HOW TO BE A HIGH SCHOOL SUPERSTAR by Cal Newport (Broadway, July 2010)

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 (often humorous) prose no matter what the subject.

A successful editor who became an agent in 2003, Laurie represents nonfiction exclusively. She has placed more than fifty books with Abrams, Algonquin, Atria, Ballantine, Broadway, Citadel Press/Kensington, William Morrow, HarperCollins, Globe Pequot/Lyons Press, Hay House, Three Rivers/Crown, Perigee, Penguin, Berkley, NAL, Mariner/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Touchstone/Fireside, Rodale, Running Press, Sasquatch, St. Martin's Press, Ten Speed, Wiley, and Warner/Grand Central (Hachette).

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.

You can follow her on Twitter HERE and see the AGENT OBVIOUS TIP OF THE DAY.

And then download the AGENT OBVIOUS app that gives authors, editors, and agents one-touch access to hundreds of tips about the publishing biz. Free for the iPhone/iPod Touch at the iTunes store.

Kyria Abrahams, Maggie Arana & Julienne Davis, John Austin, Chris Balish, Craig Boreth, Laura Brodie (represented by Gail Hochman for fiction), June Casagrande, Tovar Cerulli, Stacey Edgar, Mignon Fogarty, Elina Furman, Sunny Sea Gold, John Grogan, Jarrett Hallcox & Amy Welch, Linda York Leaming, Jenna McCarthy, Lisa Earle McLeod, Joy Meredith, Cal Newport, Adam Ruben, Marina Koestler Ruben, Courtney E. Smith, John Soennichsen, Amy Spencer, Kate Torgovnick, Vivian Wagner, Geoff Williams, Larry Witham, John Zeaman, and "Team Ugly" (Brian Miller, Adam Paulson, and Kevin Wool)

THE LONGEST TRIP HOME: A Memoir by John Grogan (William Morrow)
MARLEY & ME: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan (William Morrow)
MARLEY: A Dog Like No Other by John Grogan (Collins, middle-grade reader)
BAD DOG, MARLEY!, A VERY MARLEY CHRISTMAS, MARLEY GOES TO SCHOOL, and MARLEY AND THE KITTENS by John Grogan (HarperCollins Children's)

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THE $64 TOMATO by William Alexander (Algonquin)

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GRAMMAR SNOBS ARE GREAT BIG MEANIES and MORTAL SYNTAX by June Casagrande (Penguin)
IT WAS THE BEST OF SENTENCES, IT WAS THE WORST OF SENTENCES by June Casagrande (Ten Speed)

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LIVE FROM DEATH VALLEY by John Soennichsen (Sasquatch)
BRETZ'S FLOOD by John Soennichsen (Sasquatch, 2008)

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HOW TO IRON YOUR OWN DAMN SHIRT by Craig Boreth (Three Rivers Press)
HOW TO FEEL MANLY IN A MINIVAN by Craig Boreth (St. Martin's Press)

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HOW TO WIN AT COLLEGE, HOW TO BECOME A STRAIGHT A STUDENT and HOW TO BE A HIGH SCHOOL SUPERSTAR by Cal Newport (Broadway)

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PRANK UNIVERSITY by John Austin (Three Rivers Press)
CUBICLE WARFARE: 101 Office Traps and Pranks by John Austin (Collins)

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HOW TO LIVE WELL WITHOUT OWNING A CAR by Chris Balish (Ten Speed Press)

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MY LAST WISHES... by Joy Meredith (Collins)

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BOOMERANG NATION and KISS AND RUN by Elina Furman (Fireside)

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IVY BRIEFS by Martha Kimes (Atria)

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C.C. PYLE'S AMAZING FOOT RACE by Geoff Williams (Rodale)

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CHEER! Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by Kate Torgovnick (Touchstone)

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BODIES WE'VE BURIED by Jarrett Hallcox & Amy Welch (Berkley)

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I'M PERFECT, YOU'RE DOOMED: Tales from a Jehovah's Witness Upbringing by Kyria Abrahams (Touchstone)

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MEETING YOUR HALF-ORANGE by Amy Spencer (Running Press)

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THE TRIANGLE OF TRUTH by Lisa Earle McLeod (Perigee)

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LIVING WELL WITH BAD CREDIT by Chris Balish and Geoff Williams (HCI Books)

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LOVE IN A TIME OF HOMESCHOOLING by Laura Brodie (Harper)

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FIDDLE: One Woman, Four Strings, and 8,000 Miles of Music by Vivian Wagner (Citadel Press/Kensington)

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SURVIVING YOUR STUPID, STUPID DECISION TO GO TO GRAD SCHOOL by Adam Ruben (Broadway)

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GLOBAL GIRLFRIENDS by Stacey Edgar (Sold to St. Martin's)

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MARRIED TO BHUTAN by Linda York Leaming (Sold to Hay House)

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DOG WALKS MAN: A Six-Legged Odyssey by John Zeaman (Sold to Lyons Press; UK rights to Octopus)

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FOOD: THE GOOD GIRL'S DRUG: How to Stop Using Food to Control Your Feelings by Sunny Sea Gold (Sold to Berkley)

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STOP CALLING HIM "HONEY" ...AND START HAVING SEX! by Maggie Arana and Julienne Davis (Sold to HCI)

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TRICK OR TREAT, MARLEY! by John Grogan, Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey (Sold to HarperCollins Children's)

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IF IT WAS EASY, THEY'D CALL THE WHOLE DAMN THING A HONEYMOON by Jenna McCarthy (Sold to Berkley)

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RECORD COLLECTING FOR GIRLS by Courtney E. Smith (Sold to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Mariner Books)

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THE UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER PARTY BOOK by Brian Miller, Adam Paulson, and Kevin Wool--aka Team Ugly (Sold to Abrams Image)

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HOW TO TUTOR YOUR OWN CHILD by Marina Koestler Ruben (Sold to Ten Speed Press)

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MINIWEAPONS 2: Secret Agents and Espionage by John Austin (Sold to Chicago Review Press)

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ART SCHOOLED by Larry Witham (Sold to University Press of New England)

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THE MINDFUL CARNIVORE: A Vegetarian's Hunt for Sustenance by Tovar Cerulli (forthcoming from Pegasus Books)

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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. Recently picked up by The CW as "Hellcats," which will air on Wednesdays at 9:00 PT/ET this fall.

Dramatic rights to HOW TO FEEL MANLY IN A MINIVAN to Five Star Pictures, in conjunction with Matthew Snyder at CAA. Property in Development.

Dramatic rights to John Austin's PRANK UNIVERSITY and CUBICLE WARFARE to Ish Entertainment. Property in Development.

Calendar rights for John Austin's MINIWEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION to Orange Circle for a 2012 wall calendar.

Originally from California, Laurie Abkemeier began her publishing career in 1992 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, including BRAIN DROPPINGS by George Carlin, ROCK THIS! by Chris Rock, NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO PROBLEM! by Jeff Foxworthy, and FIRST PERSON PLURAL: My Life as a Multiple by Cameron West, Ph.D. Some of the dozens of other books she acquired and edited include the Business Week bestseller HOW TO BECOME CEO by Jeffrey Fox, POLISH YOUR FURNITURE WITH PANTY HOSE by Joey Green, WHAT NO ONE TELLS THE BRIDE by Marg Stark, SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK! THE OFFICIAL GUIDE by George Newall and Tom Yohe, THE HIP MAMA SURVIVAL GUIDE by Ariel Gore, and LIVING THE SIMPLE LIFE by Elaine St. James. She has worked as a literary agent specializing in nonfiction since 2003.

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: Andrew Nurnberg Associates et al

Visit www.defioreandco.com for a complete list of contacts.

DeFiore and Company: Brian DeFiore, Founder and Principle; Agents: Kate Garrick, Debra Goldstein, Laura Nolan, Matthew Elblonk, Karen Gerwin, Adam Korn, and Caryn Karmatz Rudy; Adam Schear, Foreign Rights Director; Dana Hamilton, Office Assistant

Laurie Abkemeier strongly prefers to be queried in a brief email (attachments will not be read unless requested). Please include the word "QUERY" and your book title in the subject line. Submissions need not be exclusive, and response time is between one hour and three weeks. If you must query by snail mail, include an SASE for response only, which may take one month or more. Return of materials cannot be guaranteed. [NOTE: Laurie is not currently considering fiction, and if you call your manuscript "a novel," that implies fiction. She is also not considering children's books, screenplays, or poetry.]