Margaret Sutherland Brown

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

About

I'm a Vice President and literary agent at Folio representing literary and upmarket commercial fiction and narrative non-fiction.
Previously I was an agent at Emma Sweeney Agency, LLC, and transitioned to represent many of ESA's clients at Folio in January 2020. Before becoming an agent, I spent the first seven years of my career in editorial, primarily at Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press, where I worked on a wide range of fiction and non-fiction. As an agent, I use my insider knowledge of how a publishing house operates to my clients' advantage, and my editorial background informs how unusually closely and thoroughly I work with clients to develop a project before we ever submit to publishers. I'm proud to work with immensely talented authors, including NEW YORK TIMES bestsellers; winners of the Asian/ Pacific American Award in Literature, the National Jewish Book Award, the Ploughshares Emerging Writer Award; finalists for the National Book Award, the PEN/ Hemingway Award, the California Book Award, and the Women's Prize; Indie Next Pick and NYT Editor's Choice authors; and authors chosen for national book clubs such as Reese's Book Club, Book of the Month Club, Barnes & Noble Discovery, and Target.
I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, graduated from Wake Forest University as an English major with a double minor in journalism and Spanish, and now live in Brooklyn with my husband and two sons. When I'm not reading I love to take advantage of New York City's art, dance, theater, and restaurant scene. I also love to travel.
I'm grateful every day to have the privilege of supporting writers in their work of bringing into the world literature that describes, enriches and transforms our lives.

This agent may not respond to all queries. After waiting 60 days, assume your submission will not be accepted.

Country of Publication

United States

Professional Associations

Member of AALA

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

24 members set this agent as a Favorite.

Collapse section Fiction Open

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR:
Voice-driven, idiosyncratic and searing novels in the vein of the books of Melissa Broder, Rachel Cusk, Julia May Jonas (VLADIMIR), Katie Kitamura, Raven Leilani (LUSTER), Jenny Offill, Helen Phillips, Dana Spiotta, and Rachel Yoder (NIGHTBITCH)
Multi-generational, sweeping, and emotionally-engaging novels like Brit Bennett's THE MOTHERS, Miranda Cowley Heller's THE PAPER PALACE, Xochitl Gonzalez's OLGA DIES DREAMING, Tayari Jones' AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE, Rebecca Makkai's THE GREAT BELIEVERS, Torrey Peters' DETRANSITION, BABY, and Audrey Niffenegger's THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
Intelligent, witty, and fully-realized page-turners like the books of Rumaan Alam, Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan, Laura Dave, Patricia Lockwood's NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS, Kiley Reid's SUCH A FUN AGE, and Colson Whitehead's SAG HARBOR
Dark, spiky, psychologically-rich thrillers like the novels of Megan Abbott, Gillian Flynn, Katie Gutierrez, Jessica Knoll, and Gin Phillips (FIERCE KINGDOM)
Literary historical fiction that immerses its reader completely in another fascinating era: think the novels of Jo Baker, Esi Edugyan, Kaitlyn Greenidge, Janice Y.K. Lee, Hilary Mantel, Maggie O'Farrell, Maggie Shipstead, and Amor Towles
Fresh re-imaginings of mythology and fairy tales for adult readers, from Silvia Moreno-Garcia's MEXICAN GOTHIC to Madeleine Miller's CIRCE to Robin McKinley and Naomi Novik's novels

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General Subgenre: Historical
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres
Suspense/Thriller Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Novel

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Folklore/Mythology: Ancient mythologies, Fairy tales, See guidelines.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR:
Paradigm-shifting non-fiction with a sociological bent like Matthew Desmond's EVICTED, Jill Leovy's GHETTOSIDE, and the books of Peggy Orenstein and Bee Wilson
Narrative non-fiction with an inimitable take on contemporary life from a female perspective, as found in the books of Sloane Crosley and Nora Ephron as well as in Lauren Collins' WHEN IN FRENCH and Lisa Taddeo's THREE WOMEN
Illuminating books about parenting and family life, both narrative and prescriptive, like Angela Garbes LIKE A MOTHER, Julie Lythcott-Haims's HOW TO RAISE AN ADULT, Becky Kennedy's GOOD INSIDE, Eve Rodsky's FAIR PLAY, and Jennifer Senior's ALL JOY AND NO FUN

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Book

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Children/Family: Parenting/Child care.
Lifestyle: General, Cooking.
Sexuality/Gender: Women/Female issues.
Society/Culture: General, Social issues, See guidelines.

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 Margaret Sutherland Brown available.

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Margaret Sutherland Brown 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.

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Accuracy

We have received 1 report within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Pending

2 responses are pending (35 min | 137.0 mean avg | 137.0 median | 239 max days waiting | 144.2 std dev) from 2 different members

Other Information

The agent will try to make a decision within 60 days. (100.0 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 60 days.)
This agent may not respond to all queries. After waiting the time indicated above, assume your submission will not be accepted.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 05:49 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Dates

Last Updated: 08 Sep 2026

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