Rachel Beck: Liza Dawson Associates
Rachel Beck joined Liza Dawson Associates in 2020 after working at a boutique agency, Holloway Literary, for four years. She has been in the publishing industry since 2009 and worked at Harlequin editing romance novels for nearly six years before transitioning her skills to the agent world in order to be an advocate and champion for authors. Rachel’s primary interests include book club/upmarket fiction, smart contemporary romance/rom-com/women’s fiction, historical or dual-timeline fiction, psychological suspense/thrillers, young adult, and nonfiction in a variety of areas including health/wellness, parenting, politics, personal growth and sports. She represents bestselling authors Sara Goodman Confino, Rea Frey, Patricia Johns and Britt Frank, among others. She lives outside of Pittsburgh with her husband, three young children, and endlessly entertaining cat.
Currently seeking: Upmarket/book club women’s fiction, smart contemporary romances and romcoms, historical fiction this side of WWII, speculative fiction/magic realism, thrillers, psychological and domestic suspense, contemporary YA, and retellings of classics.
Jessica Berg: Rosecliff Literary
Jessica Berg is the principal agent and founder of Rosecliff Literary, an agency dedicated to championing writers who feel like they don’t belong elsewhere. She specializes in bold, boundary-pushing fiction and nonfiction that untold history. A multi-nominated writer and MFA graduate from Spalding University, Jessica is a member of AALA and EFA. Represented by Amy Collins of Talcott Notch, she brings expertise, vision, and deep industry knowledge to her work, advocating for authors with stories that demand to be told. She is actively building her list, and on the lookout for upmarket/book club fiction, gothic, horror, suspense genre blends, and historical fiction. She’s not the best fit for SFF.
Currently seeking: Literary, upmarket, historical fiction , supernatural suspense, gothic, and horror.
Georgia Bodnar: Noyan Agency
Georgia Bodnar moved to New York in 2008, beginning her career in the nonprofit sector before landing her first publishing job at Macmillan. She later joined Viking Books (Penguin Random House) and became an agent at United Talent Agency in 2022. While there, she represented the New York Times bestseller Say More by Jen Psaki, as well as current and forthcoming titles by Uzo Aduba, the late anthropologist Helen Fisher, Ben Crump, Luvvie Ajayi Jones, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, Chelsea Handler, Santigold, Martin Lawrence, and others. Her dual experience as an editor and agent has granted her a rare level of insight into how different industry stakeholders are navigating today’s rapidly evolving marketplace.
Georgia is seeking a wide range of nonfiction and fiction. She is particularly interested in books by authors with expertise in reportage, current affairs, history, science, sociology, pop culture, memoir, parenting, business, and faith. In fiction, she represents literary, upmarket, and genre-bending works, including translations. She is drawn to novels with well-realized characters, fast-paced plots, and distinctive voices, especially those that explore family dynamics or address contemporary issues in engaging ways.
Currently seeking: Literary, upmarket, and genre-blending fiction.
Elizabeth Copps: Copps Literary
Elizabeth Copps is a literary agent and founder of Copps Literary Services based in Denver, Colorado. With 15 years of industry experience, Elizabeth began her publishing career in 2010 when she moved from Florida to New York City and discovered her passion through a literary agency internship
Her business philosophy centers on building equitable, transparent, and long-lasting relationships throughout the publishing industry.
Currently seeking: Thought-provoking commercial fiction across adult, YA, and MG, particularly: horror and speculative fiction that push boundaries and explore big questions; genre-blending narratives with lush prose and complex characters; dark mythology and folklore retellings (adult/YA); spooky middle grade with light magical elements; family dramas and female friendship stories; works exploring technology’s impact on identity; historical and contemporary fiction addressing social justice/mental health; and unconventional romances.
Nicole Eisenbraun: Ginger Clark Literary
Nicole Eisenbraun is an Agent and the Translation Rights Manager at Ginger Clark Literary. She graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and got her start in publishing at Curtis Brown, Ltd. She is a member of the AALA Contracts and International Committees and lives in Long Island.
Currently seeking: Middle grade and YA in all genres. She is particularly interested in great fairytale retellings with colorful twists and stories that tackle difficult subjects in unexpected ways.
Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong: Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong is a literary agent at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency with nine years of industry experience. a life-long lover of books, Cathie enjoys vivid memories of the exact day she unlocked the secret code behind the letters that combine to form words. Since then, it’s the rare occasion when you’ll find her without a book in her hand, a Kindle in her purse, or a pair of AirPods in her ears while she devours the works of whatever author she’s selected as her new favorite of the month.
Cathie’s journey in publishing began in 2014 when she wrote her first book, The Edge of Nowhere, a work of adult historical fiction inspired by her grandmother’s life as a widow raising fourteen children during the one-two punch of the 1930s Dust Bowl and The Great Depression. Three years later, she followed up with her sophomore novel, Roam, a young adult title inspired by the unhoused community in a small Minnesota town. The release of this second book coincided with Cathie’s first job as a literary agent where she spent eight years learning the industry before joining the team at Marsal Lyon in May 2024.
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Cathie is a 1992 graduate of the University of Oklahoma and holds a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in history. She’s a rabid OU Sooners football fan, and follows the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Minnesota Vikings. Currently, she resides in Minnesota where she and her husband of 33 years share two adult children and have the pleasure of claiming a third adult child as their son-in-law.
Currently seeking: Romance (all categories and spice levels, including romantasy), domestic and psychological suspense, non-splatter horror, mystery, historical fiction, commercial fiction, and women’s/book club fiction.
Mason Rowlee: DeFiore & Company
Originally from rural Upstate New York, Mason Rowlee holds a BA in English, with a concentration in creative writing and journalism from Fordham College at Rose Hill. While in college, he interned at DeFiore & Company, as well as McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency, Gotham Writers Workshop, CBS Television Production and Farrar, Straus & Giroux. He previously worked as an assistant literary scout at Jenny La Plante, Inc., where he developed an eye for the types of literary and upmarket fiction and narrative nonfiction that also appeal to international publishers as well as film production companies.
Currently seeking: Innovative, boundary-pushing literary fiction; engrossing upmarket fiction; and nonfiction that amplifies traditionally underrepresented voices in publishing, particularly those by queer authors.