At this virtual event, writers can book a 15‑minute one‑on‑one meeting with the agent/editor of their choice. Come prepared with an “elevator pitch,” a query letter, and sample pages. All sessions take place in private Zoom rooms for a productive, focused experience. Register now for the chance to pitch your work!
Location: Zoom
When: Sunday, March 22, 11am – 3pm EST
Cost: $50/Meeting
Pitch Meeting Times (EST): 11:00am – 11:15am; 11:30am – 11:45am; 12:00pm – 12:15pm; 1:00pm – 1:15pm; 1:30pm – 1:45pm; 2:00pm – 2:15pm; 2:30pm – 2:45pm
Contact: For questions, email philadelphiastoriesevents@gmail.com.
*At checkout, a completely optional contribution to Zeffy will appear by default. This helps keep the platform 100% free for nonprofits like ours. You can adjust the amount—by selecting Other and setting it to $0—if you wish.
NOTE: Philadelphia Stories will NOT send any pitch materials (query letters, sample pages, etc.) to agents/editors in advance of their meeting. However, agents/editors may, at their discretion, opt to receive materials directly from registered attendees the week before the event. This preference will be noted in their bio on the event page. Starting March 15, we will share the contact information of any agent/editor who has opted to accept materials in advance so registered attendees can reach out directly.
Pitch Fest is open to all writers and you do NOT need to be from the Philadelphia area to participate. However, we strongly recommend that attendees meeting with an agent/editor have a completed manuscript ready for querying. Attendees may also register for sessions with multiple agents/editors, but cannot book more than one session with the same agent/editor.
*We will be closing Pitch Fest registration on Friday, March 20. Refunds for this event will not be issued after Sunday, March 15.
AGENTS & EDITORS
*More agents/editors will be added as they are confirmed.
Claudia Cramer
Claudia Cramer is a literary associate at Olswanger Literary. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and English, she started her career in publishing by writing and editing for Coffee House Writers. She recently joined Olswanger Literary as a Literary Associate.
SEEKING: Claudia is actively seeking fiction and nonfiction projects with cross-genre appeal and strong audience potential. In fiction, she is interested in romance, historical fiction, family sagas, mystery, low fantasy, and book club reads. For nonfiction, she welcomes cookbooks, science, nature, history, and popular culture. She’s especially enthusiastic about stories centered on Latino characters by Latino authors.
*Claudia Cramer will accept pitch materials in advance of the event. Registered attendees will receive the appropriate contact information to submit their materials beginning March 15.
Jeanne De Vita * SOLD OUT *
Jeanne De Vita is a Literary Manager at Martin Literary Management. While working in acquisitions and as a developmental editor for traditional publishers and freelance clients, Jeanne De Vita has edited hundreds of aspiring and established authors, including NYT, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon bestsellers. After more than a decade working with stories at various stages of the publishing cycle, including teaching both writing and editing at the college level, Jeanne brings a strong editorial vision and passion for the publishing industry to her clients. She is excited by strong voices and compelling stories across the sub-genres of fiction, with a specific interest in romance, fantasy, thrillers/mysteries/suspense, horror, and speculative fiction.
SEEKING: Jeanne’s current wish list includes the following: Romance, Romantasy, Thrillers/Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Women’s Fiction, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Dystopian/Post-Apoc, and Non-fiction.
She is not reviewing: Faith-Based/Inspirational fiction and non-fiction, including memoirs, Illustrators, Middle Grade, Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Grimdark, Wellness, health, and lifestyle nonfiction, Military or hard sci-fi/fantasy.
For more information on her wishlist, visit https://www.martinlit.com/about-mlm.
*Jeanne De Vita will accept pitch materials in advance of the event. Registered attendees will receive the appropriate contact information to submit their materials beginning March 15.
Jennica Dotson
Jennica Dotson is an editor at Literary Wanderlust with over a decade of editorial experience and a lifetime of seeking literary thrills. When not wielding a pen, Jennica loves to sing in the Out Loud Chorus, an LGBTQ+ choir based in Washtenaw County, Michigan. She also loves to read, write, spend time with friends and family, go for walks in the forest, and enjoy quiet nights at home with her wife and many stuffed animals.
SEEKING: Jennica is looking for YA fantasy & sci-fi, as well as adult fantasy, sci-fi, historical, romance, and literary novels. She is always eager to work on diverse, character-driven stories, particularly from queer, neurodivergent, and BIPOC authors. Her favorite novels often include found family, unique worlds, true heroes, complex villains, the power of love, and humor mixed with high stakes. Please no grimdark fantasy, portal fantasy, apocalyptic science fiction, or military settings.
*Jennica Dotson will accept pitch materials in advance of the event. Registered attendees will receive the appropriate contact information to submit their materials beginning March 15.
Frannie Dove * SOLD OUT *
Frannie Dove (she/her) is a literary agent at The Caldwell Agency. Frannie comes to The Caldwell Agency having previously co-represented historians at a boutique agency and having interned with Creative Media Agency. Prior to agenting, she worked in academia, helping scientists and public health professionals with community outreach. When not reading or writing, she can be found browsing new cookbook recipes or flipping through old newspapers. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University and serves as the secretary of the Young Publishers Association.
SEEKING:
- Nonfiction: science for the non-scientist; narrative history and biography; and thematic essays
- Commercial & Upmarket Fiction: voicey, character-driven, book club stories; contemporary settings with a speculative hook; untold histories, especially those written from historically marginalized perspectives; comedic mysteries with characters in over their heads; grounded horror (especially with a dash of the speculative)
- Some Favorite Reads: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali, The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang, Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe, Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kemmerer, and The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
Elizabeth Guthrie * SOLD OUT *
Elizabeth Guthrie is an associate literary agent at PSLA representing fiction and nonfiction. Before joining the team, she worked first as an intern and then as a literary agent at Lucinda Literary. Prior to moving into publishing, she had a career in trauma-informed integrative medicine, earning a PhD in Natural Medicine and a Master’s of Public Health with a concentration in functional nutrition.
SEEKING: Elizabeth is interested in a broad range of books, but is especially interested in fiction with character-driven plots that end with clever twists and expert-driven non-fiction. In non-fiction, she is particularly drawn to true crime, music (almost any genre, but especially blues and classic rock), religion, and history (especially ancient civilizations or intellectual history). She also likes expert-driven wellness, popular psychology, and other science-related ideas (especially in biology or physics). In fiction, she is interested in fantasy, historical, romance (especially fantasy, historical, or LGBTQ), speculative, and psychological thrillers.
*Elizabeth Guthrie will accept pitch materials in advance of the event. Registered attendees will receive the appropriate contact information to submit their materials beginning March 15.
Irene Kaster
Irene Kaster is a literary agent at HJLit. Irene started at HJLit as an intern in 2022. She studied at Emerson College in Boston and holds a BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing, and an MA in Writing and Publishing. She has worn various hats in publishing including intern, freelance editor, literary assistant, social media coordinator, bookseller, and ghostwriter—but above all, she is a bookworm. Irene is based in Colorado and spends her free time enjoying the outdoors and searching for the best coffee shops.
SEEKING: I’m most interested in literary and commercial fiction (historical and contemporary), romance, fantasy, and suspenseful or dystopian horror. Within nonfiction, I’m seeking practical nonfiction pertaining to women’s health, psychology, medicine, science, and relationships; I’m interested in narrative nonfiction that reads like fiction and is a deep dive into a historical event, a person or group, a place, or cultural and social phenomena. My full manuscript wishlist is available here.
*Irene Kaster will accept pitch materials in advance of the event. Registered attendees will receive the appropriate contact information to submit their materials beginning March 15.
Alex Land * SOLD OUT *
Alex Land (formerly Alex Brown) is an associate agent at Mad Woman Literary Agency and a Young Adult novelist. She loves collaboration and is excited about working with her clients to form sustainable, long-term careers in publishing. Alex has worked with New York Times Bestselling authors, Stonewall Honors recipients, and many other critically acclaimed authors on various projects. She’s always ready to root for and brag about all of her clients.
SEEKING: Alex is seeking Adult, YA, and MG; especially Final Girls who are also monsters, diaspora stories, horror of any kind, stories that will make her laugh/cry/wonder if something is lurking in the darkness, anything that hints at what might be hiding in the ocean, witches, rom coms, witchy rom coms, women/enby/POC-lead thrillers that leave her on the edge of her seat, queer horror, queer rom coms, queer anything, stories written by and for folks from underrepresented/marginalized identities, ghost stories, weird stories, weird ghost stories, time loops, heists, the sensibilities of Grady Hendrix, and anything speculative/fabulist. For more information, visit https://www.madwomanliterary.com/agents/alex-land.
*Alex Land will accept pitch materials in advance of the event. Registered attendees will receive the appropriate contact information to submit their materials beginning March 15.
Melissa Rodman * SOLD OUT *
Melissa Rodman received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History & Literature, magna cum laude, from Harvard University and in college interned at Picador USA. Prior to joining the team at Nancy Yost Literary Agency, she served as research associate in entertainment, media, and sports at Harvard Business School and editorial associate at Harvard University Press, before earning a master’s degree at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, completing an editorial internship at The New Republic, and working as an associate literary agent at Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management. A native New Yorker, when not working she often can be found writing articles or volunteer ushering at off-Broadway shows.
SEEKING: Melissa develops a variety of nonfiction and select fiction projects from proposal to publication. Her literary interests include narrative nonfiction, cultural criticism, history, memoir, and practical nonfiction as well as both literary and commercial fiction with strong characters and sharp prose.
Natalie Rosselli
Natalie Rosselli joined the Aaron Priest Literary Agency in 2022 as the agency assistant while earning her MFA in Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing from Emerson College. She also holds a BA in Creative Writing from Hunter College. During her time with the agency, she’s worked with many of its authors, and she’s now actively building her own list. She lives on Long Island in a funny little house with her partner, and spends her weekends learning to knit and hosting dinner parties.
SEEKING: Natalie is currently most interested in and actively seeking out adult fiction, specifically in the following genres: romance, romantasy, and women’s fiction.
In romance, she’s interested in a wide range of subgenres, including historical, contemporary, romcom, western/cowboy, fantasy, and gothic romance. Some of her favorite tropes include enemies to lovers/hate to love, workplace romance, forbidden love, fake dating, alpha heroes, marriage of convenience, and forced proximity. She loves stories with big city settings and high emotional stakes.
In romantasy, she’s looking for an equal balance between the love story and world-building, stories that lean gothic, and premises with a fresh take on the tried-and-true tropes of the genre. She’s partial to stories with elemental magic, female characters who can hold their own in a fight, and enemies to lovers storylines.
In women’s fiction, she’s looking for narratives with a great depth of emotion, explorations of female friendship, coming of age journeys, and mother-daughter stories.
V. Ruiz
V. Ruiz is a literary agent at D4EO Literary Agency. V. is a lesbian, Mexican-American agent, editor, and author, who aspires to make publishing more equitable by working as an advocate for their authors. With nearly ten years of editing experience across literary and commercial genres, they consider themselves an editorial and career agent. V. wants to work with authors who are eager to work on multiple projects and who are open to editorial guidance and feedback. Recently, they worked as an acquisitions editor and project manager with Row House Publishing (distributed by Simon and Schuster) for over three years. You can rest assured that they have a deep understanding of the publishing process which, in turn, helps their authors feel prepared with what to expect. V. is always eager to hear from voices who have been systemically underrepresented in publishing.
SEEKING: I’m seeking YA and Adult fiction across most genres, and I’m open to esoteric/occult nonfiction. For adult fiction, I’m especially interested in thrillers that are in line with Lisa Jewell’s work. I’m always interested in “Weird Girl Lit” and cross genre / hybrid books with literary language, especially with Queer protagonists. I’m open to most genres of Romance, but I’m not a great fit for Romantasy, sports romance, or cishet historical romance. I’m always open to Fantasy, and I like for it to deal with larger themes and I’m always drawn to those that have a folkloric or myth base at its core. I’m always interested in books that play with different forms of media. I’m not a great fit for sci-fi unless it’s grounded or accessible.
For YA fiction, I’m eager to represent fantasy, paranormal, horror, and grounded sci-fi. I’ll be very particular about YA thrillers without a speculative/genre element that have Sapphic romance at their core. I’d love to find a fantasy YA but I don’t do well with romance as a main plot point. For more information, you can visit https://manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/v-ruiz/ and https://vruiz.me/literary-agent/.
*V. Ruiz will accept pitch materials in advance of the event. Registered attendees will receive the appropriate contact information to submit their materials beginning March 15.
Des Salazar
Des (they/them) is a Chicagoan and a literary agent at Metamorphosis Literary Agency. They earned their MFA from Columbia College Chicago, and they continue their love for the craft in their current role. When not reading so much fantasy manuscripts, they hang out with their two silly cats and visit their family dog.
SEEKING: Des is seeking works in Romance, Fantasy, Horror, LGBTQ+, Literary, Thriller, Mystery, New Adult, Science Fiction, and Young Adult.
Pronoy Sarkar
Pronoy Sarkar is the lead nonfiction agent at Georges Borchardt, Inc, where he focuses on expert driven nonfiction and high-quality narrative work across numerous genres, all geared towards stimulating public debate and engaging with the world in new ways. Previously, he worked at Little, Brown as a senior editor, where some highlights include publishing the New York Times bestselling, Heat Will Kill You First by Jeff Goodell, finalist for the Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism, LA Times Book Prize, and PEN/EO Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing; San Francisco Chronicle bestseller, If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal by Justin Gregg; The Everything War by WSJ reporter and Pulitzer winner Dana Mattioli, a finalist for the Financial Times Book Prize, and acquiring forthcoming books by bestselling historian Rick Perlstein, Washington Post op-ed columnist Dana Milbank, Congressman James Clyburn, and bestselling management professor at MIT, Andrew McAfee, among many others. He was also an editor at St. Martin’s Press, where he published 2030 by Mauro F. Guillen, a Wall Street Journal bestseller and Financial Times Best of the Year pick, New York Times bestselling The Fund by NYT reporter Rob Copeland, Aftershocks by Biden officials Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright, Profit and Punishment by 2019 Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Messenger, among others.
SEEKING: Pronoy is focused on nonfiction. He is interested in bold, ambitious, and conversation shifting projects across a range of areas, including history, biography, popular science, politics and current affairs, economics/law, high concept/big think, investigative journalism, culture, and paradigm-defining works focused on feminism, race, sexuality, and the intersections thereof. Also, cultural tastemakers and critics with fresh perspectives and points of view. Above all, projects should be imbued with strong writing of the highest quality.
*Pronoy Sarkar will accept pitch materials in advance of the event. Registered attendees will receive the appropriate contact information to submit their materials beginning March 15.