best-selling historical mystery

The Donald Maass Literary Agency in New York City is a literary agency for professional novelists, representing more than 100 authors and selling more than 150 novels every year to major publishers in the U.S. and overseas. Donald Maass's writing on fiction careers and advanced fiction technique have established DMLA as a leading agency for fiction writers.


All agents of the Donald Maass Literary Agency are members of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR). In addition to being members of the AAR, the agency also holds memberships in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Mystery Writers of America, and the Romance Writers of America.

Shelley Bates, William Bernhardt, Anne Bishop, Jim Butcher, Daniel Depp, Diane Duane, Jane Haddam, Nalo Hopkinson, Stuart Kaminsky, Richard Knaak, Kay Kenyon, Jay Lake, Todd McCaffrey, Robert McCammon, Anne Perry, Cherie Priest, Ken Scholes, Karl Schroeder, Brent Weeks.

New York Times best selling Victorian mysteries by Anne Perry.
New York Times best selling "Dresden Files" novels by Jim Butcher.
USA Today best selling "Black Jewels" books by Anne Bishop.
Edgard Award winning biography "Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle" by Daniel Stashower.
Edgard Award winning "The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes" by Leslie S. Klinger.
25-years-in-print "Young Wizards" YA novels by Diane Duane.

*** Congratulations to Anne Bishop! Shalador's Lady #14 - New York Times Hard Cover Best Seller List for 3/20/2011!

*** Congratulations to Anne Perry! Treason at Lisson Grove #20 - New York Times Hard Cover Best Seller List for 4/24/2011!

*** Congratulations to Jim Butcher! Ghost Story #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List for 8/14/2010 -- 7 Weeks on the List!

Selected Books of 2011:

Bateman, Sonya - Master and Apprentice (March)
Bennett, Robert Jackson - Company Man (April)
Bill, Frank - Crimes in Southern Indiana (August)
Bishop, Anne - Twilight's Dawn (March)
Brandon, Paula - The Traitor's Daughter (October)
Brightwell, Emily - Mrs. Jeffries Forges Ahead (May)
Butcher, Jim - Ghost Story (July)
Gilman, Laura Anne - The Shattered Vine (October)
Haddam, Jane - Flowering Judas (August)
Harrison, Thea - Dragon Bound (May)
Hurley, Kameron - Infidel (October)
Jacobs, John Hornor - Southern Gods
Lake, Jay - Endurance (November)
Lee, Sharon and Miller, Steve - Ghost Ship (August)
Murphy, C.E. - Wayfinder (September)
Okorafor, Nnedi - Akata Witch (April)
Perry, Anne - Acceptable Loss (August)
Pitts, John - Honeyed Words (July)
Priest, Cherie - Ganymede (September)
Sedia, Ekaterina - Heart of Iron (July)
Senft, Adina - The Wounded Heart (September)
Valentine, Genevieve - Mechanique (May)

Recent novel sales from Donald Maass: K. Bennett's Zombie Legal Thriller #1-3 (Kensington), Emily Brightwell's Mrs. Jeffries Mysteries #29-31 (Berkley), Tracey Devlyn's A Lady's Revenge (Sourcebooks), Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian Mysteries #26 & #27 (St. Martin's), Richard Knaak's Shadow Steed (S&S).

Recent sales by Jennifer Jackson include Saladin Ahmed's debut fantasy Throne of the Crescent Moon, set in an alternate medieval Middle-East (DAW); Adina Senft's Sunshine and Shadow series about three Amish women reconciling their faith with personal challenges (Hachette/Faith Words); Jim Butcher's Ghost Story, the next novel in the Dresden Files series (Penguin/Roc); Chris F. Holm's debut Dead Harvest, a paranormal noir adventure (Angry Robot); Anne Bishop's Blood Prophet, the first book of a new dark fantasy series (Penguin/Roc); Cherie Priest's Ganymede, next in the Clockwork Century series (Tor); Ekaterina Sedia's alternate Russian history, Heart of Iron (Prime Books).

Recent domestic sales from Cameron McClure include Robert Bennett's Mr. Shivers, a dark literary fantasy set during the Dust Bowl, plus a second book (Orbit), Carolyn Crooke's urban fantasy, The Disillusionists, plus a sequel (Bantam), and Emily Winslow's debut literary crime novel, The Whole World, plus a second book (Bantam Dell). Forthcoming books include Elizabeth Sims' The Extra (St. Martin's), David Sundstrand's Shadows of Death (St. Martin's), and Keith Sterns' Queers in History (BenBella Books).

* Audio rights to Ekaterina Sedia's The Secret History of Moscow, Alchemy of Stone, and House of Discarded Dreams (Audible)
* Audio rights to Kay Kenyon's The Entire and the Rose Quartet (Audible)
* Audio rights to Mike Shepherd's Kris Longknife series (Audible)

* French, Czech, German, Spanish, Polish rights to Cherie Priest's Boneshaker (Bibliotheque Interdite, Triton, Heyne, La Factoria de Ideas, Ksiaznica)
* Indonesian rights to Brent Weeks' The Way of Shadows (Ufuk Press)
* Greek rights to Brent Weeks' The Way of Shadows, Shadows Edge, Beyond the Shadows (Unknown Kadath)
* German rights to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files 7: Dead Beat (Feder & Schwert)
* Brazilian rights to Jim Butcher's Storm Front and Fool Moon (Underworld)
* Italian rights to Jim Butcher's Furies of Calderon and Academ's Fury (Rizzoli)
* Korean rights to Robert McCammon's Boy's Life and Swan Song (Sigonsa)
* Polish rights to Anne Bishop's Tangled Webs (Initium)
* German rights to Anne Bishop's Shalador's Lady (Heyne)
* Polish rights to Todd McCaffrey's Dragonsblood and Dragonheart (Ksiaznica)
* Hebrew rights to Laura Anne Gilman's Flesh and Fire (Graff Publishing)

* Film rights to Stuart Kaminsky's Abe Lieberman series optioned to Buzz Pix
* Film rights to Brian Francis Slattery's Liberation optioned to Craig Titley
* Film rights to Jeff Carlson's Plague Year optioned to Seven Seas Jim
* Film rights to Robert Sheckley's The Robot Who Looked Like Me optioned to Pan Antilles Trading Company and Company Films

Donald Maass is president of the Donald Maass Literary Agency, which he founded in 1980. He is himself the author of fourteen pseudonymous novels and of the books The Career Novelist (Heineman, 1996), Writing the Breakout Novel (Writers Digest Press, 2001) and the Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook (Writers Digest Press, 2004). Donald Maass also teaches week-long intensive workshops based on his books:

http://www.free-expressions.com/site/default.htm

Read an interview with Donald Maass:

http://www.maassagency.com/lookfor.html

Read an informative two-part interview with Donald Maass on Writer Unboxed:

http://writerunboxed.com/2007/11/30/interview-donald-maass-part-1/

http://writerunboxed.com/2007/12/07/interview-donald-maass-part-2/#more-757

Jennifer Jackson joined the Donald Maass Literary Agency of New York City in 1993. Growing up reading science fiction and fantasy led naturally to a concentration in that genre, which she continues to champion. She went on to pioneer the expansion of the agency into the areas of romance and women's fiction, and is developing her list in the mystery and suspense genres, as well as YA fiction. Her current roster includes New York Times best-selling fantasy writer Jim Butcher, Hugo Award winning science fiction author Elizabeth Bear, USA Today best-selling author Anne Bishop, and RITA Award Winner Shelley Bates. She is currently seeking new clients in all genres. She is interested in both new and established writers. Previously, she worked as a bookseller for Waldenbooks, and also for Forbidden Planet, the retail division of London's Titan Books. She maintains a personal website at http://www.jenniferjackson.org/ and blogs at http://arcaedia.wordpress.com/


Cameron McClure joined the Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2004. She represents literary/fantasy writer Brian Francis Slattery, and mystery writers David Sundstrand and Elizabeth Sims (both published by St. Martin's Minotaur), and is looking to expand her list in these areas. She is particularly interested in books that combine genre plotting with literary writing, or otherwise blur the lines between categories. Prior to the Maass Agency she worked as an assistant agent for Curtis Brown Ltd., New York.


Stacia Decker joined the Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2009. A former editor at Harcourt and Otto Penzler Books, she began her career at Farrar, Straus & Giroux after earning an MFA in nonfiction writing at Columbia University. She represents noir, crime fiction, literary suspense, literary fiction, and cross-genre fiction with speculative elements and is looking for a strong voice, dark humor, fast-paced plotting, and unpredictable violence. She is currently not accepting submissions.


Amy Boggs joined the agency in 2009. She is looking for fantasy and science fiction, especially urban fantasy, paranormal romance, steampunk, YA/children's, and alternate history. Historical fiction, multi-cultural fiction, Westerns, and works that challenge their genre are also welcome. She worked previously for the Beth Vesel Literary Agency and is a graduate of Vassar College.


Katie Shea joined the Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2011. She was previously an agent with the Johnson Literary Agency. She specializes in fiction and memoir, especially women’s fiction and commercial-scale literary fiction. She is also seeking memoir, narrative non-fiction, food, pop culture, health and lifestyle, and realistic YA. She is most interested in coming-of-age stories and stories of unique relationships. To query, email Katie at kshea@maassagency.com and include a synopsis and the first five pages pasted into the body of the email, no attachments please.

CHINA AND TAIWAN
Gray Tan
The Grayhawk Agency
grayhawk@url.com.tw

EASTERN EUROPE
Ana Milenkovic, Milena Lukic, Lidija Plisic
Prava i Prevodi
milena@pravaiprevodi.org

FRANCE
Anna Jarota
Anna Jarota Agency
ajarota@ajafr.com

GERMANY
Thomas Schlueck, Bastian Schlueck
Schlueck Literary Agency
b.schlueck@schlueckagent.com

ISRAEL
Mickey Pikarski, Dalia Ever-Hadani
I Pikarski Agency
dalia@pikarskiagency.co.il

ITALY
Elisabetta Romano, Stefania Fietta
Agenzia Letteraria Internazionale
fietta@aglettinternazionale.it

JAPAN
Seiichiro Shimono
Owls Agency
shimo@owlsagency.com

KOREA
Sue Yang, Jeannie Hwang
Eric Yang Agency
Jeannie@eyagency.com

RUSSIA
Alexander Korzhenevski
A. Korzhenevski Agency
alex.akagency@gmail.com

SCANDINAVIA
Lennart Sane, Lina Hammarling
Lennart Sane Agency, AB
lina.hammarling@lennartsaneagency.com

SOUTH AMERICA
Nicolas Costa, Flavia Sala
International Editors

SPAIN
Isabel Monteagudo, Maru du Monserrat
International Editors
ieco@internationaleditors.com

TURKEY
Hatice Gok
ONK Agency
hatice@onkagency.com

UNITED KINGDOM
Meg Davis
MBA Literary Agents
Meg@mbalit.co.uk

Donald Maass, President
Jennifer Jackson, Vice President
Cameron McClure, Agent and Rights Director
Stacia Decker, Agent
Amy Boggs, Agent and Contracts Director
Katie Shea, Agent

E-mail query letter with first five pages and synopsis to info@maassagency.com (no attachments). Or mail to address above, a one-page query letter, the first five pages of your manuscript, a synopsis, and an SASE. For more information see the submission guidelines on our webpage:

http://www.maassagency.com/submissions.html

MBA Literary Agents Ltd. (London)