 Olivia Emerick is a Literary Assistant at Metamorphosis Literary Agency. A Boston College graduate with a B.A in English and Classics, she has always had her nose in a book. Her experience working at literary magazines and participating in the behind-the-scenes work of theatre productions has led Olivia to believe in collaboration, communication, and stories that speak to the human soul. As a writer herself, Olivia is passionate about advancing authors' careers while respecting their artistic visions. When she is not working or cozied up with a book, she enjoys writing poetry and attending local theatre productions. What do you love most about agenting? I love the feeling of finding a manuscript I'm passionate about and expressing my interest to the author. I get such a thrill connecting to a manuscript and bonding with an author about something they've poured their heart into. It's such a magical moment. What do you wish querying writers knew? I wish more querying writers knew to keep their manuscript summary succinct, compelling, and specific. Summaries should focus on concrete details about the main character, the story's conflict, and the stakes, rather than summarizing the entire book, introducing too many side characters, or giving away the ending. Most importantly, a summary needs a compelling hook and an ending that leaves me wanting more and makes me excited to read the sample pages! What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever heard? The best writing advice I can give is to read. Maintain your reading habits and read aloud your work throughout the editing process. I often find that readers make the best writers. Describe your dream client. My dream client is someone who is dedicated to and passionate about their craft, and who is excited to collaborate. What interests or hobbies do you have that you’d love to see in a book? For years, I've been writing poetry, gardening, and participating in the behind-the-scenes processes of theatre productions. I'm also fascinated by chess, video games, and translation. I would love to see these elements in a book, and I'm always on the lookout for books whose characters have unique and niche hobbies, interests, and careers. What book or author made you fall in love with reading? I fell in love with reading from the moment I read my first book, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Although I was quite young, I knew I was enthralled by the act of writing and the way humanity is represented with each word. What author would you love to have dinner with? I would love to have dinner with Mary Shelley! Her work was truly groundbreaking, revolutionizing Gothic literature and inventing the science fiction genre, and her lasting cultural impact is one of a kind. I'd love to pick her brain about her writing process and experience as a female author. What do you believe is your strength as an agent? I'm an agent but also a poet! As a poet, I've been through the editing process, which has allowed me to understand writers' perspectives, how scary it can be to put yourself and your work into the world, open to judgment. As such, one of my priorities as an agent is to effectively collaborate with authors while respecting their artistic visions. OLIVIA IS SEEKING: Olivia is looking to represent commercial fiction for young adult and adult audiences in the romance, fantasy, mythology, dark academia, horror, thriller, and dystopian genres. Across the board, Olivia is looking for genre-blending manuscripts with organic character development, nuanced relationships, subtle foreshadowing, well-revealed exposition, and the subversion of well-known tropes. Olivia is especially interested in working with neurodivergent and disabled authors. HOW TO QUERY: Query Olivia through Query Tracker: https://querytracker.net/query/oliviaemerick.  This post was complied by Brandy Vallance, a literary agent with Barbara Bova Literary Agency, an award-winning author, and a Story Consultant for Writing Day Workshops. Brandy is the winner of two national writing awards, one of which included a $20,000 prize. Her novel, THE COVERED DEEP, has been featured in USA Today & Writer’s Digest. WITHIN THE VEIL has been called “passionate and riveting” and Publisher’s Weekly encourages those who like sweeping Scottish sagas to dive in because “the journey is wonderful.” Brandy loves helping writers break the chains of fear and self-doubt. You can find out more at brandyvallance.com.  Attend a Writers Conference in 2026:
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