Ksenia Tserkovskaya is a trilingual literary agent at The Deborah Harris Agency whose scholarly background in Jewish Studies, hands-on translation career, and deep roots in Israeli and Russian publishing make her a singular bridge between English, Hebrew, and Russian literary worlds.
In brief
Ksenia is one of very few literary agents who actively works across English, Hebrew, and Russian — writers with cross-cultural or multilingual manuscripts have a rare, highly specific advocate here.
Her background is unusually hands-on: 13 published translations of children's and MG titles, acquisitions management at a major Russian Jewish publishing house, and a year at Israel's premier Hebrew translation institute — she understands the full lifecycle of a book from manuscript to foreign rights.
The Deborah Harris Agency is Israel's most prominent literary agency, best known internationally for handling Hebrew literature in translation; Ksenia's English-language fiction and nonfiction acquisitions represent an outward-facing, internationally oriented wing of the agency.
Her stated fiction interests span a wide corridor — literary, commercial, historical, eco-fiction, family saga, YA, and children's — but her professional formation is most deeply literary and culturally specific, suggesting she gravitates toward work with intellectual weight and cross-cultural resonance.
Query status is unverified; the most current available guidance is to submit by email with a query letter, brief synopsis, bio, contact details, and the first two chapters or up to fifty pages as a Word attachment.
Lately
Ksenia's agency profile establishes that she works with manuscripts in three languages — English, Russian, and Hebrew — and is based in Israel, positioning her squarely within the international literary ecosystem rather than the US-centric mainstream agency world.
What Ksenia is looking for
This is the core of Ksenia's list and aligns most closely with her formation as a translator, editor, and scholar of literature. She is drawn to work with genuine literary ambition — prose that rewards close attention. Given her trilingual background and ties to Israeli and Russian publishing, narratives with cross-cultural, diasporic, or historically layered dimensions are a natural fit, though no such requirement is stated.
She welcomes commercial fiction, including contemporary and family saga. The commercial end of her list is likely to overlap with literary sensibility — think character-driven, emotionally intelligent storytelling rather than pure plot-driven genre fare.
Historical fiction is explicitly listed. Her academic grounding in Jewish Studies and her professional experience suggest particular receptivity to work set in Eastern European, Russian, or Middle Eastern historical contexts, though this is inference from her background rather than a stated preference.
Eco-fiction appears as a named interest — an increasingly sought-after space where literary and speculative sensibilities meet environmental themes. Writers working at the intersection of place, nature, and narrative consequence should take note.
YA is listed among her fiction interests. No specific sub-genre is highlighted; the most natural fit given her taste profile would be YA with literary voice, cultural or historical grounding, or coming-of-age stories with emotional depth.
Ksenia is open to children's books, including picture books, but describes this as 'occasional' — meaning it is not a primary focus and the bar is high. Her 13 published translations of children's and MG titles give her genuine expertise here. Writers querying in this space should have a strong hook and a clear sense of why this book is exceptional.
Nonfiction is a named and clearly developed interest. Biography, history, memoir, and narrative journalism all fall within her scope. Her scholarly background and experience in a publishing house that specialized in Jewish cultural and literary heritage suggest she brings real editorial depth to nonfiction with intellectual, historical, or personal-testimony dimensions.
Not the right fit
On Ksenia's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Ksenia
Email ksenia@dhliterary.com directly — this is a personal inbox, not a form system, so a professionally composed, concise query letter matters more than ever.
Attach your first two chapters (or up to fifty pages) as a Word document from the outset; she asks for this upfront, so do not send a bare query and wait to be asked.
Include a brief but specific biographical note — given her background in translation, publishing, and academia, professional or scholarly credentials relevant to the book's subject will register.
If your work exists at a cultural or linguistic crossroads — involving Russian, Israeli, Jewish, or Eastern European settings or themes — make that explicit early in the query; it is directly relevant to her expertise and the agency's core strengths.
For nonfiction, lead with the intellectual or narrative argument of the book, not just the topic. Her scholarly formation means she will respond to a clearly articulated thesis as much as a compelling story.
If querying a children's book, make a strong case for what makes it exceptional — she describes children's as 'occasional,' meaning the bar is meaningfully higher than for her other categories.
Confirm her current query status before sending — no verified open/closed window is available, and her email-based system means a quick check of the agency website is the safest step.