Eva Oakes is a Toronto-based associate agent at Transatlantic Literary Agency building a debut-forward list of upmarket and literary fiction plus narrative nonfiction, with a gravitational pull toward distinctive voice, family sagas, and stories from marginalized communities.
In brief
Eva Oakes joined Transatlantic as an editorial and agent assistant to agency president Samantha Haywood before becoming an associate agent in 2024 — a pedigree that signals strong editorial sensibility and institutional backing.
Their stated taste skews literary but commercially minded: the touchstone reads (The Bee Sting, Big Swiss, The Long Island Compromise) are all upmarket book-club titles with sharp wit and psychological depth, not purely experimental fiction.
The wishlist explicitly welcomes LGBTQ+ and BIPOC narratives, queer stories, and underrepresented voices — this is a consistent through-line, not a checkbox.
Eva does not represent any children's, middle-grade, or YA work — adult fiction and nonfiction only.
As a list still being actively built, Eva Oakes represents a genuine opportunity for debut writers: the agent is seeking new clients rather than consolidating an established roster.
Lately
Eva's agency profile positions them as actively building a list, with a stated openness to all queries — an unusually direct signal from an agent who has been taking on new clients since moving into the associate agent role in 2024.
What Eva is looking for
This is Eva's core territory. They want adult fiction that sits at the intersection of the literary and the commercial — books with a strong, memorable narrative voice, psychological and emotional depth, and enough propulsion to drive book-club conversation. Think character-driven stories with layered interiority, a palpable sense of place, and prose that rewards close reading without sacrificing readability. Realist stories with a tinge of absurdity or the quietly strange are particularly welcome.
Eva explicitly names rich, layered family sagas as a priority. These are stories that trace inheritance — of trauma, of love, of culture — across generations, rendered with emotional specificity. The model here is literary breadth married to intimate character focus.
Queer stories appear both in the fiction and nonfiction wish lists, and the TV/film reference list (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Fleabag) reinforces this as a genuine passion, not a courtesy nod. Eva wants queer narratives that are fully realized — not issue-driven but character- and voice-driven.
Eva actively seeks fiction and nonfiction from writers belonging to marginalized communities and those writing into underrepresented identities. This is a stated priority across both fiction and nonfiction categories.
Eva is open to speculative or magically real elements when they serve a fundamentally literary, character-driven story — sometimes described as 'weird fiction' or 'literary crossover.' This is not the place for high-concept genre fantasy or science fiction; the speculative must function as atmosphere or metaphor within a realist framework.
Short story collections appear on the fiction list. Given the overall taste profile — strong voice, tonal range, wit and warmth — collections that showcase a distinctive authorial sensibility across varied pieces are most likely to resonate.
Eva seeks nonfiction with the same qualities they prize in fiction: compelling voice, a strong sense of place, and layered storytelling. Priority areas include cultural criticism, biography and memoir-adjacent work, investigative journalism, pop culture analysis, current events, and environmentally themed nonfiction. The framing 'dark topics with a light touch' is a useful guide — Eva is drawn to weighty subjects made accessible through humor, warmth, or elegance of prose.
Not the right fit
On Eva's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Eva
Send queries to eva@transatlanticagency.com with 'Query: [Title]' in the subject line — this format is explicitly required, so follow it exactly.
Embed a cover letter plus up to 20 pages of sample text (your excerpt or first chapter) directly in the body of the email — do not attach as a separate file.
Lead your cover letter with voice: Eva has singled out memorable narrative voice as a top priority, so a query letter that reflects the distinctive tone of your manuscript will do more work than a pure plot summary.
Lean into specificity about place and community — Eva prizes a strong sense of atmosphere and stories rooted in particular cultural contexts, especially from underrepresented or marginalized communities.
If your book sits at the intersection of dark and funny, say so plainly. The phrase 'dark topics with a light touch' is Eva's own framing — if your manuscript fits, use that language or close equivalents to signal alignment.
Match your comps to the taste profile: upmarket literary fiction with cultural specificity (family sagas, queer narratives, BIPOC stories) is the sweet spot. Genre fantasy, YA, or children's books should not be submitted.
Eva is an associate agent actively building a list, which generally means more openness to debut writers than an agent at capacity — frame your query with confidence, not apology.
Verify the live query status at the Transatlantic Literary Agency website before submitting, as status can change after the last observed date.