Jeff Ourvan is a New York-based attorney-turned-agent at Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency who brings deep editorial range to both narrative nonfiction—history, true crime, business, science, biography—and commercial fiction spanning romance, thriller, sci-fi, and YA.
In brief
His confirmed recent deals skew heavily toward nonfiction—specifically narrative business history (the Christopher Knowlton trilogy at Counterpoint), prescriptive/decision-making nonfiction (Tim Bakken at Post Hill Press), and narrative children's nonfiction (Kerrie Hollihan at Abrams Children's)—suggesting that nonfiction writers have the clearest path in right now.
Two of his three most recent confirmed deals are with repeat clients (Knowlton and Hollihan), signaling that he invests long-term in authors and builds publishing careers rather than cherry-picking one-off projects.
His agency's publisher relationships span the full commercial spectrum—Counterpoint, Post Hill Press, Abrams, Knopf, Hachette, PRH, Simon & Schuster, and more—giving him genuine reach across both independent presses and the major houses.
Despite listing romance, rom-com, and sci-fi on his fiction wishlist, the confirmed deal record is nonfiction-dominant; fiction writers should query with the understanding that nonfiction is where his recent track record is sharpest.
He explicitly closes the door on middle-grade and YA novels, but YA nonfiction remains on his active wish list—a meaningful distinction writers often miss.
Lately
His agency profile confirms he is actively looking for narrative nonfiction, true crime, prescriptive finance, science, and sports, along with spellbinding mysteries, thrillers, romance, sci-fi, and YA nonfiction. The explicit call-out of 'spellbinding' mysteries and detective stories suggests he wants commercial page-turners, not cozy or literary-quiet crime.
What Jeff is looking for
Business history, American history, and sweeping narrative nonfiction are at the core of his recent output. He has placed multiple books in a single author's business-history trilogy, so he welcomes ambitious, long-arc nonfiction projects. Strongly prefers work grounded in primary research with a propulsive, story-driven structure.
Consistently names true crime as a top priority. He gravitates toward narrative-forward projects that illuminate systemic issues or untold stories rather than sensation-first crime writing.
Strong track record placing biography, especially lives tied to larger historical or cultural movements. Recent deals include a biography-driven children's nonfiction work about a suffrage-era philanthropist, suggesting appeal for both adult and children's biography.
Actively seeks prescriptive finance and business books with a strong conceptual hook. His most recent August 2026 deal is a decision-making framework book built on life-or-death narratives—the sweet spot appears to be prescriptive content delivered through compelling real-world storytelling rather than dry how-to format.
Science nonfiction is an explicitly listed area of interest, likely overlapping with his background as a geologist. Narrative-driven science writing that translates complex material for a general readership would align best with his track record.
Sports nonfiction is a recurring interest across his wishlist materials. He does not specify a preferred sport or format, but his overall nonfiction sensibility suggests narrative or investigative sports writing over instructional content.
Seeks spellbinding mysteries and detective stories alongside thrillers. He describes wanting the kind of page-turning tension that makes these categories irresistible. This is his most active fiction interest based on stated wishlist emphasis.
Romance and romantic comedy appear on his fiction list. Given that the confirmed deal record is nonfiction-heavy, writers in this category should query with a polished, market-ready manuscript and clear commercial positioning.
He welcomes historical fiction, general commercial fiction, and science fiction, but these categories appear secondary to nonfiction in terms of demonstrated sales. Sci-fi and historical fiction writers should emphasize strong narrative voice and commercial hooks.
YA nonfiction is explicitly included in his active interests. Note carefully: he does NOT want YA novels—the distinction between YA nonfiction (welcome) and YA fiction (not sought) is explicit and important.
His deal record includes children's narrative nonfiction placed at Abrams Children's, suggesting genuine capability in this space. However, this category is not foregrounded in his stated wishlist—query selectively if the project has strong narrative nonfiction credentials.
Not the right fit
On Jeff's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Jeff
Address the query directly to Jeff Ourvan — his agency page specifies that queries for his personal representation should come to him directly, not through a general agency inbox.
Lead with the category and hook: he handles a broad range, so quickly establishing whether your project is narrative nonfiction, prescriptive nonfiction, thriller, romance, etc. helps him evaluate fit immediately.
For nonfiction, demonstrate your platform and credentials upfront — his recent deals involve a law professor (Bakken) and a credentialed business historian (Knowlton), signaling that he values expertise-driven authors.
For fiction (thriller, mystery, romance, sci-fi), emphasize commercial appeal and narrative momentum. He describes wanting 'spellbinding' mysteries and detective stories — show don't tell: let your pitch demonstrate the hook.
Do NOT query him about middle-grade novels or YA novels. YA nonfiction is explicitly welcome; make that distinction clear in your subject line or opening sentence if you're pitching YA-oriented nonfiction.
If you have a multi-book narrative nonfiction concept or an ongoing series, mention it — his deal record shows he is comfortable championing authors across multiple books and long-arc projects.
His background as an attorney, geologist, magazine editor, and writing instructor spans an unusually wide range; don't shy away from technically demanding or interdisciplinary nonfiction, but be sure the narrative layer is strong.
Verify current query status and any specific submission requirements (sample pages, synopsis, etc.) via his live agency contact page before sending, as requirements may be updated.