A nonfiction-first agent and foreign rights manager at Calligraph Literary Agency who brings seven years of global scouting instincts to bear on journalistic investigations, cultural criticism, memoir, and select literary fiction with an uncanny or gothic edge.
In brief
McGehee arrived at Calligraph in early 2026 as both an agent and foreign rights manager — a dual role that signals she is thinking internationally about every project she takes on, giving clients an unusual built-in advantage in translation markets.
Her seven years as a scout expose her taste more vividly than any wishlist: she helped place work by writers as varied as Nnedi Okorafor (genre-crossing SFF), Melissa Broder (confessional literary fiction), Claire Dederer (cultural criticism/memoir), and Sahil Bloom (self-improvement) — a range that tells you she values voice and market viability over strict category.
Although she describes fiction as a secondary focus, her scouting background skews notably literary: Namwali Serpell, Hannah Lillith Assadi, Aria Aber, and Caro de Robertis all appear in her reference constellation, suggesting her fiction taste runs toward the international, the lyrical, and the formally ambitious.
She is brand-new to agenting and actively building her list — which means she has both the motivation to take on debut writers and the publishing relationships from scouting (Hachette, FSG, and global independents) to make deals quickly.
Her submission instructions are unusually specific: query letter, synopsis, short bio, and 25 pages of sample material all in the body of a single email — no attachments. Getting this wrong may get you filtered out before she reads a word.
Lately
A February 2026 spotlight confirmed McGehee joined Calligraph in early 2026 after seven years as a scout, and is now actively building her list as both agent and foreign rights manager. Her submission preferences — query, synopsis, bio, and 25 sample pages in-body, no attachments — were detailed at that time.
What Jane is looking for
This is the core of what she is building. She wants rigorously reported work with a strong narrative spine — investigations that uncover hidden or suppressed stories, untold histories, and cultural criticism that illuminates how we got here. Writers coming from journalism or long-form editorial backgrounds are a natural fit.
She is drawn to memoir and essay collections that have an unmistakable point of view — not just a compelling story, but a narrator whose way of seeing is itself the argument. LGBTQ+ and feminist perspectives are explicitly welcomed here.
She specifically calls out fresh angles on music, art, and pop culture — meaning she is not looking for standard fan appreciation, but for work that uses culture as a lens to say something larger about society, history, or identity.
Her interest is specifically in elevated true crime — work that transcends the procedural and engages seriously with questions of justice, power, or psychology. Pure genre true crime without a distinctive literary or analytical dimension is unlikely to excite her.
Her scouting background includes writers like Sahil Bloom, so she has a genuine feel for this space. She appears most interested in work with a fresh or counterintuitive premise rather than retreads of existing frameworks.
She gravitates toward science writing that subverts expectations — unusual entry points, overlooked researchers, or findings that reframe something readers thought they understood. The emphasis is on surprise and narrative rather than survey.
Fiction is secondary but real. She wants evocative prose, characters who linger, and enough narrative momentum to keep readers turning pages. She is drawn to the uncanny and gothic as tonal registers across genres, and she has a stated soft spot for fiction with a sharp edge — dark wit, moral ambiguity, or a destabilizing strangeness. Her scouting constellation (Serpell, Assadi, de Robertis, Okorafor) suggests a particular appetite for international sensibilities and formally adventurous work.
She calls these out explicitly as areas of keen interest across both fiction and nonfiction. This is a thematic orientation rather than a standalone category — it can apply to memoir, cultural criticism, fiction, or investigative work.
Not the right fit
On Jane's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Jane
Email [email protected] directly — include her name, your title, and the genre in the subject line (e.g. 'Attn: Jane McGehee — THE BOOK TITLE — Narrative Nonfiction').
Paste everything into the body of the email: query letter, brief synopsis, short author bio, and the first 25 pages of your manuscript. She has stated explicitly that she will not open attachments.
Because she is a brand-new agent building her list from scratch, she has strong motivation to find debut and emerging authors — don't be discouraged if you lack prior credits, provided the work is strong.
Her scouting background is global: if your work has international resonance — a story that crosses borders, a subject with foreign-rights appeal — mention this. Her dual role as foreign rights manager means she is already thinking about those markets.
Nonfiction writers should lead with the argument or revelation at the heart of the book, not just the subject matter. Her touchstone authors are known for having a distinctive intellectual or cultural angle, not just compelling topics.
For fiction, the cover letter should convey voice and atmosphere as much as plot. Her taste runs toward the uncanny, the gothic, and the formally distinctive — if your novel has any of these qualities, name them explicitly.
She explicitly welcomes LGBTQ+ and feminist narratives — if your work fits, say so directly in your query rather than leaving her to infer it.
She is participating in multiple in-person and online writing workshops throughout 2026, which offers an alternative path to a direct pitch if you prefer a conference setting.