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Lucinda Halpern

An agent with Lucinda Literary (see other agents at this agency).

About

Lucinda Halpern is a literary agent, author, and founder of Lucinda Literary, a boutique agency specializing in fiction and nonfiction by leading experts and cultural voices.

With two decades of experience spanning New York publishing and media, Lucinda operates at the intersection of intellectual rigor, commercial viability, and long-term author partnership. She is known for working deeply with authors from the ground up—helping them sharpen their ideas, define their audience, and build books that perform in the marketplace.

Lucinda began her career in the Publicity Division of HarperCollins, contributing to campaigns for New York Times bestselling authors including Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt (Freakonomics). She later joined Scholastic’s Marketing Partnerships Division, where she developed custom publishing and content initiatives for Fortune 500 companies and global nonprofits—marketing experience that continues to inform her knowledge of building brands and businesses out of books.

She went on to represent authors at Fletcher & Company (now United Talent Agency), where she served as a marketing consultant to Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project).

Today, Lucinda represents New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and internationally bestselling authors writing in business, health, psychology, popular science, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and upmarket fiction. Her clients include Dan Martell (Buy Back Your Time), novelist Jayne Allen (Black Girls Must Die Exhausted), Susan Peirce Thompson (Bright Line Eating), Chris Bailey (The Productivity Project, Hyperfocus), Cait Flanders (The Year of Less), Paul Jarvis (Company of One), and Jake Wood (Once a Warrior), among others. She also represents leading collaborators and ghostwriters such as Nicola Kraus (The Nanny Diaries), working at the highest echelons of trade publishing.

Lucinda is the author of Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author (Hay House / Penguin Random House, 2024), endorsed by Adam Grant as “the definitive guide to attracting an agent and laying the groundwork for a book worth publishing.” The book distills her 3-pronged framework for helping authors create groundbreaking books and long-lasting publishing careers.

This agent may not respond to all queries. After waiting 14 days, assume your submission will not be accepted.

Country

United States

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Collapse section Fiction Open

I am currently seeking:

Upmarket fiction that’s cinematic, emotionally resonant, and story-driven—especially family dramas, coming-of-age arcs, or underrepresented perspectives (think Celeste Ng, Liane Moriarty)

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Novel

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

I’m currently seeking:

• Narrative nonfiction with a unique lens, lived experience, or cultural insight (e.g., clients Michelle Dowd, Nancy Schwartzman, Julien and Kiersten Saunders)

• Self-help and thought leadership from credentialed experts (PhDs, MDs, founders) with platform and original frameworks (e.g., clients Dan Martell, Ron Friedman, Chris Bailey)

• Business and investigative nonfiction in the style of Uncanny Valley, Careless People, or Bad Blood.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Book

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream, Personal.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Business/Finance.
Health/Medicine.
Lifestyle.
Memoir.
Science.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

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

Agent Impersonation Scams are becoming commonplace.
A legitimate agent will not contact you and request money to represent you. Never pay an agent an up-front fee. That is not how literary agent representation works. Agents earn a commission only after they've landed a publishing deal for you. Also, agents scarcely ever contact writers. If an agent that you haven't queried contacts you about representation, be suspicious. Look up the agent and check if the email address is correct for that agent/agency.

Lucinda Halpern Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the agency or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:
Accuracy:
We have not received any complete reports within the past 12 months.
Pending
1 response is pending (8 days waiting). This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The agent will try to make a decision within 14 days.
This agent may not respond to all queries. After waiting the time indicated above, assume your submission will not be accepted.

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the agent or agency being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the agent/agency meets your standards.

  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the agency/agent.
  • Unless the agency's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • For agency submissions, it is standard to submit a query letter and sample instead of the full manuscript. Do this unless otherwise instructed.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 05 Oct 2026

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

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