Kate Moody is an Assistant Agent at Transatlantic Literary Agency (Toronto) who champions dark, psychologically complex fiction and platform-driven narrative nonfiction — hunting equally for the next gripping thriller and the next landmark true crime or memoir.
In brief
Her wishlist spans two clear pillars: commercial fiction skewing dark and twisty (thrillers, psychological thrillers, family sagas) and narrative nonfiction with a journalistic backbone (true crime, memoir, current affairs, sports) — and her favorite titles confirm she takes both pillars seriously.
Her stated touchstones — Karin Slaughter, Lisa Jewell, Kate Elizabeth Russell for fiction; David Grann, Erik Larson, Jon Krakauer, Ann Rule for nonfiction — reveal a consistent appetite for literary-leaning commercial work that earns both critical respect and wide readership.
She explicitly prizes multi-POV execution and genre-bending above formula, meaning a well-constructed structural hook can matter as much as the concept itself in your pitch.
As a relatively newer agent building her list, she is actively seeking debut and emerging voices — writers with exceptional prose can overcome a limited platform, which is a meaningful opening for unagented debut talent.
The Moody Family Foundation (est. 2023) signals genuine personal investment in literacy and education — a writer whose work intersects with those themes may find a natural point of connection.
Lately
Her agency profile describes her as actively seeking fresh, compelling voices across both fiction and nonfiction, with a particular emphasis on authors who can bend genre conventions and manage multi-POV structures with precision — signaling she values craft and structure above formula.
What Kate is looking for
This is the clearest priority on her list. She wants fiction that is genuinely dark, structurally twisty, and psychologically complex — not just genre-coded but executed with precision. Multi-POV and multiple-timeline structures are a plus, not a gimmick, when handled with care. She is drawn to work in the tradition of writers like Karin Slaughter, Lisa Jewell, and Kate Elizabeth Russell.
She responds to commercial adult fiction with literary sensibility — the kind that drives book-club conversation without sacrificing plot momentum. Family sagas, morally complex characters, and emotionally resonant stakes are recurring themes in her favorite titles. Work that sits between literary and commercial is actively welcomed.
On the nonfiction side, true crime is a core focus. She gravitates toward deeply reported, narrative-driven work with the rigor of investigative journalism and the readability of popular history. Think less procedural, more immersive — stories told with a strong authorial perspective. Platform matters here, though exceptional writing can compensate.
She seeks memoir that goes beyond personal story to illuminate something universal — cultural, social, or psychological. Voices shaped by extraordinary circumstances or underrepresented experiences are of particular interest. Prose quality is paramount; platform is valued but not always required when the writing is exceptional.
Big-idea nonfiction with journalistic rigor — pop psychology, politics, current events, sports narrative, pop history — rounds out her nonfiction list. Writers with established platforms (journalism, broadcasting, public intellectuals) are given priority here, though the work must stand on its own terms.
Historical fiction appears in her favorites and her sub-genre tags, particularly when it shares the emotional weight and moral complexity of her other preferred fiction. It is welcomed as part of a broader commercial or book-club fiction submission rather than as a standalone category priority.
Not the right fit
On Kate's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Kate
Address her by name and personalize your opening — she is building a list and responds to writers who have clearly read what she represents, not mass-queried.
Lead with genre and word count in the first sentence; she handles both fiction and nonfiction, so make your category unmistakable immediately.
For thrillers and psychological fiction, name your structural hook upfront: multi-POV? multiple timelines? unreliable narrator? She has signaled these devices excite her when executed well.
For nonfiction, state your platform credentials early — journalism credits, public profile, institutional affiliation — but if your platform is limited, let your writing do the talking and acknowledge it directly.
Comp strategically: she named specific authors (Karin Slaughter, Lisa Jewell, Ann Patchett, David Grann, Jon Krakauer) — if your work genuinely sits in that tradition, say so and explain why. A well-chosen comp shows you understand her taste.
Her TV/film interests (Bad Sisters, White Lotus, Baby Reindeer, Normal People, Criminal Minds) suggest she responds to dark emotional tension, ensemble casts, and morally ambiguous characters — if those qualities define your book, say so.
Given a cached source previously showed her as closed, always verify the live submission status on the Transatlantic Literary Agency website before sending your query.
Keep your query letter to one page: a tight hook paragraph, a brief synopsis, and a concise author bio. Attach or paste the first pages as directed in current submission guidelines.