Maria Carvainis established Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc. in 1977 after spending more than ten years in the publishing industry as an editor with Macmillan Publishing, Basic Books, Avon Books and Crown Publishers.

The agency represents both fiction and nonfiction with special interest in general fiction/mainstream, literary fiction, mystery and suspense, thrillers, historicals, contemporary women’s fiction, biography and memoir, history, business, finance, psychology, and popular science.

Maria Carvainis Agency views the author’s editorial needs and career development as integral components of the literary agent’s role, in addition to the negotiation of intricate contracts. Some seventy plus authors are represented by the agency under the aegis of Maria Carvainis and Donna Bagdasarian.

Donna Bagdasarian is a native New Englander who grew up in the suburbs of Boston. After graduating cum laude from Boston University she pursued her Master’s degree in Literature and Philosophy, while editing the prestigious philological journal, Arion. Tired of the Ivory Tower, she left academia to join Addison Wesley Longman as a mathematics textbook acquisitions editor.

Wanting to get back to working with books that she was passionate about, Donna moved to New York City in 1998 and joined the legendary William Morris Mailroom as an Agent Trainee. Quickly climbing out of the mailroom, she worked as the assistant to the notable literary agent Mel Berger for two years before she herself was promoted, all in record time.

Experienced selling high-profile fiction and nonfiction as an agent, Donna joined Vigliano Associates in 2002, bringing her academic, editing and agenting skills together with her passion to represent and sell incredible authors and books.

After selling many notable and bestselling books while at Vigliano Associates, Donna decided it was time to strike out on her own, forming DMB Literary in 2003, where she represents well-known and published authors, ranging from literary fiction to political nonfiction.

Having joined Maria Carvainis Agency in the fall of 2004, Donna brings not just her client list but her experience in managing a boutique agency to compliment the agency’s notable stable of best-selling authors. Donna is particularly interested in almost all fiction: literary, women’s, historical, mainstream, ethnic, with the exceptions of sci-fi and fantasty. Her interests in non-fiction range from pop-culture to sociological, scientific, political and memoir.

The Maria Carvainis Agency represents a list of notable NYT best-selling authors, including Sandra Brown, Mary Balogh, PJ Parrish, Cindy Gerard, Rhonda Pollero, Will Thomas and Samantha James.

YOU DIDN'T HEAR IT FROM US: Two Bartenders Serve Women the Truth about Men, Making an Impression, and Getting What You Want by Dushan Zaric and Jason Kosmas, owners/bartenders of the famed restaurant, Employees Only in NYC's West Village.LUCREZIA BORGIA by John Faunce; BETSY AND THE EMPEROR, BLACK POWDER, and CURSE OF THE ROMANOVS by Staton Rabin; HONKU by Aaron Naparstek; BREATHING OUT by Peggy Lipton; the Spy Series by Nita Abrams; BITE by C.J. Tosh.

Next three books in Rhonda Pollero's FAT series (KNOCK OFF) to Maggie Crawford at Pocket Books; the next title in Rhonda Pollero's (writing as Kelsey Roberts) long-standing ROSE TATTOO series to Harlequin; MANSTROLOGY by Ophira and Tali Edut to Deb Werksman at Sourcebooks; Janet Mitchell's debut fiction collection, THE LAST OF THE DAY'S LIGHT, to Ted Pelton at Starcherone Books.

We request that all submissions be sent via post in hard copy with a query plus short sample. All submissions/queries will be responded to within 6-8 weeks, ideally.