Dana Murphy is a New York–trained, Philadelphia-based literary agent at Trellis Literary Management who hunts for fiction and nonfiction that transforms readers through the force of both story and sentence simultaneously — with a particular gravitational pull toward work that disrupts hegemony and centers community.
In brief
Murphy's client roster skews strongly toward culturally sharp, voice-driven literary fiction and narrative nonfiction — her list is heavily populated by journalists, critics, and essayists, which signals she responds to writers with a distinct public intellectual identity.
Her stated love of language and plot 'moving in equal measure' is borne out on her shelf: she represents writers known for both literary precision and propulsive storytelling, not purely experimental or purely commercial work.
She has built demonstrable commercial muscle: multiple clients have landed New York Times and USA Today bestseller status, plus Book of the Month and Read with Jenna selections — she can sell widely while staying literary.
Her nonfiction taste — journalism, LGBTQ, pop culture, psychology, history — maps closely onto the beats her journalist and critic clients cover, suggesting she is most energized by nonfiction rooted in reporting and cultural analysis rather than memoir-as-primary-genre.
Murphy spent a decade building her list at a prior agency before joining Trellis in 2022, meaning her relationships with editors and her taste are well-formed and consistent — writers pitching her should expect a clear-eyed editorial sensibility, not a newer agent still finding her footing.
Lately
Murphy announced she would be reopening to queries 'next week,' framing it with characteristic self-deprecating humor about how inarticulate she gets when trying to describe her own work — a signal she is actively building her list and returning from a closed period.
What Dana is looking for
Murphy is most engaged by literary fiction that works at the level of both language and plot simultaneously — prose that earns its beauty by also moving the story forward. She gravitates toward work that challenges dominant narratives and foregrounds community and connection. Her favorite non-client authors include Emily St. John Mandel, Grady Hendrix, Emily Henry, Casey McQuiston, and Morgan Rogers — a range that spans literary thriller, horror-inflected dark comedy, romantic comedy, and queer fiction, suggesting she wants literary seriousness without preciousness.
Murphy represents select YA fiction — this is a secondary focus rather than a primary one. Her YA interests appear consistent with her broader aesthetic: voice-forward, culturally grounded work. Writers should be aware this is a curated, not open, appetite.
Given the density of journalists and critics on her client roster, reported nonfiction is clearly a strength of Murphy's list. She is drawn to journalism-rooted books — investigations, cultural histories, and narrative reportage — that bring a writer's distinct critical voice to bear on a subject. Writers with a track record of publication in this space will resonate with her.
Murphy's favorite non-client authors include Shea Serrano and Hanif Abdurraqib — two writers who turned obsessive cultural love into acclaimed books. This signals she is actively seeking nonfiction that takes pop culture seriously as a lens for larger truths, written with wit and intellectual rigor. Pure humor or essay collections without a strong critical spine are less likely to be the right fit.
Murphy lists LGBTQ, psychology, and science among her nonfiction interests. These likely work best when they intersect with her broader priorities: cultural disruption, community-centering, and strong narrative voice. Dry academic or purely clinical approaches are less likely to be the right fit than books with a strong human story or cultural argument at their core.
History is on her list, and her affinity for Mark Kurlansky — known for social histories built around surprising focal objects — suggests she favors narrative, ideas-driven history over traditional political or military biography. A unique entry point and a compelling argument will matter as much as the subject itself.
Not the right fit
On Dana's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Dana
Murphy's own agency page is the authoritative source for her current wishlist and submission guidelines — read it in full before drafting your query letter.
Her list is dense with journalists and cultural critics; if you have a track record of publication in your subject area, lead with it early in the query letter — she clearly values writers who have demonstrated authority in their field.
She has stated she falls in love at the story and sentence level simultaneously. Your query letter and sample pages both need to pull their weight — a strong concept with flat prose is unlikely to land, and vice versa.
Her aesthetic touchstones (Hanif Abdurraqib, Shea Serrano, Emily St. John Mandel, Grady Hendrix, Morgan Rogers) tell you a great deal: she prizes cultural specificity, wit paired with depth, and a perspective that feels genuinely lived-in rather than generically literary.
Her stated mission — work that transforms the reader, disrupts hegemony, and centers community — is not marketing language; it describes her actual list. Be specific in your query about what your book disrupts or centers, not just what it is about.
She had a period of being closed to queries before reopening; always check the live submission form for the most current status before sending.