Overview
I founded a boutique literary agency in Washington, DC, representing adult nonfiction, with a particular interest in food, popular science, history, memoir, and social issues. I love narrative nonfiction, and have sold everything from a sake travelogue to a maritime adventure memoir. I've also sold cookbooks, advice books, and other forms of prescriptive nonfiction. Many of my books have a policy or advocacy angle.
Prior to founding my agency I was an editor at Oxford University Press managing their trade reference list. In that role I oversaw OUP's influential food and drink Companion series (The Oxford Companion to Beer, The Oxford Companion to Cheese, etc.), which has won or been nominated for James Beard, IACP, Gourmand, and other food writing awards. I love working with academics to help them translate their scholarship for general readerships.
Given my strong and wide-ranging track record as a literary agent, and my background as an editor at the world's top university press, I am well qualified to help you create an irresistible query letter and proposal for your smart nonfiction book, or to perform copyediting and developmental editing on your sample chapters or complete manuscript.
**Please note that I am a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA), and pursuant to their updated Canon of Ethics there is a firewall between my freelance editing work and my agency work. I will not consider representing any book that I receive payment for editing or assessing. This is also not the right place to pitch me on representation; please see my agency website for submission guidelines.**
Services
Non-Fiction
Languages
Awards
- James Beard Award for Writing & Literature
- James Beard Award for Reference & Scholarship
- James Beard Award for Beverage Without Recipes
Certifications
- BA
- MA
Work experience
Self-employed
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Maxwell P. has 20 reviews
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Candy P.
Apr, 2024
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Mar, 2024
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May, 2023
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Apr, 2025

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Mar, 2025
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