Agent Interview: Jody Kahn

Voice, characters, depth

Colum McCann, Donna Tart, Nicole Krauss, Curtis Sittenfeld, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Sheila Heti, Jenny Offill, Meg Wolitzer, Russell Banks, Maggie Nelson, Allison Bechdel, Leslie Jamison, John Irving, Gary Shteyngart, Jennifer Egan, Kurt Vonnegut, Frederick Reiken, David Grann, Erik Larson, Colson Whitehead, Junot Diaz, and on and on...

I enjoy the editorial process and often work closely with authors to edit and tighten their manuscripts before going out to publishers. I'm also very communicative, honest, and I strive to be thoughtful and kind.

Do your research! I don't usually represent YA or MG, sci-fi or fantasy, so it's not great use of an author's time to approach me with those kinds of books.

The ideal query letter will introduce the book title and genre (literary fiction, upmarket fiction, historical fiction, etc) and will offer a brief synopsis of what the book is about: the who, what, when, where, and why--the "why" being very important--and will also tell us, thematically, what the book is about. What happens to the characters, but also, what are some of the bigger ideas that the book will have readers thinking about? The letter should also offer some accurate comp titles, and a bio that lists any credentials--where you've been published, if you have an MFA, etc.

I want to know about their background as a writer, as well as a little information about what's important in that writer's personal life. I do want to know just a sentence or two that helps me see that writer as a unique person, beyond their craft.