Overview
As a literary agent, I am familiar with both the publishing industry and the craft of writing. I know what editors and other agents are looking for in a manuscript, proposal, or query letter, and am pleased to provide an array of editorial services to help you give your work its best shot at publication. Though my editorial experience is wide-ranging, some topics do fall outside my field of expertise or interest, and I will not take on a project that I do not feel I can enhance or help to develop. Thematic interests include but are not limited to: contemporary + historical fiction; family relationship + coming-of-age stories; history + current affairs; social + cultural issues; memoir; food.I have sold books to major and independent trade publishers as well as to university presses, and am frequently invited to MFA programs and writers conferences to give seminars on how to impress agents/editors with your manuscript pages, about how to write query letters that get noticed, and about the publishing process in general. Please note: I cannot offer representation to anyone I work with in an editorial capacity.A Bit About Me:Amaryah O., founder and president of a boutique literary agency, is thrilled to help writers bring their ideas to life. Aiming to give voice to a broad range of perspectives, she represents a wide array of literary and commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction, and is always looking for works that wed beautiful writing with a strong narrative and tackle big issues in engaging, accessible, and even surprising ways. Amaryah began her career at the Laura Gross Literary Agency in 2009 and, prior to that, she worked as an Editorial Assistant at various academic research foundations, including the Tauber Institute, where she edited books for Brandeis University Press/University Press of New England. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Amaryah earned a BA at McGill University before coming to the United States to pursue graduate studies in American History. She completed an MA at Ohio University’s Contemporary History Institute and a PhD at Brandeis University.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
History
Political Science & Current Affairs
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Historical Fiction
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
- BA, MA, PhD
Work experience
GO Literary
Jul, 2014 —
Present
Represent broad range of fiction and nonfiction authors; work closely with clients throughout every step of the publishing process, from concept development through publication—editorial guidance, contract negotiation, sub-rights, advocacy, marketing + publicity, career shaping.
Lesley University
Sep, 2014 —
Dec, 2014
(3 months)
Lectured and led discussion sections for both undergraduate history majors and non-majors. Advised students on appropriate research topics and evaluated their work. Course taught: “The United States Since World II.”
Laura Gross Literary Agency
Jun, 2009 —
Jun, 2014
(about 5 years)
Tauber Institute, Brandeis University
Sep, 2007 —
Nov, 2008
(about 1 year)
Line edited Itamar Rabinovich and Jehuda Reinharz, eds., Israel in the Middle East: Documents and Readings on Society, Politics, and Foreign Relations, Pre-1948 to the Present (2nd Edition, Waltham, MA: Brandeis UP/UPNE, 2008) and Sara Bender, The Jews of Bialystok During World War II and the Holocaust (Waltham, MA: Brandeis UP/UPNE, 2008).
Brandeis University
Sep, 2006 —
Dec, 2009
(about 3 years)
Lectured and led discussion sections for both undergraduate history majors and non-majors. Advised students on appropriate research topics, edited and evaluated their work. Courses taught:
• “Antisemitism in America” (University Writing Seminar)
• “The US in World War II” (Professor David Hackett Fischer)
• “Hitler, Germany, and Europe” (Professor Rudolph Binion)
• “It Couldn’t Happen Here: 3 American Antisemitic Episodes” (Professor Jonathan D. Sarna)
• “The American Revolution” (Professor David Hackett Fischer)
• “Latin American History: 1870 to the Present” (Professor Sylvia Arrom)
Portfolio
A captivating novel of Renaissance Italy detailing the mysterious life of Bartolomeo Scappi, the legendary chef to several popes and author of one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time, and the nephew who sets out to discover his late uncle’s secrets—includ... read more
Working Daughter is a revelatory look at who’s caring for our aging population and how these unpaid family caregivers are trying to manage caring for their parents, raising their children, maintaining relationships, and pursuing their careers. It follows the a... read more
Surveying the state of American ballet in a 1913 issue of McClure's Magazine, author Willa Cather reported that few girls expressed any interest in taking ballet class and that those who did were hard-pressed to find anything other than dingy studios and imper... read more
Set amongst the scandal, wealth, and upstairs-downstairs politics of a Roman family, Crystal King’s seminal debut features the man who inspired the world’s oldest cookbook and the ambition that led to his destruction.On a blistering day in the twenty-sixth yea... read more
This timely anthology, completely revised and updated from the original edition in 1984, provides convenient access to the most significant documents of the Zionist movement since 1882 and of Israel’s domestic and foreign policy issues between 1948 and 2006. C... read more
This history of Jewish Bialystok during World War II provides an in-depth analysis of one of the largest Jewish communities to pass from Soviet to German occupation, and it enhances our understanding of the response of Polish Jewry to the Holocaust. The Bialys... read more
The Attica Turkey Shoot tells a story that New York State did not want you to know. In 1971, following a prison riot at the Attica Correctional Facility, state police and prison guards slaughtered thirty-nine hostages and inmates and tortured more than one tho... read more
School can be a special sort of nightmare for LGBTQ youth, who are sometimes targets of verbal or physical harassment with nowhere to turn for support. No Sanctuary tells the inspiring story of a mostly unseen rescue attempt by a small group of teachers who le... read more
Remix Judaism: Preserving Tradition in a Diverse World offers an eloquent and thoughtful new vision for all Jews seeking a sense of belonging in a changing world, regardless of their current level of observance. Kwall sets out a process of selection, rejection... read more
Loss, trauma, memory, and, above all, the ties of family and being Jewish are the elements that weave together this panoramic story. Come Back for Me travels through time and place only to bring us, ultimately, to the connections between generations. Artur Man... read more
Amaryah has 80 reviews
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Jun, 2026
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