Pulling the Curtain Back on How Literary Agents Work

Charlotte Readers Podcast

In this episode 381, we have a special feature for writers (or curious readers): a double interview with two literary agents about the business and process of being an agent for authors. Jamie Chambliss of Folio Literary Management and Kristina Sutton Lennon of Focused Artists share a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what it is like to work with a literary agent and how they do their work, such as what they look for in clients, how they sign and pitch books, their thoughts on the current state of publishing, and more.
Show discussion highlights:
● How and why someone becomes a literary agent
● The nuts and bolts of what agents do for authors
● The fine print in publishing contracts
● How they find clients
● Their processes for working with authors
● Their tastes–who they like to represent and why
● What does publishing want?
● Predictions for the future of the publishing industry
Book Recommendations:
Landis recommends:
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Sarah recommends:
Louisa May Alcott: An Intimate Anthology
Kristina recommends:
In a League of Her Own by Bonnie-Jill Laflin
Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Jamie recommends:
The Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger
The Divorcées by Rowan Beaird
Guest Bios:
Jamie Chambliss
Jamie Chambliss is an agent with Folio Literary Management. Her clients include Lara Prescott, Lauren Hough, Tom Vitale, and Rachel Rodgers. Prior to joining Folio, she was with Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, working on both fiction and nonfiction and in editorial and marketing, and also previously worked as a magazine journalist. She’s a graduate of Wake Forest University and has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Learn more at https://www.foliolit.com/agent/jamie-chambliss-pLZG4.
Kristina Sutton Lennon
Kristina Sutton Lennon is a bilingual, Latiné media executive and the CEO/Co-Founder of Focused Artists, where she serves as a literary agent and manager for clients in the book and film worlds. She previously served as a film/tv agent and the Director of the Louisiana Division for a talent agency headquartered in Atlanta, and was recently Director of Media Rights at Context Literary Agency. She currently serves as a Talent Manager for Citizen Skull. In 2022, Publishers Weekly named her a Star Watch Honoree.  
Learn more at https://www.focusedartists.com/.
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