Tuesday, February 27, 6:00-7:30 p.m. ET
Free for WMG members; $15.00 for non-members
Wondering about new opportunities in the literary world? This event will bring together veteran literary agents in growing genres such as cookbooks, fiction, and YA, to talk about the latest trends in their fields and any wish lists they may have. We’ll start in a main room with introductions, then participants will have the opportunity to join two rounds of small-group breakout rooms with the agents of their choice. We’ll all come away with a deeper understanding of the growth areas in publishing and how our skills might fit into them.
You’ll have the opportunity to join two breakout rooms of your choice during this event. The following agents will lead breakout rooms:
- Regina Brooks, the founder and president of Serendipity Literary Agency
- Joëlle Delbourgo, President and Founder of Joëlle Delbourgo Associates, will discuss commercial and literary fiction, and prescriptive and narrative nonfiction
- Sally Ekus, a Senior Literary Agent at Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency Inc., will discuss cookbooks and select other non-fiction titles
- Joy Fowlkes, The Gernert Company, will discuss podcasts and audio storytelling
- Madeleine Morel, the principal of 2M Communications Ltd, will discuss ghostwriting and book collaboration
- Kelly Sonnack, Executive Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, will discuss middle grade, YA, and graphic novels
Regina Brooks is the founder and president of Serendipity Literary Agency. Her agency is the largest African American owned agency in the country and has represented and established a diverse base of award-winning clients in adult and young adult fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature. In 2015, Publishers Weekly nominated Regina Brooks as a PW Star Watch Finalist, and she was honored with a Stevie Award in Business. Writer’s Digest Magazine named Serendipity Literary Agency as one of the top 25 literary agencies. She is currently the Vice President of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) and co-chair of its Communications Committee, a founding member and board member of Literary Agents of Change (LAOC), and a board member of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP). Formerly, she held senior editorial positions at John Wiley and Sons (where she was not only the youngest but also the first African American editor in their college division) and McGraw-Hill.
Joëlle Delbourgo is President and Founder of the boutique agency, Joëlle Delbourgo Associates, which represents a broad range of adult fiction and nonfiction. The agency strives to help build author's careers and expand the audience for their work. Prior to creating the agency, Joelle was a senior editorial executive at HarperCollins and Ballantine Books. She began her career at Bantam Books where she launched the Choose Your Own Adventure books for kids. Joëlle is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents and a former board member of the Women's Media Group. She holds a Master of the Arts in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University and was a double major in history and English at Williams College. She has taught publishing and editing at the graduate level at Rutgers University and is a popular instructor at writing conferences.
Sally Ekus is a Senior Literary Agent at JVNLA where she spearheads The Ekus Group, a boutique culinary division specializing in cookbook and lifestyle titles. She represents a wide range of culinary, health, wellness, and lifestyle talent, from first-time cookbook authors to seasoned chefs, RDs, professional food writers, bloggers, online creators and journalists. From concept to contract, she has brokered over 300 book deals with top publishers including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, and numerous indie publishers. Sally also hosts an online community called How to be a Cookbook Author where she posts a wide range of general publishing news, agency programing, and facilitates connections among the community.
Joy Fowlkes began her career in publishing first at Foundry Literary + Media, then at CAA. Around the same time, a little podcast called Serial was taking the United States by storm, and after listening, Joy had never felt so inspired or had an apartment so clean. When she relocated to the West Coast, she pivoted to audio production, working as a showrunner for Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and The Yes Theory Podcast (Headspace). In 2021, she joined The Gernert Company as a podcast agent, working out of the LA office.
Madeleine Morel is the principal of 2M Communications Ltd., an agency that only represents ghostwriters. She works with writers in all genres who’ve had multiple books published by the major houses. 95% of her business comes from within the book publishing community and, since founding her company, 2M has been behind over 60 NYT bestsellers.
Kelly Sonnack, Executive Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, represents all categories and genres of children's books. For the past 17 years, Kelly has been championing writers and artists in nearly every category, format, and age group. She loves working with debut authors and illustrators as well as bestsellers and award-winning creators who are deep into their careers, and excels at developing strategies for clients at each stage of the creator's journey. Kelly is on the board of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) where she also co-chairs the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Kelly grew up overseas, primarily in Singapore, and now lives in Southern California. She is very active in several local LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and otherwise spends a lot of her time rooting for her daughter's softball team.
All proceeds from this event support the Women's Media Group Educational Foundation.
Refunds available up to 24 hours before the event. No refunds for cancellations made within 24 hours of the event.
