Mark Falkin is an Austin-based attorney-turned-agent and published novelist who runs a one-person boutique, hunting for spell-casting literary and commercial fiction alongside nonfiction with genuine cultural reach — and bringing two decades of entertainment-law muscle to every deal.
In brief
Falkin is a solo operator with a deep, cross-disciplinary background: 20+ years as an entertainment and IP attorney representing Grammy-winning artists, plus two published novels of their own (a third due March 2027) — unusually rare credentials that make them a sophisticated reader and a savvy contract negotiator simultaneously.
The client roster skews toward established, high-profile names (Peter Benchley's estate, actress Nancy Allen, Christian Picciolini, Louisa Luna) — signaling that Falkin takes quality and platform seriously, even as they vocally push back against publishers who gatekeep behind follower counts.
Despite a broad genre menu in their directory listing, the wishlist prose is more selective: literary fiction with narrative momentum, commercial fiction that breaks new ground, and nonfiction capable of sparking real cultural change are the true north stars — not a long genre checklist.
Falkin's political filter is unusually explicit and cuts both ways: overt MAGA content is a hard no, but so is performative progressive signaling — work that puts conflicting ideas in genuine dialogue and trusts the reader is what earns engagement.
Query by email only, pasted in-body with no attachments; Monday–Thursday is the stated sweet spot; nonfiction writers should send a query before any full proposal.
Lately
Falkin shared a quote from a major publisher's submission guidelines requiring debut authors to have at least 500,000 social media followers or equivalent celebrity status before a manuscript would even be considered — and responded with open contempt, calling it a demand to 'dance on TikTok.' A clear signal that platform-as-prerequisite is not how they evaluate projects, and that writers without massive audiences should not self-select out.
What Mark is looking for
Falkin's primary passion. The ideal project combines genuine literary ambition with a forward-driving storyline — 'accessible literary fiction' is a phrase they use deliberately, signaling that beautiful prose without narrative propulsion won't be enough. Cross-genre work, fabulism, magical realism, and literary noir all fit here when the writing is doing something that puts the reader under a spell.
Wants commercial work that earns its genre — something that feels fresh within its form rather than executing a formula. Crime, domestic thriller, psychological thriller, literary thriller, mystery, and neo-western all qualify. Adult rom-com is on the list. High-concept pitches that also deliver on the page are welcome. The key phrase is 'does something new.'
A notably specific sub-list: character-driven horror, literary horror, gothic horror, feminist horror, AAPI horror, and BIPOC horror are all named. The through-line is horror rooted in identity, interiority, or social tension rather than pure shock. Monster-focused work is also welcome when it carries thematic weight.
Both literary YA and commercial YA are on the table; contemporary YA is the clearest fit. Falkin's broader taste for character depth and propulsion applies here too — YA that reads as authentic and driven, not issue-first.
Falkin is looking for nonfiction that can 'fascinates and spark individual and cultural change' — the standard is high. Strong fits include cultural criticism, journalism, history, biography, true crime, pop culture, science for general audiences, and 'big idea/think' books. Activism and social-justice-adjacent work is welcome when it's rigorous and not purely rhetorical. Film, theater, and TV nonfiction aligns with their entertainment-law background. Note: a full proposal should not be sent cold — query first.
Both humor and sports appear in fiction and nonfiction categories — a personal passion (Falkin coaches and plays soccer, watches it seriously) that likely translates into genuine engagement with well-crafted sports narratives. Humor that has a real voice and point of view rather than jokes as decoration.
Not the right fit
On Mark's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Mark
Paste everything into the body of the email — no attachments, no links, full stop. This is a hard rule, not a preference.
Include the first chapter (or equivalent opening) directly in the email along with your query letter. Do not ask if you can send pages; just include them.
State the genre and word count clearly and early in the query — Falkin asks for this explicitly.
Send Monday through Thursday if possible; the agent explicitly notes that weekend submissions are less ideal.
For nonfiction, send a query letter only first — do not attach or paste a full proposal until asked.
Lead with what makes your book do 'something new' — Falkin's core test for commercial fiction and the spirit behind their literary fiction interest too. Generic genre execution is the fastest path to a pass.
Avoid framing your pitch around political messaging of any stripe — the dialogic-imagination standard means the book should raise questions, not deliver verdicts. If your book is 'about' a political position, rethink the pitch.
Do not open with your social media following or platform numbers. Falkin has publicly signaled that audience size is not the bar they use to evaluate projects.
The email address is mark.falkin@gmail.com — a personal address, not an agency portal. Write accordingly: professional but human, not form-letter corporate.
One project per email. If you have two manuscripts, pick the stronger one.