 Tamara joined DeFiore and Company in 2022. She started her career with internships at Macmillan and Writers House, then worked at ICM for five years. Tamara represents writer and illustrator clients in both the children’s and adult markets, with a particular focus on talented LGBTQ+ and BIPOC storytellers.
She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Princeton University and an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia University. She is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents, and serves on the board of the nonprofit organization Literary Agents of Change, where she co-directs a mentorship program for early career agents from underrepresented backgrounds. TAMARA IS SEEKING:  Plenty of times, writers come up with an idea for a novel that could translate visually to film. The good news is that if you want to see your manuscript converted into a screenplay, there are two different routes that would make an adaptation possible.
Most books that get released by a major publisher or are repped by an established agency get passed to an agent who tries to drum up interest in film/TV rights for a project. This makes total sense. A writer creates a good story, so the obvious goal is to sell it through every means possible, be that print books, e-books, foreign rights translations, serial excerpts, audio books, or, yes, movies/TV. If your new book-to-film agent (usually brought onboard by your book agent) can generate adaptation interest from producers, your work gets bought/optioned by Hollywood, and you’re off and running. This exact thing happened to my humor book, How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack. Sony optioned the book and hired a screenwriter to adapt the work. But what if you want to see your work adapted into a screenplay, but are either indie-publishing it or the work hasn’t sold yet? The obvious option is to... ADAPT IT YOURSELF: 7 IMPORTANT TIPS FOR BEGINNERS  ABOUT THE AGENT:
Lexie Krauss joined Marsal Lyon after interning at Laura Dail Literary Agency. She was born and raised in the wilds of Northern California and graduated from Mills College with a degree in English/Creative Writing. When she isn’t reading manuscripts, she’s keeping her finger on the pulse of the market as a bookseller. LEXIE IS SEEKING: The long, hot days of summer bring 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:
Jessica Larios-Zarate of Wave Literary is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley where she earned a B.A. in English. She was part of the Writers House Mentor Initiative, and worked with literary agencies including Creative Media Agency and Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Based in Northern California, Jessica’s favorite pastime is watching the fog roll down the coastal mountains. She is passionate about uplifting stories by authors with marginalized voices and intersectional identities. JESSICA 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:
Renee joined the Spencerhill team in 2025. A South Florida native, she earned her B.A. in English from the University of Florida in 2021 before moving to Boston, where she completed both an M.A. in Children’s Literature and an M.F.A. in Writing for Children from Simmons University in 2024. During grad school, she interned at Red Fox Literary and served as Graduate Fellow for The Horn Book during its centennial year, then spent a year as an assistant at Spencerhill. Her academic research background uniquely equips her to advocate for books that not only resonate with readers but also contribute meaningfully to the broader conversation about the evolution of the children’s literature field. A lover of anthropomorphic characters, she dreams of repping the next blockbuster animal novel or series. Her favorite feeling is being moved to tears by a book’s last chapter. When not reading, Renee enjoys blasting music, playing with her pets, volunteering for her favorite causes, and collecting all kinds of ephemera. Find her on Twitter at @rrreadsbooks, BlueSky at @reneerunge.bsky.social and on Instagram at @reneerungelit. RENEE IS SEEKING:  Knowing where to start your novel can be one of the biggest challenges of writing. You want to start with action, but if there's too much action and not enough character development, the reader isn't going to want to stick with the main character's story. And how much of the setting do you need to lay out before the main character takes action?
The best place to begin a novel is at the point where everything changes (or is about to change) for the main character. However, you also have to give yourself enough time to establish what is normal for your main character so the reader appreciates the moment of change. So, when should the inciting event take place?  ABOUT THE AGENT:
Mina Hamedi grew up in Istanbul, Turkey before moving to New York in 2010. She received her BA in Nonfiction and Global Identity from NYU’s Gallatin School and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Columbia University. Mina began her career in publishing at David Black Literary Agency and Writers House. She joined Janklow & Nesbit in 2018 where she supports co-founder Lynn Nesbit and her various authors including Andre Aciman, Robert Caro, Ronan Farrow, Andrew Sean Greer, Anand Giridharadas, and Maaza Mengiste, as well as the estates of Joan Didion, Shirley Hazzard, Anne Rice, and Tom Wolfe. Mina lives in New York with her two Turkish street cats, Saffron and Lemon. She is a member of the American Association of Literary Agents (AALA). MINA IS SEEKING:  ABOUT THE AGENT:
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: |
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