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Betsy Amster 57

An agent with Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises

About

Before opening the agency, principal Betsy Amster spent ten years as an editor at Pantheon and Vintage and two years as editorial director of the Globe Pequot Press. She has been described in the Los Angeles Times as “a dogged prospector of…literary talent” and celebrated in a profile in the American Society of Journalists and Authors newsletter for her “no-nonsense style and whimsical sense of humor.” She frequently speaks in PEN USA’s Emerging Voices Program and Portland State’s Publishing Program, teaches classes on publishing at UCLA Extension’s Writers Program and The Loft, and moderates panels at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. The agency’s areas of interest for adult projects include: Literary fiction, upscale commercial women’s fiction, voice-driven mysteries and thrillers, narrative nonfiction (especially by journalists), travelogues, memoirs (including graphic memoirs), social issues and trends, psychology, self-help, popular culture, women’s issues, history & biography, lifestyle, careers, health and medicine, parenting, cooking and nutrition, gardening, and quirky gift books. We do not represent romances, screenplays, poetry, westerns, fantasy, horror, science fiction, techno thrillers, spy capers, apocalyptic scenarios, self-published books, or political or religious arguments.

Country & Professional Associations

United States Member of AALA

Fiction Open

Audience:
Adults.
Genres:
GenreSubgenres
General GeneralOpen to all/most Subgenres, including: Women's Fiction.
Mystery/Crime Mystery/CrimeOpen to all/most Subgenres.
Suspense/Thriller Suspense/ThrillerOpen to all/most Subgenres.
Styles:
Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.
Topics:
Open to all/most Topics.
Types/Lengths:
Novel Novel
Submissions:
ElectronicPostalSimultaneous
OK No OK
Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Nonfiction Open

Audience:
Adults.
Styles:
Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream, Personal.
Topics:
Children/Family (Parenting/Child care), Health/Medicine, History (General, Biographies), Lifestyle (General, Cooking, Gardening), Memoir, Psychology, Sexuality/Gender (Women/Female issues), Society/Culture (Pop culture, Social issues), Travel (See guidelines), Other (See guidelines).
Types/Lengths:
Book Book
Submissions:
ElectronicPostalSimultaneous
OK No OK
Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Betsy Amster Submission Statistics

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Dates

Last Updated: 13 Feb 2024
Last Audited: 17 Jan 2024 We audit each active listing twice a year.
Date Added: 12 Feb 2018

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