I joined Sterling Lord Literistic in 2025 after five years at UTA, and represent clients in both fiction and nonfiction. I’m most drawn to literary and upmarket fiction with dark and offbeat humor, gripping narratives, strong commercial hooks, family dynamics, mother-daughter stories, and nuanced female perspectives. I especially love sweeping family dramas, strange and unusual women in strange and unusual circumstances, and books with strong voices. I’m also looking for upmarket thrillers with unique twists (I love a good surprise!), and select rom-coms with distinctive set-ups. I grew up near Salem, MA and have a soft spot for elevated narratives with speculative elements. Stories that aren’t afraid to challenge readers, that highlight characters with messy backstories and hidden depths are always welcome. My taste could also be described as books that would live comfortably on the shelves at McNally Jackson. My nonfiction list is quite small at the moment, and as a result I’m extra selective! I’m looking for narrative nonfiction, true crime, pop culture, and history with a feminist bent. Anything having to do with food is welcome! I’m keen on books like ALL THE LIVING AND THE DEAD by Hayley Campbell, where an author takes readers along for the ride as they dive deep into a phenomena, community, industry, or topic, or memoirs like JELL-O GIRLS by Allie Rowbottom that take a personal story and weave in a larger societal context. Some books I would have loved to work
on
The Wedding People by Alison Espach, Bunny by Mona Awad, The New Me by Halle Butler, Severance by Ling Ma, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Friends & Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan, The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty, Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, Boy Parts by Eliza Clark, and I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid. Things I’m not
looking for
Middle grade and picture books High fantasy and sci-fi Spy novels or anything to do with the CIA/FBI WWII historical fiction Pop psychology Poetry collections Werewolves, fairies, or vampires Submission Guidelines Submissions should be emailed to lily@
Please include
The word “Query” in the subject line A brief synopsis Your bio The first fifteen (15) pages from your novel or book proposal Unfortunately, due to the volume of submissions, I am only able to respond to queries if interested.
li ** @ *,,, Vital Info Website Agent
Fiction
Bookclub, Commercial, Family Saga, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Literary, Magical Realism, Psychological Thriller, Romcom, Speculative, Women’s Fiction, Young Adult
Non-Fiction
Humor, LGBTQ, Pop Culture, True Crime, Witches/Witchcraft
Favorite sub-genres
Adult Horror, Art history, BIPOC, Book Club, Climate Fiction, Commercial and Literary, Dark Humor, Family Drama, Female Friendships, Feminist Horror, Food Writing, Gothic, Immigrant Experiences, LGBTQ+ rom coms, Literary Crossover, Literary Fiction, Literary Horror, Literary Thriller, Magical Realism, Multigenerational, Nature Writing, Romantic Comedy, Smart Beach Reads, Speculative Fiction, Thriller, Underrepresented Voices, Upmarket Fiction, Upmarket YA, YA Thrillers I’d like the next… Lily King, Mona Awad, Eliza Clark, Julia Armfield, Maggie Shipstead, Halle Butler, Melissa Broder, Jenny Lawson, or Kevin Wilson. Moving writing with strong plots and perspectives. My favorites include… MARGOTS GOT MONEY TROUBLES by Rufi Thorpe BUNNY by Mona Awad SEVERANCE by Ling Ma LITTLE WEIRDS by Jenny Slate EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN by Alexandra Kleeman SEATING ARRANGEMENTS by Maggie Shipstead THE NEW ME by Halle Butler ALL THE LIVING AND THE DEAD by Hayley Campbell WRITERS AND LOVERS by Lily King GOODBYE VITAMIN by Rachel Khong A TOUCH OF JEN by Beth Morgan THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller