Rachel Ekstrom Courage is a Pittsburgh-based literary agent, NYT/USA Today bestselling author, and founder of Courage Literary, with two decades of publishing-industry experience spanning bookselling, publicity, editorial management, and agenting — hunting for commercial fiction and select nonfiction that makes the world "better, smarter, and more interesting."
In brief
Rachel is herself a published author (NYT/USA Today bestselling cozy mystery and a YA thriller), which is a rare dual credential — she understands the craft and the market from both sides of the desk.
Her pre-agenting career ran through Minotaur (mysteries/thrillers), Dutton, Gotham, and St. Martin's Press, meaning she has deep editorial and publicity relationships across the major commercial houses — a real advantage for the kinds of commercial fiction she prioritizes.
Her client roster has produced NYT, WSJ, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers alongside Lambda Award finalists, National Jewish Book Award finalists, and ITW Thriller Award finalists — she has both commercial and literary range.
She is a working author herself (her own agent is at a separate agency), so she brings firsthand empathy to author-client relationships and speaks credibly at conferences about the craft side of a career.
Query status was confirmed closed as of September 2022, with a stated plan to reopen around mid-2023; writers must verify current status directly through Courage Literary before submitting.
Lately
As of her own site's copy, Rachel confirmed she was closed to queries and anticipated reopening around the middle of 2023. Writers were advised to watch for that window rather than submit early.
What Rachel is looking for
Rachel has a clear commercial sensibility shaped by years at imprints that prized mainstream sales. She is drawn to fiction with broad audience appeal, strong voice, and a hook that translates easily into a pitch — the kind of book a publicist can run with, which is exactly the lens her career began with.
Crime and thriller are where Rachel's publishing DNA runs deepest — she started her career promoting mysteries and thrillers at Minotaur, and her own debut novel is a cozy mystery. Her client list includes ITW Thriller Award finalists. She is credibly passionate here, not just checkbox-interested. Expect her to respond strongly to propulsive plotting, a distinctive sleuth or protagonist, and a world she can sink into.
Historical fiction is a named interest; given her commercial sensibility, she is likely drawn to historical settings that deliver plot and atmosphere rather than purely literary explorations. Strong period detail paired with a compelling story engine will resonate.
Women's fiction is a named category. Rachel's background selling commercial adult fiction at major imprints, and her own experience as an author in a women-skewing genre, suggests she understands what makes this category connect with readers emotionally and commercially.
LGBTQ+ appears in both her fiction and nonfiction interests, and her client list includes Lambda Award finalists — evidence she is not merely listing the category but actively selling in it. Writers with LGBTQ+ centered narratives should note this is a genuine, demonstrated commitment.
On the nonfiction side, Rachel is drawn to pop culture, psychology, and science — categories that map onto her stated mission of books that make the world smarter and more interesting. The through-line is accessibility: nonfiction that a general, curious reader will actually pick up.
Not the right fit
On Rachel's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Rachel
Verify that the submission form is currently open before doing anything else — it was confirmed closed in September 2022, with a tentative mid-2023 reopening; submitting while the form is closed will not get a response.
Send queries to the Courage Literary agency site, not to Rachel's personal author website — she is explicit that the two are separate and agent queries go through the agency portal only.
Lean into your commercial hook. Rachel's entire career — publicist, editorial director, agent, and now author — orbits books that are easy to pitch and sell. Lead with a clean, one-line elevator pitch before anything else.
If your manuscript is a mystery or thriller, foreground that clearly and early. Crime is where her instincts are sharpest and her relationships run deepest; a strong genre signal in the first lines of a query will land well.
If your project has LGBTQ+ themes, name them plainly — she has actively sold in this space and it is a genuine priority, not a perfunctory listing.
For nonfiction, the pitch must answer 'why does a general reader need this book?' — her pop-culture/psychology/science interests all share an accessibility requirement.
Rachel speaks widely at conferences (ThrillerFest, Grub Street, RWA, PennWriters, etc.) — if you have heard her speak or workshopped with her, a brief, genuine mention in the query is appropriate context, not name-dropping.
Follow submission guidelines exactly as posted on the live form; they may have been updated since any public wishlist post was written.