Elise Howard

An agent with DeFiore and Company (see other agents at this agency).

About

Prior to joining DeFiore & Company, Elise Howard was the founding publisher of Algonquin Young Readers, an imprint of Workman Publishing, which she led from 2011 to 2022. Elise was previously SVP and associate publisher at HarperCollins Children's Books, where she oversaw the publication of many award-winning and bestselling books. Some of the authors she has worked with include Masuma Ahuja, Avi, Tracey Baptiste, Kelly Barnhill, Sara Farizan, Kelly Jensen, and Nova Ren Suma. Books she has edited have won the Newbery Medal twice, the Edgar Allen Poe Award for best juvenile novel twice, and many other awards and honors. She began her career as a book packager, conceiving, selling to publishers, and developing juvenile and adult fiction and non-fiction projects.
As an agent, Elise is looking for new favorites— hers, an editor’s, and ultimately the reader’s: juvenile and adult fiction and eye-opening narrative non-fiction, particularly stories of the natural world, visible or invisible, including the human mind and body, or of people and events previously overlooked. Elise is not looking for adult genre fiction. She is taking on a select group of illustrators.

This agent may not respond to all queries. After waiting 56 days, assume your submission will not be accepted.

Country

United States

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

4 members set this agent as a Favorite.

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Detective

Lengths:

Novel

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Book

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Nature/Environment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

No recent cover image of a book represented by Elise Howard available.

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Elise Howard Submission Statistics

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Accuracy

We have received 1 report within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Other Information

The agent will try to make a decision within 56 days. (100.0 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 56 days.)
This agent may not respond to all queries. After waiting the time indicated above, assume your submission will not be accepted.
Date compiled: 05 Sep 2026 23:14 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Dates

Last Updated: 01 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.