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Scott Waxman
“What I enjoy most about being a literary agent is helping authors turn their promising ideas into great books. I believe that everyone has a story to tell, and working with authors to find the right hook, structure or theme that will resonate with the reader is immensely satisfying. In particular I like character-driven stories and strong writing, books that have a ready audience and that relate to what is happening around the world. Many of the ideas for our authors’ books come from the agents in this office, as we try to combine their interests with ideas that have potential in the marketplace. I believe our authors appreciate our hands-on approach and consider us partners in their success.”
Scott Waxman founded the Waxman Literary Agency in 1997. Known for a hands-on approach to book development and a passion for great storytelling, he has represented numerous New York Times bestselling books and other national bestsellers. Scott began his career as an editor with HarperCollins Publishers in 1990, before moving to the agent side in 1994.
Some of my recent or upcoming books include:
The Illustrious Dead: The Terrifying Story Of How Typhus Killed Napoleon’s Greatest Army, by Stephan Talty (Crown)
Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World's Most Notorious Nazi, by Neal Bascomb (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Blood In The Cage: Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC, by L. Jon Wertheim (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit, by Matt McCarthy (Viking)
The Gorgeously Green Diet: How to Live Lean and Green, by Sophie Uliano (Dutton)
The Art Of Making Money: The Story of a Master Counterfeiter, by Jason Kersten (Gotham)
Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans, by A.J. Baime (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Farley Chase
“I joined the Waxman Literary Agency in 2004. Previously, I worked at Graywolf Press, the New Yorker magazine, the New Press, and Miramax Books.
The nonfiction projects I’m most interested in are distinguished by strong writing, exclusive access to first-hand source materials, or a singular voice-driven style. These projects range across subjects like journalism, history, biography, popular science, sports, food & cooking, music, memoir, pop-reference, humor and narrative journalism in current and military affairs. I'm also interested in projects with unique and/or traditional graphic and illustrated content, be they fiction or non-fiction. I’m also very interested in narrative and prescriptive books in health, lifestyle and business.
The fiction I’m most interested in has a strong sense of plot, character and voice. From literary novels to genre fiction I’m open to most any kind of story so long as it engages the reader from the start and keeps the pages turning whether we’re marveling at poignant language, parachuting into battle, or sleuthing with a detective.
A list of my deals and clients are available on http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/farleychase/ but rather than single out any of my authors, below is a selection of published books which inform the way I do my job and the kinds of stories and storytelling I’m looking for.”
Nonfiction:
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz
The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, by Judith Jones
The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of the Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America, by Russell Shorto
American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon, by Steve Rinella
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, by Anthony Bourdain
The Glass Castle, a Memoir by Jeanette Walls
Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II, by Robert Kurson
Fiction:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon
The Road, Cormac McCarthy
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski
Birds of America: Stories, by Laurie Moore
Disappearances, by Howard Frank Mosher
A History of Love, by Nicole Kraus
Byrd Leavell
“My goal as a literary agent is to work with authors to create books that establish a new bar. Rather than chasing after what is currently hot, I like to work with clients that have a book idea or novel that can stand solely on its own. And more than anything else I enjoy working with writers that have demonstrated the ability to utilize the remarkable tools available today on the Internet to generate a legitimate fan base. I love writing that makes an impact and the work I represent covers a broad spectrum, from Pete Sampras’ upcoming Mind of a Champion, to podcasting extraordinaire Scott Sigler’s novel Infected, to books that make you laugh like Bob Power’s brilliant Happy Cruelty Day and Tucker Max’s I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell."
A graduate of the University of Virginia and the Radcliffe Publishing Program, Byrd Leavell began his career at Carlisle & Company and then served as an agent at InkWell Management and Venture Literary. His clients include Clay Travis, Scott Sigler, Mark Frauenfelder, and Thomas Kohnstamm.
Holly Root
Holly Root began her publishing career as an editor in Christian publishing in Nashville, TN before coming to New York and joining the William Morris Agency’s agent trainee program. She then moved to Trident Media Group, where she sold audio rights for the agency’s clients, including a number of New York Times bestselling authors, before joining The Waxman Literary Agency in 2007 to sell audio rights and represent her own list of authors.
Recently published titles include Leo Babauta's The Power Of Less (Hyperion); Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna's Cherry Bomb (Simon Spotlight Entertainment); Kate Perry's Marked By Passion (Grand Central); Misa Ramirez's Living The Vida Lola (St. Martin's Press); Serena Robar's Giving Up The V (Simon Pulse); and Libby Malin's Fire Me (Sourcebooks). She is actively seeking upmarket and commercial fiction, including women's fiction, mystery, urban fantasy, romance, and YA, and voice-driven nonfiction projects, with particular areas of interest in narrative nonfiction, lifestyle, psychology, self-help/relationships, science, and practical spirituality and religion.
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