Marcy Posner

Senior Vice President & Literary Agent

 
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Looking for distinctive voices in the commercial space, but I am really not interested in genre or super literary fiction.

I have spent a lifetime in books. I started out with a brief stint as a librarian, but found it a bit too staid, so moved on to publishing. My first job was at Pinnacle Books where as assistant to the President I was given a book to edit the third week of my employment. I then moved on to Rodale Press and then Salem House where I helped bring British books to the US, finally moving up the publishing ladder to Pantheon’s Associate Publisher, where I worked with some of the major cultural icons of our time. After fifteen years on the editorial side of the business, I made the jump to agenting – spending twelve years at the William Morris Agency as an agent and as Vice President and Director of Foreign Rights; five years as president of my own agency; five years at Sterling Lord Literistic as an agent and Director of Foreign Rights; and I’m now here – and very happy – at Folio. Editorial skill and a deep knowledge of the publishing industry sets me apart from many of my colleagues. When I work with my authors, I’ll focus editorially on how to make the book as strong as it could be – whether that book be terrific women’s fiction or an extraordinary YA debut (or any of the other categories I represent). During that process, I’m able to bring to bear all the institutional memory I possess, knowing which editors and which publishing houses have a penchant for a certain subject, or a different voice, or a particular kind of author.

What I am looking for:

  • Thrillers

  • Psychological suspense

  • Historical fiction

  • Women’s fiction

  • Mystery

  • YA (contemporary, historical, romance, mystery)

  • Middle grade (contemporary, SFF, historical, mystery

  • Narrative non-fiction

  • Cultural/social issues

  • Journalism

  • Nature and ecology

  • Psychology

  • Women’s issues

Key clients

Lexie Elliott, Christina Clancy, Rachel J. Webster, Rebecca Stafford, Michael McGarrity, Erika J. Kendrick, Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Patricia Wood, New York Times bestselling author Sheri Reynolds and Newbery Honor winner and New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Kelly.

How to submit to me

Please use Query Manager to submit to me.

Senior Vice PresidentJulie Trelstad1, Closed to Queries