Pitch Slam of Non Fiction Editors and Agents (Session)

Ever wondered what makes an agent or editor keep reading a query or pitch letter? Or what makes a best-seller and what’s a flop in the book world? Journalists with passion for a topic and experience covering it are perfectly positioned to pitch non-fiction books. Get real-time feedback from editors and agents actively looking for non-fiction book ideas–from memoirs to biographies of thought leaders, plus guides to a variety of topics–in this fun, pitch-style session. Details will be forthcoming this fall about how to submit your idea for consideration.

This is a recording of a session originally presented at ASJA’s 2022 Fall Conference.

Susan Shapiro, moderator, freelances for the NY Times, Washington Post, WSJ, LA, NY Magazine, Salon, Elle, Oprah, Wired, and New Yorker online. She’s the bestselling author/coauthor of several books her family hates like Five Men Who Broke My Heart, Lighting Up, Unhooked and her recent memoir The Forgiveness Tour. She lives in Manhattan where she uses her writing/publishing guides The Book Bible and Byline Bible to teach her popular “instant gratification takes too long” courses at The New School, NYU, Columbia University and in private classes -now online. Follow her on Twitter at @susanshapironet or Instagram at @Profsue123

Cara Bedick (Chronicle Prism, an imprint of Chronicle Books) brings an unmatched level of enthusiasm and entrepreneurship to her projects, resulting in numerous bestsellers, including The Little Book of Hygge, Fit Men Cook, and Intuitive Eating for Every Day. She is currently working with journalist Emily Grosvenor on Find Yourself at Home, a conscious approach to shaping your space and your life.

Cherise Fisher (Wendy Sherman Associates Literary Management) began her career in publishing more than 25 years ago. Over the course of her career as an acquiring editor at Simon & Schuster and Editor in Chief of Plume (an imprint of Penguin Random House), she has edited and published several national bestselling and award winning authors. As an agent, she is interested in working with novelists who have multiple compulsively readable yarns in their head (both historical and contemporary), memoirists who showcase the diversity of human experience, and non-fiction writers who seek to provoke, inspire, and educate. Her intention is that all the books she helps bring into the world are relevant, enduring, and help readers maximize their life.

Victoria Savanh is an acquisitions editor publishing commercial business books at Wiley with a decade of trade publishing experience. She was previously at Penguin and Tin House and while attending Portland State University, was a bookseller at Barnes & Noble. At Penguin, she worked on numerous bestselling and award-winning titles. She is based in Portland, Oregon and formerly lived in New York City.

Regina Brooks is the founder and president of Serendipity Literary Agency, the largest African American owned agency in the US. She represents award-winning clients in adult and young adult fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature. Brooks was Publishers Weekly 2015 Starwatch Honoree and Writer’s Digest magazine named Serendipity Literary Agency as one of the top 25 literary agencies. She is the author of Essences Magazine’s quick pick children’s book, Never Finished Never Done, Writing Great Books for Young Adults, and You Should Really Really Write a Book: How to Write Sell and Market Your Memoir. She has been highlighted in several national and international magazines and periodicals, including Publishers Weekly, New York Times, Forbes, LA Times Essence Magazine, Writers Digest Magazine, and a host of others. Brooks was named Woman of the Year by The National Association of Professional Women, and is a winner Stevie Award for Women Entrepreneurs. She is currently the Vice President of the Association of American Literary Agents, a board member of the Association of a Writers and Writing Programs, and a member of the Council for the National Book Foundation. @SerendipityLit @reginalbrooks