Sonali Chanchani is a literary agent at Folio Literary Management, focusing primarily on nonfiction that advances current social and cultural conversations and centers historically underrepresented voices and perspectives.

Her clients include Maureen “Mo” Ryan (contributing editor to Vanity Fair and author of the New York Times bestseller and NPR Best Book of the Year Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood); Curtis Chin (co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and author of the Stonewall Honor Book Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant); Dr. Mariel Buqué (psychologist and author of the USA Today bestseller Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma); Rebecca Little and Colleen Long (journalists and authors of I’m Sorry for My Loss: An Urgent Examination of Reproductive Care in America); and Joél Leon (poet, performer, and author of Everything and Nothing at Once: A Black Man’s Reimagined Soundtrack for the Future); among many others. 

Sonali earned her degree in English and Narrative Studies from the University of Southern California and began her career in publishing at Kaya, an independent press dedicated to publishing authors from the Asian diaspora. She is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents, where she serves on the Board of Directors and co-chairs the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Sonali is also the President of the nonprofit organization Literary Agents of Change.