Allison Hellegers is a Senior Literary Agent and Foreign Rights Director at Stimola Literary Studio who hunts high-concept, emotionally resonant fiction and urgent nonfiction across all age categories, with a particular eye toward film/TV potential and international translation appeal.
In brief
Her deal record confirms genuine breadth — picture books through adult, fiction through nonfiction — but her strongest documented client relationships cluster in YA and middle grade, where she represents award-winning and bestselling authors across both literary and commercial registers.
Her co-agenting pipeline (international, British, and Australian clients placed into North America) gives her unusually deep relationships with foreign publishers and is a dimension most agents at comparable agencies simply don't have — a real selling edge for projects with global appeal.
She explicitly flags nonfiction as the area she most wants to grow, making this a rare opening: strong platform-driven nonfiction and memoir pitches may face less competition on her desk than comparable fiction queries.
Her client roster is notably diverse in identity and geography, and her stated preference for queer and diverse characters appears reflected in practice — not just aspirational language.
She closed to new queries effective December 20, 2025; writers should monitor the Stimola Literary Studio website directly for the reopening date before submitting.
Lately
She announced the closure of her submissions list, effective December 20, 2025, directing writers to watch the Stimola Literary Studio website for news on when she will reopen.
What Allison is looking for
She is actively prioritizing nonfiction growth and is especially drawn to memoirs that carry a larger purpose — personal narratives with genuine heart that simultaneously speak to a broader cultural, social, or human truth. A distinctive authorial voice is non-negotiable.
Journalists, doctors, psychologists, scholars, comedians, and subject-matter experts with established platforms and a talent for accessible storytelling are a priority. Topics spanning pop culture, health and wellness, history, psychology, philosophy, and social impact are all welcome — the key is urgency and a fresh angle that shifts how readers understand the world.
She welcomes contemporary adult fiction but sets a high bar: voice and pitch must be exceptional to stand out. She favors work with emotional depth and something genuinely distinctive to say.
Genre fiction for adults is an area she actively wants to expand. Gothic atmosphere, horror with stakes, historical fiction, speculative and dystopian work, grounded sci-fi, and unexpected genre hybrids all interest her. Series potential is a significant plus, and she is drawn to projects with clear film or TV crossover appeal.
YA is one of her most established categories by deal record. She wants a big, hooky premise paired with a strong, unmistakable voice and something that genuinely challenges convention. Genre YA — gothic, horror, fantasy, historical, speculative — excites her alongside contemporary. Queer and diverse characters are always a plus. Series potential matters.
Middle grade is a self-described favorite. She gravitates toward a classic, literary voice balanced with humor and heart, and welcomes a touch of magical realism. ALA Notable and acclaimed literary MG are well within her wheelhouse.
She represents a small number of graphic novel clients at the YA and MG level, demonstrating genuine engagement with the format rather than token interest.
She represents a very select few picture book clients and appears to focus on author-illustrators or illustrator-driven projects. Her current client list in this category includes an Ezra Jack Keats honor winner and a Horn Book award winner. Writers-only picture book submissions are unlikely to be her priority; author-illustrators or projects with exceptional distinction should query cautiously and confirm her current appetite before submitting.
For the first time she is explicitly opening her list to self-published authors with proven readerships who want to explore traditional publishing. This applies across the fiction and nonfiction categories she already seeks — the prerequisite is a demonstrated audience, not just a finished book.
Not the right fit
On Allison's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Allison
She is closed to new queries as of December 20, 2025 — do not submit until she announces reopening on the Stimola Literary Studio website.
When she reopens, fiction queries (all ages) require a query letter plus the first 10 pages pasted directly into the email body — no attachments for the sample pages.
Nonfiction queries (all ages) require a query letter only at the initial stage — do not include sample pages unless specifically requested.
Lead with your hook: she describes herself as 'pulled in first by a high-concept pitch or irresistible idea,' so the logline or premise should be the first thing she reads, not background about yourself.
If you have a strong platform — social following, journalism credits, credentials, a proven self-published readership — lead with it. She actively seeks authors she finds through their existing public presence and platform signals matter enormously for her nonfiction list.
Emphasize film/TV or international translation potential where genuine: her dual role as Rights Director means she is reading with those markets actively in mind, and a project with clear crossover appeal is a stronger pitch to her than to most agents.
For YA and MG, name your hook first, then voice, then any relevant identity or diversity elements — her wishlist language prioritizes premise and voice above all.
Do not pitch her picture books unless you are an author-illustrator with a project of notable distinction; her PB list is very small and selective.