ABOUT THE AGENT:
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Paula Weiman (they/them) joined the ASH Literary team in 2023 as an Agent after a career in literary scouting and educational publishing. Based in New York and with a background in foreign rights, they bring an international approach to selling their clients’ work. Their goal is to help as many children as possible to see their experiences represented on the page for the first time.

PAULA IS SEEKING:

ABOUT THE AGENT: Krista Van Dolzer is the newest literary agent at The Unter Agency, though she’s worked in and around the publishing industry for more than a decade. Her middle grade fiction has been published by Penguin Random House, Sourcebooks, Capstone, and Bloomsbury USA, and she’s hosted many query contests and pitch events for aspiring authors over the years. She currently lives in central Iowa with her husband and four kids and holds degrees in Mathematics Education and Economics from Brigham Young University.

KRISTA IS SEEKING:

Get your creative juices flowing each week with these fun writing prompts and story starters by Brian A. Klems of Writing Day Workshops. The only rules: sit down, start writing, aim for at least 500 words (no upper word limit), and have as much fun as you can with it. 

​This week's prompt is:

ABOUT THE AGENT:
Ashley Hong is a literary agent with Gardner Literary representing adult nonfiction and select fiction. She is delighted to partner with authors and shepherd their creative work.
She was previously an editor at Penguin Random House, where she acquired and edited the New York Times bestselling This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley and A Rhythm of Prayer by Sarah Bessey. At PRH, Ashley edited and project managed titles across the Crown and Random House publishing groups, giving her a deep understanding and fondness for a wide breadth of books encompassing general interest, politics, business, history, cookbooks, wellness, Christian/Catholic writing, and more. Prior to book publishing, she cut her teeth in journalism by working at such outlets as Truthdig, CNN, and WNET, which instilled a love for narrative nonfiction in all its forms.

ASHLEY IS SEEKING:

ABOUT THE AGENT:
Aiden Siobhan (they/them) graduated from UNC School of the Arts in 2023 with a Filmmaking BFA specializing in Screenwriting and Animation. Before becoming an agent, they interned at LDLA and were an Author Mentor Match mentee in 2022. When they’re not binge reading an LGBTQ+ YA novel, they work as the Art Director for two alternative newspapers, attend film festivals for their documentary projects, and go on road trips with their fiancé and dog.

AIDEN IS SEEKING:

ABOUT THE AGENT:

Shelly Romero began her publishing career in 2017 at Scholastic where she rose up the ranks from editorial assistant to associate editor, where she acquired her own titles and assisted on series publishing for The Bad Guys and Goosebumps. She later joined Cake Creative as Lead Editor and she was most recently a freelance editor. She graduated from Stephens College with a bachelor’s degree in English and attended the 2017 NYU Summer Publishing Institute. Shelly was selected as a 2020 Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree and is a member of Latinx in Publishing & People of Color in Publishing. Born and raised in Miami by Honduran parents, she now resides in New York City where she might be found at a movie theatre viewing the latest release from her Letterboxd watchlist.

SHELLY IS SEEKING:

I understand why people don’t get enthusiastic about platform building. Writers want to—shocker--write, and then (maybe) spend time talking about their writing journey. But building a blog? Tweeting? Volunteering to be a guest contributor to local radio stations all in the hopes of impressing literary agents?

“If I did that, I wouldn’t have time to write!” is something I hear writers often say. BUT…
Building your writer platform means increasing your visibility, reach and network in the marketplace. It means creating channels through which you have the ability to sell books. The planks of platform include a successful blog, social media, article writing, public speaking, and more. In today’s publishing environment, nonfiction authors need platform to get the attention of publishers, whereas fiction authors simply want platform, as it will increase their value.

While creating a platform is not something writers generally get excited about in the morning (“Today, I’m gonna build my platform! I’M SO HAPPY!!!!”), I often tell people that there are definite upsides to the endeavor.
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Here are 5 off the top of my head:

The longer days of spring are here, bringing new creativity and inspiration. What are you going to write? What are you going to pitch to agents, publishers, and contests? What are you going to read? What social media platforms will be you involved in? So many possibilities!

If you're feeling gung-ho and motivated , consider one of our 2025 writers conferences. We are planning many around the country and also online (where anyone can join from anywhere). See below the graphic in this post for our official list of events from March through July 2025. Our events have almost 150 success stories of writers who signed with agents following meeting them at an event. That's the best proof we can offer.

ABOUT THE AGENT:

Emma Fulenwider is a literary agent with Wordserve Literary.

She likes working with thought leaders called to contribute their respectful insights into the problems we’re facing, and the ones we’re avoiding. 

She is a book junkie. From reading with a flashlight under the covers at the age of seven, her lifelong friendship with books has accumulated a Journalism degree at Cal Poly, a print magazine with Best Version Media, and a literary press with the Birren Center for Guided Autobiography. She believes that writing is a form of self-care, publishing is about serving others, and yes, you have to have a platform. A lay counselor and TEDx speaker, she brings a wealth of enthusiasm and energy to her role as a literary agent.
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Emma lives in California where she writes and reads and conspires with her husband to raise the two goofiest kids on Earth with the help of their mini Australian shepherd. Her greyhound is no help at all.

EMMA IS SEEKING: