 In this interview, Victoria Harris answers questions about being an agent... and more!
Victoria Harris joined The Caldwell Agency in 2025. Before that, they worked in the editorial side of the publishing industry for over 6 years. Victoria earned an MFA in Fiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. In their downtime, they like to write (current work in progress: a novel about queer love) and perform with their indie band (Late Stage Dirtbags). They live in Southern California with their wife, one of their best friends, and their one-eyed chihuahua, Bug.  We asked Emma Fulenwider some questions and she answered! Keep reading to see if she's your dream agent.
Emma Fulenwider is a literary agent with Wordserve Literary Agency. 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 new role as a literary agent. Emma likes working with thought leaders called to contribute their respectful insights into the problems we’re facing, and the ones we’re avoiding. She’s looking for adult nonfiction books that are nerdy, helpful, and true. 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.  We asked Sherri Johnson some questions and she answered! Keep reading to see if she's your dream agent. Sherri Wilson Johnson is a literary agent with Gardner Literary, where she draws on more than a decade of experience as a virtual assistant supporting authors, publishers, and industry professionals.
An author of fourteen novels, Sherri understands the publishing journey from both sides of the desk and brings that experience to her work as an agent. She lives in Georgia with her husband and enjoys puzzles, the beach, and time with friends and family.  We asked Tommy Dean some questions and he answered! Keep reading to see if he's your dream agent.
Tommy Dean is an associate literary agent with Rosecliff Literary, the author of two flash fiction chapbooks, Special Like the People on TV (Redbird Chapbooks, 2014) and Covenants (ELJ Editions, 2021), and a full flash collection, Hollows (Alternating Current Press, 2022). He lives in Indiana, where he is currently the editor of Fractured Lit and Uncharted Magazine. A recipient of the 2019 Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction, his writing can be found in Best Microfiction 2019, 2020, 2023, Best Small Fiction 2019 and 2022, Monkeybicycle, Moon City Press, and numerous other litmags. His interviews have been previously published in New Flash Fiction Review, The Rumpus, CRAFT Literary, and The Town Crier (The Puritan). He has taught writing workshops for the Gotham Writers Workshop, the Barrelhouse Conversations and Connections conference, and The Writers Workshop.  We asked Frannie Dove some questions and she answered! Keep reading to see if she's your dream agent. Frannie Dove is a literary agent with The Caldwell Agency. Previously, she represented historians and historical fiction authors as a co-agent at a boutique literary agency. She also interned with Creative Media Agency, Inc.. while pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing Fiction. Frannie also supported programming and operations for public health professionals and scientists at a university.
As an agent, Frannie is especially eager to represent authors who explore the margins of history books, both in fact and fiction. She is the secretary of the Young Publishers Association (YPA). As an author, Frannie writes historical fiction. She can be found browsing old newspapers or spouting historical knowledge at random. Her short stories have been published in North American Review and Berkeley Fiction Review, and her children’s plays are available in The Drama Notebook.  We asked Hailey Stephens some questions, and she answered! Keep reading to see if she's your dream agent. Hailey Stephens is an avid reader, writer, and copyeditor with a bachelor's degree in English-Writing from Illinois Wesleyan University, as well as a master's in Writing and Publishing from DePaul University.
From learning about unscripted television as a Development/Casting intern at Crybaby Media, to first becoming a part of the agenting world at ArtHouse Literary Agency, Hailey has and continues to put everything she has into her work and education and hopes to continue putting that energy into the literary world for years to come. Now agenting at Rosecliff Literary, Hailey is especially interested in uplifting diverse artists from rural communities that may be overlooked by such a metropolis-based industry. While Hailey's personal reading tastes include almost everything (she currently favors romance, literary fiction, and creative memoirs), her writing is focused on both creative nonfiction and psychological/supernatural horror. When not reading or writing, Hailey enjoys exploring her many hobbies. She's a baker, hiker, puzzler, gamer (board games, card games, D&D, video games-she's open to it all!), cross-stitcher, and so much more.  Check out this Q&A to see if Lee's your dream agent!
Lee Melillo (they/she) joined Dunham Literary, Inc. in May 2024 as Jennie Dunham’s assistant, following an internship with Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret LLC. She was made an Associate Literary Agent in June 2025. Lee additionally manages the agency’s social media and website, is a second-reader for queries, handles royalty statements and permissions, and assists on preparing submissions. Lee graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University in 2022, with departmental honors in English and Theatre Directing. Through her majors, Lee discovered her passion for advocating for writers. She believes literature is one of the most effective ways to gain empathy for and understanding of life experiences outside our own. Originally from New Haven, Lee now resides in Queens with her cats/office assistants, Meatloaf and Muffin Man. Lee maintains her love of theatre as the Executive Artistic Director of Personal Pizza Party, an indie production company, and by performing full renditions of musical theatre classics on the glorious stage also known as her shower. You can find Lee on Instagram and Bluesky at @leemelillobooks.  Jessica Berg is a literary agent, author, and founder of Rosecliff Literary. She represents voice-forward, high-concept fiction and nonfiction. A multi-nominated writer with an MFA from Spalding University, she contributes to Writer’s Digest, and teaches nationally on navigating effective querying, comp titles, and building submission-ready books. Jessica is represented by Amy Collins of Talcott Notch.
We asked Jessica some questions, and she answered! Keep reading to see if she's your dream agent. Short story collections are underrepresented among literary agents, making it harder for beginning (and even established) writers to make their way into this market. Some writers begin submitting stand-alone short stories to literary magazines, or combine them to form collections, but nevertheless, may find it difficult to emerge in the publishing world and/or find success in submitting to prestigious magazines. Publishing houses sometimes hesitate to accept short story collections due to the fact that they are often harder to market and sell, as opposed to novels. Because short story collections are a difficult sell to agents, I wanted to interview agents who represent collections, to share their insight with writers on how to succeed with the short story form, as well as shed light on what they personally look for in submissions. The wonderful agents who agreed to this interview include:
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