Ken Sherman is President of Ken Sherman & Associates, a Los Angeles based literary agency. The company was established in 1989, and handles film, television, and book writers, as well as selling film and television rights for books and life-rights.

He is seeking: Ken is a generalist, and represents adult fiction and nonfiction of all types. He does not want pitches for children’s books or novels of any kind.

An agent for more than twenty years, Ken has accumulated an impressive list of clients, present and past including a few estates, with notable names such as David Guterson, Anne Perry, Franz Kafka, Willa Cather, John Updike, Starhawk, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Ken is also a popular and accomplished speaker, having taught and lectured extensively at venues including UCLA, USC, Loyola Marymount University, both in New Orleans and Los Angeles, The Santa Barbara Writers’ conference, the American Film Institute, The San Francisco Writers Conference, The Maui Writers Conference, The University of Oklahoma, Sherwood Oaks Experiment College, The Santa Fe Writers Conference, The Novelists, Inc. Conference in San Diego, The Aspen Institute, the Aspen Summers Words Writers Conference and The Eugene International Film Festival where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Since graduating from the University of California-Berkeley with a major in psychology, Ken has returned numerous times to the classroom to teach his course, “The Business of Writing for Screen, Television and the Publishing Worlds,” at both USC and UCLA. He also co-taught a screenwriting class for many years at the Eugene International Film Festival.

Ken maintains strong community involvement as well, serving as an Arts and Cultural Affairs Commissioner for the City of West Hollywood, is a charter member of the British Academy of Film and Television/Los Angeles (BAFTA), and is a member of both the Academy of Television Arts and Science and the International Advisory Board of the Christopher Isherwood Foundation.

 

 

 

Angela Rinaldi is a literary agent and founder of The Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency.

In fiction, she is seeking: We are passionate about fiction, both commercial and literary, and look for engaging characters, a strong plot, good storytelling and lovely writing with a distinct voice. We love commercial novels with literary sensibilities. We are actively looking for upmarket contemporary fiction, mainstream women’s fiction, multicultural fiction, as well as mysteries, suspense, literary historical thrillers, gothic suspense, and women’s book club fiction – novels where the story leads to discussion.

We are not the best agents to represent humor, CIA espionage, drug thrillers, techno thrillers, category romances, science fiction, fantasy, horror/occult/paranormal, poetry, film scripts, magazine articles or religion.

In nonfiction, she is seeking: Submissions from non-fiction authors with an original idea who have a national platform will always get our attention, as will authors who have big ideas and can spot trends; authors who can explain the way we live, take the mystery out of everyday occurrences or have life transforming messages; authors who have brands and strong media contacts. We are very interested in narrative non-fiction, memoir, women’s issues/studies, current issues, biography, love/relationships, psychology, health/medical/wellness, business, parenting, cookbooks/food narratives/lifestyle/wine, personal finance and books written by established journalists, academics, doctors and therapists. Please do not send us magazine articles, celebrity bios or tell alls.

Angela has been a member of the Literature Panel for the California Arts Council, on the board for PEN and is currently on the membership committee for the Association of Author’s Representatives. She established her editorial expertise in New York as Executive Editor at New American Library and Bantam Books, and Senior Editor at Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster) and was Manager of The Los Angeles Times Book Publishing Program for ten years. Her experience as an editor, publishing liaison and industry professional, including the time spent creating books for The Los Angeles Times, developed the strong foundation she built her agency on and has given her the contacts and resources to expertly advise authors about all traditional and state of the art publishing options.

Jolene Haley is a literary agent with Donald Maass Literary Agency.

Jolene Haley has been in the publishing industry since 2012 on both the publisher and agency sides in editorial, marketing, publicity, contracts, and agent positions. She has worked for literary agencies such as Marsal Lyon Literary Agency and The Bent Agency. Her well-rounded experience and extensive background in PR and marketing provides a unique perspective and a solid foundation to support authors as they build their careers.

To get a better idea of my reading tastes, here are some of my favorite books: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw, Caraval by Stephanie Garber, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, Yes Please by Amy Poehler, The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Haunted by Danielle Vega, Point Horror series, and anything from Laura Griffin, Simone Elkeles, or RL Stine.

If you comp your book to any of these shows, I would love to see your work: Forensic Files, Good Girls, Outer Banks, Pretty Little Liars, Destination Unknown, Dead to Me, Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Riverdale, Scream, Twisted, Star-Crossed, Supernatural, and Friday Night Lights.

Middle Grade wishlist: (ages 9-13)

I am particularly drawn to adventure, contemporary, horror, magical realism, and mystery novels. I love character driven stories with humor and authentic voices.

I’d love to see:
• Contemporary featuring stories of family, first love, and overcoming obstacles.
• Chilling tales of horror a la R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, including creepy dolls, ghosts, and books set at camp.
• Stories involving a diverse group of friends coming together to solve a mystery or a crime, like The Goonies or Stranger Things.
• Magical tales, especially ones set at boarding schools.
• A diverse and modern-day Babysitter’s Club series or Sweet Valley Twins series.

Young Adult wishlist (ages 14-19):

I am interested in a wide variety of YA genres: adventure, contemporary, horror, magical realism, mystery, romance, and thriller. I love strong, unique voices and am always looking for diverse, inclusive reads. I have a soft spot for misunderstood characters and love interests.

I’d love to see:
• Feel-good coming of age stories like Stand by Me or Now and Then.
• Dark stories and tales of terror! Send your books involving ghosts, witches, tarot, haunted houses, cemeteries, or things that go bump in the night.
• A novel that reads like a true crime podcast.
• Myths and legends from your part of the world.
• Mysteries that involve friends banding together. If your novel can be likened to a more diverse Clue, Nancy Drew, or the Hardy Boys, send it in.
• Stories featuring your local girl gang (girls supporting girls).
• Romance in every subgenre, in every heat level. From slow burn romances to enemies-to-lovers to feel-good romances, I love them all.
• Stories involving heists of any kind.
• Adventures involving pirates, mermaids, or the ocean in any capacity.
• If your book’s aesthetic is in the dark academia realm, I’d love to see it.
• I’m forever wishing for a book that brings the same kind of autumn magic that Ray Bradbury conjured in his writing.
• Magic and witches, witches and magic, magic and witches, witches and magic. Oh, and curses too.

Adult fiction wishlist:

I am interested in the following genres: adventure, chick lit, commercial women’s fiction, mystery, romance, true crime, and select horror. I am drawn to unreliable narrators, dark and gritty tales, and stories with lots of twists and turns.

I’d love to see:
• Cozy mysteries with a lovable detective. Bonus points if it reminds me of Murder, She Wrote.
• Any and all mysteries and true crime novels.
• Romantic suspense featuring a strong lead and a hot, irresistible love interest, working together to solve a crime.
• Feel-good romance that can make a reader laugh and swoon simultaneously, especially small town romantic comedies.
• A ghost hunter rom-com or a tarot reader / psychic rom-com.
• Any and all ghost stories or stories about hauntings.

Nonfiction wishlist:

I seek well-researched and focused books on:
• Mind/body/spirit
• True crime
• Spiritualism, witchcraft, and/or magic.

I AM NOT THE RIGHT FIT FOR:

• Chapter/Picture books
• Military/Political thrillers
• Pandemic stories
• High Fantasy
• Science Fiction
• Screenplays
• Novellas/Short Story Collections
• Any books where animals get hurt.

Dara Hyde is Senior Literary Agent at the Hill Nadell Literary Agency.

Dara represents a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, including literary and genre fiction, graphic novels, narrative nonfiction, memoir, young adult, and children’s literature.

Her clients have been winners or finalists for the Women’s Prize, NAACP Image Award, Carnegie Medal, Eisner Award, Anthony Award, YALSA Award, Harvey Award, International Latino Book Award, and the Reading the West Award, among others.

“I’m drawn to stories that examine social issues in unique ways, and voices that have been historically under-represented in publishing; stories that explore the bonds and complexities of both blood and chosen families; stories with crossover appeal, whether that’s YA/adult or blending genres in surprising ways. I relish being hooked by a high concept and a clever premise, but that creative vision needs strong character development and an attention to every word. I find imperfect characters more interesting than those that start off with all the answers, and I want to walk away from every book having learned something new.”

Before joining Hill Nadell, I spent over a decade as an editor and rights and permissions manager at independent publisher Grove Atlantic in New York. I enjoy every aspect of the publishing process and helping my clients from idea to finished book and beyond is always a thrill. When I’m not reading I’m probably watching a movie, hopefully on TCM or Criterion.

If you are coming to the 2026 Writing Conference of Los Angeles (May 2, 2026), you may be thinking about pitching our agent-in-attendance or editor-in-attendance. An in-person pitch is an excellent way to get an agent excited about both you and your work. Here are some tips (from a previous instructor) that will help you pitch your work effectively at the event during a 10-minute consultation. We advise that you should:

• Try to keep your pitch to 90 seconds. Keeping your pitch concise and short is beneficial because 1) it shows you are in command of the story and what your book is about; and 2) it allows plenty of time for back-and-forth discussion between you and the agent. Note: If you’re writing nonfiction, and therefore have to speak plenty about yourself and your platform, then your pitch can certainly run longer.
• Practice before you get to the event. Say your pitch out loud, and even try it out on fellow writers. Feedback from peers will help you figure out if your pitch is confusing, or missing critical elements. Remember to focus on what makes your story unique. Mystery novels, for example, all follow a similar formula — so the elements that make yours unique and interesting will need to shine during the pitch to make your book stand out.
• Do not give away the ending. If you pick up a DVD for Die Hard, does it say “John McClane wins at the end”? No. Because if it did, you wouldn’t buy the movie. Pitches are designed to leave the ending unanswered, much like the back of any DVD box you read.
• Have some questions ready. 10 minutes is plenty of time to pitch and discuss your book, so there is a good chance you will be done pitching early. At that point, you are free to ask the agent questions about writing, publishing or craft. The meeting is both a pitch session and a consultation, so feel free to ask whatever you like as long as it pertains to writing.
• Remember to hit the big beats of a pitch. Everyone’s pitch will be different, but the main elements to hit are 1) introducing the main character(s) and telling us about them, 2) saying what goes wrong that sets the story into motion, 3) explaining how the main character sets off to make things right and solve the problem, 4) explaining the stakes — i.e., what happens if the main character fails, and 5) ending with an unclear wrap-up.