MARY AND LOU AND RHODA AND TED by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (Simon & Schuster, May 2013)

It is not enough to be a great writer. If you want your book to stand the test of time, you must also be a great storyteller. Whether the subject is history or nature, parenting or pop culture, science or sports, Laurie Abkemeier looks for a distinctive voice and a natural talent for artfully conveying ideas or skillfully crafting a narrative.

When it comes to memoir and narrative nonfiction, the subject matter should appeal to a proven book-buying audience (e.g. dog lovers, foodies, gardeners, armchair travelers), and the writing should be compelling enough to attract readers who aren't in that core audience. In other words, the book should be a great read.

For practical nonfiction, Laurie seeks out authors who have a specific expertise and/or national platform and a knack for writing entertaining prose no matter what the subject.

A successful editor who became an agent in 2003, Laurie specializes in nonfiction, but also takes on select children's picture books. She has placed more than 100 books with every major publisher, as well as mid-size publishers and small presses.

DeFiore and Company is a full service literary agency founded by Brian DeFiore and headquartered in New York's Flatiron District. Laurie is a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives.

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For a complete list of Laurie's authors and their books, CLICK HERE.

Memoir
MARLEY & ME: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan (William Morrow)
THE LONGEST TRIP HOME: A Memoir by John Grogan (William Morrow)
THE $64 TOMATO by William Alexander (Algonquin)
GLOBAL GIRLFRIENDS by Stacey Edgar (St. Martin's)
THE MINDFUL CARNIVORE: A Vegetarian's Hunt for Sustenance by Tovar Cerulli (Pegasus Books)

Narrative Nonfiction
BRETZ'S FLOOD by John Soennichsen (Sasquatch)
CC PYLE'S AMAZING FOOT RACE by Geoff Williams (Rodale)
ART SCHOOLED by Larry Witham (University Press of New England)
CHEER! Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by Kate Torgovnick (Touchstone)
**The basis for the drama series "Hellcats" on THE CW.

General Nonfiction
SO GOOD THEY CAN'T IGNORE YOU by Cal Newport (Grand Central/Business Plus)
WHAT A PLANT KNOWS by Daniel Chamovitz (Scientific American Books/FSG)
GRAMMAR SNOBS ARE GREAT BIG MEANIES by June Casagrande (Penguin)
MINIWEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION series by John Austin (Chicago Review Press)
BRIGHT SIDE UP by Amy Spencer (Perigee)
GRAMMAR GIRL'S 101 WORDS Series (St. Martin's Griffin)
WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron (Ten Speed Press)

Children's Picture Books
Laurie has overseen the bestselling series of children's picture books based on John Grogan's MARLEY & ME. They include the #1 New York Times bestsellers BAD DOG, MARLEY! and A VERY MARLEY CHRISTMAS, the top-5 New York Times bestsellers MARLEY GOES TO SCHOOL and MARLEY AND THE KITTENS, and an extension program that includes more than a dozen I Can Read's, Lift-the-Flap books, Touch-and-Feel books, a boxed set, a treasury, and a sticker book.

Published in 2013 (so far)
PICASSO AND THE CHESS PLAYER by Larry Witham (University Press of New England)
WASHED AWAY by Geoff Williams (Pegasus Books)
SLOW FAMILY LIVING by Bernadette Noll with an Introduction by Carrie Contey, Ph.D. (Perigee)
SEXY FEMINISM by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong and Heather Wood Rudúlph (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books)
ONCE UPON A FLOCK by Lauren Scheuer (Atria Books)
DEERLAND by Al Cambronne (Lyons Press)
MINIWEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION 3 by John Austin (Chicago Review Press)
MARY AND LOU AND RHODA AND TED by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (Simon & Schuster)

Narrative Nonfiction
PIERO'S LIGHT by Larry Witham (Sold to Pegasus Books)
SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY by Kristen Green (Sold to Harper)
STRIKING GRIDIRON by Greg Nichols (Sold to Thomas Dunne Books)
A NEW LEAF by Alyson Martin and Nushin Rashidian (Sold to The New Press)
UNTITLED ON SEINFELD by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (Sold to Simon & Schuster)
PIN ACTION by Gianmarc Manzione (Sold to Pegasus Books)

General Nonfiction
SHADY CHARACTERS by Keith Houston (Sold to W.W. Norton)
HOPE CONQUERS ALL by Sona Mehring (Sold to Center Street)
WHY SOME PEOPLE HAVE ALL THE LUCK (Sold to Portfolio)
BRINGING HOME BHUTAN by Linda Leaming (Sold to Hay House)

Memoir
WHERE DO GAYBIES COME FROM? by Jerry Mahoney (Sold to Taylor Trade)

Science and Nature
THE BERLIN PATIENTS by Nathalia Holt, Ph.D. (Sold to Dutton)
SMALL by Catherine Musemeche, M.D. (Sold to University Press of New England)

Parenting and Education
THE GIFT OF FAILURE by Jessica Lahey (Sold to Harper)
EXPERIMENTING WITH BABIES by Shaun Gallagher (Sold to Perigee)
B+ GRADES, A+ COLLEGE APPLICATION by Joie Jager-Hyman, Ed.D. (Sold to Ten Speed Press)
YOUR PERSONAL ESSAY TUTOR by Ashley Wellington (Sold to Ten Speed Press)

Psychology
THE SCIENCE OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Ty Tashiro, Ph.D. (Sold to Harlequin Nonfiction)
THE COMMITMENT EQUATION by Heidi Reeder, Ph.D. (Sold to Hudson Street Press)

Humor/Impulse
I'D RATHER BE SHORT by Becky Murphy (Sold to Plume)
CORRELATED by Shaun Gallagher (Sold to Perigee)
UNTITLED ON MIDLIFE by Jenna McCarthy (Sold to Berkley)

Practical Nonfiction
EVERY DAY IS ELECTION DAY by Rebecca Sive (Sold to Chicago Review Press)
THE BEST PUNCTUATION BOOK, PERIOD by June Casagrande (Sold to Ten Speed Press)
PAINTING YOUR WAY OUT OF A CORNER by Barbara Diane Barry (Sold to Tarcher)
THE 24-HOUR GENIUS by Eric Epstein (Sold to InterMix/Berkley)
THE HAPPY LIFE CHECKLIST by Amy Spencer (Sold to Perigee)
MINIWEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION 4 by John Austin (Sold to Chicago Review Press)
DIY SURVIVAL SECRETS by Joey Green (Sold to Chicago Review Press)

Children's Picture Books
LOLA KNOWS A LOT by Jenna McCarthy (Sold to HarperCollins Children's in a two-book deal)
FETCH! and NEST by Jorey Hurley (Sold to Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster Children's in a two-book deal)

Dramatic rights to MARLEY & ME to FOX 2000 in an outright purchase, in conjunction with Matthew Snyder at CAA. Film released on December 25, 2008, and spent two weeks as the #1 movie in the country--surpassing the $100 million mark in its first ten days.

Television rights to Kate Torgovnick's CHEER!: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders, optioned to Warner Bros Television and Tom Welling Productions for development as a drama series for the CW, with Kevin Murphy attached to write, in conjunction with CAA. Picked up by The CW as "Hellcats" for a full season run.

Calendar rights for The Washington Post Magazine's THE PEEPS SHOW, for 2013 and 2014, to Workman Publishing.

Originally from northern California, Laurie Abkemeier graduated in 1992 from Wells College with a degree in communications and promptly began her publishing career as an editorial assistant in the Touchstone/Fireside division at Simon & Schuster. In 1994, she moved to Hyperion where she was responsible for five New York Times bestsellers and many national bestsellers. In 2003, she joined DeFiore and Company as a literary agent. Read more about Laurie and learn how you can connect with her here.

DeFiore and Company actively markets its titles through an extensive network of sub-agents who specialize in dramatic and foreign rights.

UK/Australia/NZ: Aitken Alexander Associates, Ltd.
Foreign: visit our agency website for a complete list of contacts.

DeFiore and Company: Brian DeFiore, Founder and Principle; Agents: Kate Garrick, Matthew Elblonk, Caryn Karmatz Rudy, Meredith Kaffel, Adam Schear (Foreign Rights Director), Rebecca Strauss

Laurie Abkemeier accepts only email queries (attachments will not be read unless requested). Please include the word "QUERY" and your book title in the subject line, and send to LMA (at) defioreandco.com. Submissions need not be exclusive, and response time is between 2 hours and two weeks. [NOTE: Laurie is not currently considering new clients for fiction, and if you call your manuscript "a novel," that implies fiction. She is also not considering screenplays or poetry collections.]