If you’re an author in Connecticut looking for a publishing house in the state that accepts unsolicited manuscripts directly from writers, you may find one of these 19 top book publishing companies in Connecticut to be suitable for your book.
However, if you want to approach a large publishing house with your book as you believe you have a potential bestseller on your hands, one of the following 4 top literary agents in Connecticut might be able to help you get a publishing contract.
1. Denise Marcil
Founder of Denise Marcil Literary Agency, LLC and Vice-President of Marcil-O’Farrell Literary, LLC, Denise Marcil started her career at Avon Books and Simon and Schuster, Inc. in their editorial section where she gained her first experience in editing books, finding writers with great potential and in contract negotiation. She subsequently started Denise Marcil Literary Agency, LLC in 1977. Her experience in literary representation spans across both commercial fiction and nonfiction and she has represented hundreds of authors who have gone on to become bestselling writers, and has guided many in developing successful careers.
Currently, Denise represents authors through Marcil-O’Farrell Literary, LLC, which she co-founded with Anne Marie O’Farrell and focuses on developing new author brands. Her current emphasis is on representing inspirational and informational books and is looking for self-help works, health and wellness books, how-to books, pop psychology books, motivation, personal growth, education and human behavior.
If you’re interested in querying Denise, you need to have substantial offline and online platforms, and a have a busy schedule for speaking at events and/or giving seminars. If you fit this criteria, the first thing to do is to email a 200 words maximum query letter (written into the body of email) and send this to dmla@denisemarcilagency.com. Don’t forget to mention how you heard about Marcil-O’Farrell Literary, LLC, whether that maybe through an online search, or through a referral by a close associate, or through meeting Denise or her business partner Anne Marie at a conference. You can find full submission guidelines here.
2. Gina Panettieri
Gina Panettieri is President of Talcott Notch Literary Services, LLC and also a literary agent at this organization. An individual with a real passion for discovering talented writers and the books they’ve written, Gina represents a variety of genres such as nonfiction in the form of books about history, self-help, business, parenting, true crime, travel, memoirs, cookbooks and gardening. She is also interested in fiction such as paranormal stories, horror, urban fantasy, women’s fiction, mysteries, suspense, thrillers, and science fiction.
If you would like to make a submission to Gina, you need to email a query letter that is 1-2 pages in length and the first 10 pages of your book. More specifically, if you’re making a submission for fiction, in your query, you need to include the genre of your book, the length of your manuscript in words, information about whether your book is one for adults or children, and a short overview of the main plot of your book and its core characters. For a nonfiction submission, your query needs to include the subject of you book (e.g. business, memoir, gardening etc.), the expected word count of the finished manuscript, your qualifications, a book proposal, a chapter as a sample and a realistic estimate of how long it will take to finish your book. Do ensure you read the query guidelines carefully before emailing your submission to Gina at gpanettieri@talcottnotch.net.
3. Marilyn Allen
A literary agent and co-founder of Allen O-Shea Literary Agency, Marilyn Allen’s sales and marketing experience in the publishing industry spans across 30 years. Her previous roles have included working at HarperCollins as Associate Director, Director of Marketing and Senior Vice-President, and also holding senior sales and marketing positions at Avon Books, Simon & Schuster and Penguin Books.
Marilyn is also co-author of the book entitled The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Book Proposals & Query Letters, which she wrote with Coleen O-Shea, her business partner. Marilyn has worked with famous authors such as Barbara Kingsolver, Stephen King, and Ken Follett, among others. At the moment, Marilyn, represents a number of nonfiction writers; these also include New York Times bestselling authors.
If you would like to query Marilyn who also co-founded of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, she is interested in nonfiction books belonging to the following categories: health and wellness, lifestyle, cooking and nutrition, science, sports, parenting, pop culture, finance, crafts, gifts, history, politics and business. You need to send a query letter 1 page long via email, ensuring the letter explains how your book is unique, your experience and qualifications for writing on the topic of your book, your existing publications on the chosen topic of your book, your presence on social media platforms, and your list of workshops and speaking events you have run/given, along with any awards or acknowledgements you have received for your writing. Take a look here for further details and send your query to marilyn@allenoshea.com.
4. Jeanne Fredericks
Jeanne Fredericks started Jeanne Fredericks Literary Agency, Inc. in 1997. She has an MBA in Marketing from New York University, and before starting her own agency, she held positions as a literary agent and acting director at Susan P. Urstadt, Inc, as Managing Director of the trade division at Macmillan Publishing and Acquisitions Director at the same organization, and at Ziff-Davis Books as Editorial Director. She has also spoken at various national writer conferences and is a member of The Association of Author’s Representatives and Authors Guild.
If you would like to make a nonfiction submission to Jeanne who has represented more than 75 authors, you can do so providing your book is a unique body of work that provides high quality information that is authoritative for a significant amount of people who need it, you’re an expert in the subject of your book and you’ve been featured across traditional media outlets, or have a substantial social media following. Books represented by Jeanne can belong to any of the following categories: nature, animals, pets, medicine, health, science, integrative health, business, gardening, real estate, home, antiques, cookbooks, sports, fine arts, crafts, sports, fitness, recreation, parenting, self-help, inspirational, history, psychology and biographies. Take a look at the page for more details and to learn about how you can make a submission to Jeanne.
Do you know of other literary agents in Connecticut? Tell us about them in the comments box below!
Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis.