial, and children’s fiction, he has only one requirement– simple, but ineffable–that the writing reveals the terrain of that vast and unexplored country, the human heart.  www.andyrossagency.com,  www.andyrossagency.wordpress.com

Born in Port-au-Prince, M.J. Fievre, B.S. Ed, is a longtime educator whose publishingcareer began as a teenager in her native Haiti. At nineteen years old, she signed her first book contract with Hachette-Deschamps for the publication of a YA book titled La Statuette Maléfique. Since then, M.J. has released nine YA books in French that are widely read in Europe and the French Antilles, and she is the author of the award-winning Badass Black Girl book series for tweens and teens (in English). As the ReadCaribbean program coordinator for the prestigious Miami Book Fair, M.J. directs and produces the children’s cultural show Taptap Krik? Krak! In addition, M.J. serves as the managing editor of DragonFruit, which publishes high-quality children’s books, which connect with readers by paving the way to lifelong learning.

Leland Cheuk is a MacDowell and Hawthornden Castle Fellow and award-winning author of three books of fiction, most recently the novel NO GOOD VERY BAD ASIAN (2019). Cheuk’s work has been covered in Buzzfeed, The Paris Review, VICE, San Francisco Chronicle, and has appeared or is forthcoming in publications such as NPR, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, among other outlets.

He is the founder of the indie press 7.13 Books, which publishes debut book-length fiction. Cheuk is looking for quality works of fiction and short story collections, favoring literary comedies and genre-bending submissions, as well as work from the queer and/or POC writing community.

Georgia Hughes is the editorial director at New World Library, publisher of the Joseph Campbell Library and The Power of Now. She acquires and edits nonfiction books in the areas of spirituality, sustainability, animals, business, women’s issues, and personal growth. Recent acquisitions include, Spiritual Envy by Michael Krasny, Dreaming the Soul Back Home by Robert Moss, Dogs and the Women Who Love Them by Allen and Linda Anderson, Right-Brain Business Plan by Jennifer Lee, and The Practicing Mind by Thomas Sterner.

Zeynep Sen graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a B.A. in Literature and Creative Writing. Following graduation, she honed her skills as an agent at the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency. A few years later, Zeynep moved to WordLink Literary Agency, where she now works as a senior agent and foreign rights agent. At WordLink, Zeynap represents her own lists of authors.

She primarily focuses on non-fiction works and Young Adult books. Her list of authors include Nabila Ramdani, Jaha Dukureh, Erik Edstrom, Elvira Gonzales, Elora Dodds, Airy Sindik, and Asli Pelit. Fluent in Spanish and Turkish, Zeynep is drawn to literary and historical works of fiction and narrative non-fiction of international appeal.

Mary E Knippel is an intuitive writing mentor, international speaker, best-selling author, and journalist for over 35 years. She helps women bring their transformational stories to life in the international bestselling Amazon collaboration book series “Written In Her Own Words-Wise Woman Wisdom”. Mary guides her clients through every aspect of the writing journey, from identifying their story to crafting and editing it into their chapter to bringing their stories to the world. She believes everyone has a unique story to tell and encourages daily journaling.

Her memoir, “The Secret Artist-Give Yourself Permission to Let Your Creativity Shine,” came about as she shared how she coped with her breast cancer experiences. You can learn more about how to become an author in the next collaboration book, attend one of her workshops, join her at the next Elite Women’s Writing Retreat, or sign up to receive writing tips on her website: https://yourwritingmentor.com.

Dawn Frederick is the owner of Red Sofa Literary, established in 2008. After earningher B.S. in Human Ecology and M.S. in Library and Information Sciences, she moved to the Twin Cities, to work for a publisher after many years working in indie and chain bookstores. She previously worked at Sebastian Literary Agency and co-founded the MN Publishing Tweet Up (a community social monthly meetup). She has been on the Board of Directors for Loft Literary and was once President of the Twin Cities Community Advisory Council for MPR. Wearing both the hat of librarian and agent, she brings an extensive knowledge and appreciation of the publishing and writing processes.

Lindsey Smith (Speilburg Literary Agency) represents non-fiction projects. In addition to being a literary agent, she owns a bookstore in her hometown, runs her own publishing press, and is the author of several books and gift products. Having worked in every facet of the publishing industry—from author to publisher, to PR strategist to publicist, she knows the book industry inside and out.

When she’s not helping people write books, she can be found reading old American Girl magazines, listening to Taylor Swift, or playing with her dog, Winnie Cooper.

Julia Park Tracey serves as the executive editor for Sibylline and is one of the four founding partners, all book industry women of a certain age. Sibylline publishes the brilliant work of women authors over 50 exclusively and has signed authors through Spring 2025 and now is looking for fiction and memoir for its Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 seasons currently as well as its developing ebook line, Sibylline Digital First, which encompasses all genres, including romance, self-help, and business. Julia is an award-winning journalist, editor, poet laureate, and author of several works of historical fiction for Sibylline Press. After receiving a starred review, The Bereaved: A Novel was named in the top 100 indie books published in 2023 by Kirkus Reviews. Her new novel, Silence, which is due out in Fall 2024, is also based on one of her ancestors, Silence Greenleaf who lived in the Puritan era. Julia lives in the low Sierra of California in a beautifully restored 1880 Victorian, with her family and beloved cats, bees and chickens.

Kat Georges is a poet, playwright, editor, publisher, and graphic designer. She is co-director and an acquisitions editor for Three Rooms Press, an independent publisher inspired by diversity, dada, punk, and passion. Her most recent book is the poetry collection Awe and Other Words Like Wow, and she is co-editor of MAINTENANT, the annual journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art. She lives in New York City. Kat is currently looking for LGBTQ+ fiction and young adult fiction that deal directly with current anti-queer attitudes, mysteries that center on bold and daring diverse main characters, and riveting women of history who need to have more attention given to them. Kat welcomes voices that have something different to say, that inspire readers, and that shows the power of innovative, compelling writing. To see the latest Three Rooms Press releases, visit threeroomspress.com. 

Becky Parker Geist is CEO of Pro Audio Voices and has been in the audiobook industry since 1981. As an audiobook publisher and producer, Becky has produced and narrated hundreds of titles, helping authors leverage their content through audio – even if it’s their book’s only published format. Typically, working with authors and publishers comes with the challenge of reaching the widest possible audience, which the Audiobook Marketing Program™ intends to resolve.

Becky serves as President of the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association and is a Chapter Leader of Nonfiction Authors Association.

Randy Peyser sells non-fiction manuscripts in all genres and speaks nationally abouthow to earn book deals. She also serves as faculty for CEO Space International, where she teaches about writing book proposals. She is the author of The Write-a-Book Progra; Crappy to Happy as featured in the move Eat, Pray, Love; and The Power of Miracle Thinking.

Her clients’ books have appeared in Oprah, Time Magazine, the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, in airport bookstores, Office Max and FedEx stores, and on Hallmark TV. Her work is featured in: Healing the Heart of the World, The Marriage of Sex and Spirit, Secrets of Shameless Self-Promoters, and the national bestsellers, Networking Magic Guerilla Publicity and The Profit of Kindness.

Kat Neff, Senior Publicist at Llewellyn Worldwide, the oldest and largest publisher in the mind/body/spirit genre, has over 20 years of experience in book publishing. She has helped countless authors achieve national and international media bookings by creating successful broadcast, online, and print media publicity. Kat is also a frequent speaker on various aspects of book publishing. A long-time publishing professional, Neff has worked as Associate Editor and Marketing Manager at Cleis Press & Viva Editions, Insight Editions, and Red Wheel Weiser & Conari Press. 

Eric Lincoln Miller is the founder of 3ibooks Literary Agency in Reno, Nevada.3ibooks is a different kind of literary agency that solely focuses on authors and their needs. Their agency looks for fiction of any genre (romance, horror, mystery/crime, women’s fiction, erotica, science fiction, historical, and fantasy).

Other genres of interest are picture books, young readers, intermediate, and young adult fiction and nonfiction. Additionally, 3ibooks are also interested in art, photography, film and TV, business, mind-body-spirit, and memoirs.

Natalie Obando is a graduate from California State University, Long Beach with a BA in journalism emphasizing public relations and a minor concentration in creative writing. For nearly two decades, she’s worked in the world of books as a book publicist. Natalie is the founder of Do Good Public Relations Group and the grassroots organization, Women of Color Writers Podcast and Programming. She is the current national president of the 105-year-old non-profit, the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA), overseeing all eleven chapters across the nation. As the first Latina president of the national organization, her goal has been promoting diversity in publishing via strategic grassroots efforts. Her dedication to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the book world led her to found and chair Authentic Voices—a four-month long program that immerses people from marginalized communities in a master class of writing, editing, marketing, and publishing. Always looking to amplify BIPOC writers and create community and discussion around diversity in publishing, she recently joined the Ladderbird Literary Agency team. As a literary agent, she hopes to further usher BIPOC writers into careers as authors.  FICTION, YA/NEW ADULT ROMANCE Non-Fiction.

Brenda Knight began her career at HarperCollins, working with luminaries Paolo Coelho, Marianne Williamson, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She was awarded IndieFab’s Publisher of the Year in 2014 at the American Literary Association. Knight is the author of Wild Women and Books, The Grateful Table, Be a Good in the World, and Women of the Beat Generation, winner of the American Book Award. 

She is the Editorial Director at Mango Publishing and acquires for all genres in fiction and nonfiction, LGBTQ, as well as children and photography books. She is the immediate past President of the Women’s National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter, and an instructor at the annual San Francisco Writers Conference.

Peter Carlaftes is a publisher, poet, playwright, author, and actor. The most recent of his seven published books is the poetry collection, Life in the Past Lane. He is co-director and acquisitions editor for Three Rooms Press, with a strong interest in memoirs, literary fiction, mystery, and fantasy by diverse authors.

He is co-editor of the annual Dada writing and art journal, MAINTENANT. He lives in New York City.

Michael Larsen co-founded Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents in 1972.  For over four decades, the agency sold hundreds of books to more than 100 publishers and imprints. The agency has stopped accepting new writers, but Mike loves helping all writers. He gives talks about writing and publishing and does author coaching.

He wrote How to Write a Book Proposal and How to Get a Literary Agent, and coauthored Guerilla Marketing for Writers. Mike is co-director of the San Francisco Writers Conference and the San Francisco Writing for Change Conference.