Rebecca Strauss is a DeFiore and Company agent with deep subsidiary-rights expertise who sells romance, fantasy, and women's fiction at volume while actively hunting high-concept stories with emotional punch from emerging and underrepresented voices.
In brief
Her sales record tells a clearer story than her broad wishlist: romance—especially historical romance and contemporary romance—is her single biggest category by volume, with multiple series clients (Bethany Bennett, Priscilla Oliveras, Liana De la Rosa, Faye Delacour, Samara Parish) placing books at Forever, Berkley, Montlake, and Sourcebooks.
She has a real relationship with Amazon Publishing's 47North imprint (Beth Cato's fantasy trilogy) and with Berkley (at least five confirmed deals), making those two publishers strong indicators of where she can move projects.
Fantasy and YA fantasy appear in the sales record (Beth Cato, Tori Anne Martin, Silver in the Mist, This Golden Flame, The Ancient's Game) even though she describes them as secondary interests—this is a category she can actually sell, not just aspire to.
Her background includes seven years as Director of Subsidiary Rights at McIntosh & Otis plus earlier stints in foreign rights and film scouting—she brings unusually strong sub-rights muscle and Hollywood instincts to the table.
She is vocal about supporting emerging writers and underrepresented voices and recently donated a query critique to a diversity-in-publishing fundraiser, signaling that this commitment is active, not just boilerplate.
Lately
She donated a query critique to a We Need Diverse Books fundraising auction, with bidding open through May 11, 2026—an active, public demonstration of her ongoing commitment to diversity in publishing.
What Rebecca is looking for
This is where her sales record is densest. She has placed historical romance series at Forever and Berkley, contemporary romance at Berkley and Montlake, and sports romance at Zando and Slowburn. She responds to books with wit, romantic tension, and emotional stakes—her wishlist touchstones skew toward voice-driven, sometimes sparky titles. Series potential is clearly valued given how many of her clients have multi-book deals.
She lists women's fiction prominently and her touchstone titles suggest she wants books that are emotionally grounded but not heavy—something with humor, heart, and a protagonist you root for hard. She is drawn to stories that blend warmth with real stakes.
Her sales include Beth Cato's 47North fantasy trilogy, YA fantasy titles at Inkyard, and a middle-grade/YA fantasy at Clarion—proof she can move fantasy across imprints. She is drawn to magic systems that feel purposeful and worlds with strong emotional cores. Her touchstones lean toward accessible, character-forward fantasy rather than hard worldbuilding-first epics.
She cites cozy-adjacent and atmosphere-rich mysteries as touchstones, with an affinity for witty, character-driven whodunits over pure procedurals. Think clever amateur sleuths, strong voice, and a setting that becomes its own character.
She sells YA across fantasy, contemporary, and romance-inflected titles. Her touchstones are voice-driven, emotionally resonant, and often carry a comedic or coming-of-age spark. She has placed YA at Inkyard and Holiday House.
She is drawn to high-concept literary fiction that moves—tight pacing and a fresh voice are non-negotiable. Her cultural background gives her a particular affinity for stories exploring history, clashing identities, and complicated family dynamics, though she represents this category selectively compared to her romance and fantasy output.
Listed on her profile but not heavily represented in recent confirmed deals. Her touchstones include The Calculated Stars and The City We Became, suggesting she leans toward socially engaged, character-driven SF rather than hard SF. Query with a strong human story at the center.
She represents a narrow slice of nonfiction—specifically humor and pop culture. Confirmed sales include Running Press and Chronicle Books humor titles. She is not a general nonfiction agent; the bar here is a very specific comedic voice or cultural angle.
Not the right fit
On Rebecca's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Rebecca
Email her directly at Rebecca@defliterary.com — this is a direct email submission, not a form. There is no separate query portal.
Put the word 'query' and your book title in the subject line exactly as she requests — this is a hard instruction, not a suggestion.
Paste your query letter, author bio, and the first five pages into the body of the email. Do not attach pages as documents unless she later asks.
Lead with a clean, one-sentence concept hook — her wishlist language ('compelling story, clear concept') signals she makes fast first impressions and wants the core idea immediately legible.
If you write romance with series potential, make that explicit. Her track record is built on multi-book clients, and noting that your book has sequel possibilities may strengthen the pitch.
She has explicitly stated an interest in emerging writers and underrepresented voices — if your background or story reflects that, it is worth noting authentically in your bio paragraph.
Her touchstone titles span from witty rom-coms to dark academic fantasy to cozy mysteries — use her named titles to calibrate tone, and pick the two or three that most closely match yours when writing your comp sentence.
Her sub-rights background means she thinks about foreign and film potential from the start. A high-concept premise that translates across markets is a natural fit for how she evaluates projects.