Representing Adult Fiction and Nonfiction
SUBMISSIONS
For fiction, Jo is seeking books that subvert genre expectations or combine genres in innovative and twisty ways. They’re particularly searching for speculative fiction/light sci-fi (Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman), eco-fiction/cli-fi (The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler, A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers), and upmarket fiction featuring interesting workplaces with an ensemble cast or messy families with a heartwarming undercurrent. Literary mysteries in the vein of The God of the Woods by Liz Moore and Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton are also top priority.
They are also hungry for upmarket and literary books that feature unhinged protagonists and intersectional female rage. Jo is especially interested in dark humor (Endling by Maria Reva, Julius Julius by Aurora Stewart de Peña), and books that center platonic love and affection. Other strong interests include stories with absurdist elements, adult campus novels, new weird, and books across all adult genres that feature queer relationships (particularly WLW/sapphic), BIPOC characters, or explore gender identity.
For more genre-focused works, Jo is excited about sci-fi that reflects the complexity, but also lightness, of humanity (Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Micky 7 by Edward Ashton, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells) and horror with strong prose that has a political bite to it or something to say. Jo is only interested in very light, grounded fantasy (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley, The Husbands by Holly Gramazio), and also loves witchy stories and historical retellings with a contemporary feel. Jo is not the right agent for stories featuring magical creatures, second worlds, teenage protagonists, or chosen one tropes.
Quick Fiction Overview:
– Speculative fiction (near-future sci-fi, plot-forward commentary on society, Black Mirror-esque concepts, both gritty and hopeful stories welcome)
– Horror (no super heavy gore please)
– Queer romance (elevated, multi-layered)
– Upmarket fiction (conversation starters, fresh take on friendships, relationships, and family)
– Plot-driven literary fiction (genre blending like literary+mystery or literary+sci-fi encouraged)
– Gothic / Neo-Gothic
– Psychological horror / thriller (the weirder the better, but with purpose)
– Mysteries (unique POV, character-driven, genre blending)
– Very light fantasy (see guidance above)
– Select historical fiction (unique concept or genre blending, with speculative twist or spotlighting underrepresented voices)
For nonfiction, Jo is actively seeking expert-driven deep dives with a call to action (Enshittification by Cory Doctorow, Vulture Capitalism by Grace Blakeley, Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Pérez), cultural critique (Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilbert, Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya, The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel), and investigative journalism that humanizes and advocates (Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, No More Tears by Gardiner Harris).
They are also hungry for naturalist or eco-nonfiction (Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Lone Wolf: Walking the Faultlines of Europe by Adam Weymouth, Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake, Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica J. Lee) as well as personal narratives around nomadic lifestyles and alternative living (North of Ordinary by Sue Aikens, Nowhere for Very Long by Brianna Madia). Travelogues featuring expeditions with stunning prose in the vein of A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko and Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford are also welcome.
Other topics that grab Jo’s interest are unburied histories (Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann), social psychology, mutual aid, surviving capitalism, and alternative societal organization and economic structures. Jo is specifically searching for a project that presents empowering, fresh perspectives on aging throughout history and across cultures.
Quick Nonfiction Overview:
– Expert-driven deep dives with a call to action
– Investigative journalism with a human-focus
– Cultural Critique
– Eco-Nonfiction and naturalist writing
– Nomadic or alternative living
– Pop science
– Expedition accounts of professional mountaineers and adjacent sports
Currently not looking for:
– High/Epic Fantasy with world building
– Kidlit / YA / New adult
– Historical fiction focused on WWI, WWII or Cold War conspiracies and/or spy-adjacent books
– Self-help
– Health and Wellness
– Cookbooks
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
To query Jo, please send a query letter, author bio, and 20-page writing sample to queryjo@transatlanticagency.com. Please include “Query” in the email subject line along with the title and genre of your project (suggested formatting is “Query: TITLE / Speculative Fiction”), paste your writing sample into the body of the email (attachments will not be opened), and notify them if another offer of representation is received.
If your project contains scenes depicting blood and physical violence, please list content warnings above the writing sample.
If you have not heard from them within eight weeks, please assume that your work is not suitable for their current list.
BIO
Jo Ramsay is a Literary Agent at Transatlantic Agency. They’ve worked in publishing for over nine years at a number of publishers and literary magazines which include Simon and Schuster, Arsenal Pulp Press, PRISM International, Shrapnel Magazine and Greystone Books. Their writing has been published in The Globe & Mail, Maclean’s, and This Magazine, among others. Jo represents a variety of adult fiction and nonfiction. (Pronouns: They/She)