Jo Ramsay

Jo Ramsay (they/she) comes to Transatlantic after nearly three years working as literary assistant to Carly Watters at P.S. Literary Agency. They’ve worked in publishing for over eight years at a number of publishers and literary magazines which include Simon and Schuster, Shrapnel Magazine, Arsenal Pulp Press, PRISM International, and Greystone Books. Their journalism has been published in The Globe & Mail, Maclean’s, and This Magazine among others. After graduating from UBC with a major in English Literature and a minor in Creative Writing, Jo went on to live in Japan and the UK, always keeping a foot in the publishing world. Now based in Toronto, Jo is looking to represent a variety of adult fiction and nonfiction.

For fiction, Jo is seeking books that subvert genre expectations or combine genres in innovative ways, as well as stories with dark humor and absurdist elements. They crave shocking ideas and twists that make readers leap to text their friends about or jump on to social media to engage in conversation. They are also seeking books across all genres that feature queer relationships (particularly WLW/sapphic), BIPOC characters, or explore gender identity.

They’re particularly searching for books that feature unhinged women, female rage, or women in power. Emerging terms in the space of female rage—such as “coming of rage” (A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers, Beef on Netflix, Severance by Ling Ma) and “good for her” (My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, They Never Learn by Layne Fargo)—are a high priority. They are also interested in Millennial quarter-life/mid-life crisis (Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter, Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou), dark humor (Bunny by Mona Awad, Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder), and books that centre platonic love and affection.

Other genres that they adore are speculative fiction/light sci-fi (Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer), eco-fiction/cli-fi (The Overstory by Richard Powers, The Bear by Andrew Krivak), interesting workplaces with an ensemble cast (The Bear on Hulu, Succession on HBO), and messy families.

For nonfiction, they’re interested in investigative journalism, cultural critique, social psychology deep dives, naturist or eco-nonfiction, as well as personal narratives on art and pop culture. Books that unearth buried histories (Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann), interrogate online discussions and trends surrounding ageing, and examine the experiences of former child influencers are especially wanted. They are also looking for books that offer shar commentary on culture and socio-economic structures that are written in an accessible and approachable voice.

They are not the right person for self-help, health and wellness, cookbooks, historical fiction focused on WWI, WWII or Cold War conspiracies and/or spy-adjacent books, kidlit/YA, or high/epic fantasy with heavy world building.

Fiction:

• Upmarket fiction (book club conversation starters, fresh take on friendships, relationship, and family)
• Sci-fi (Black Mirror-esque, commentary on society, genre blending)
• Speculative fiction
• Gothic / Neo-Gothic
• Psychological horror / thriller
• Light horror (no heavy gore please)
• Dystopian
• Mysteries (with unique POV, character-driven)
• Graphic Novels
• Select literary fiction (less quiet realism, and more unusual or unique storytelling)
• Select romance (new spin or genre subversion)
• Select fantasy (fabulism, light world building)
• Select historical fiction (unique concept or genre blending)

Non-fiction:

• Pop Culture Deep Dives
• Politics and Social Sciences
• Cultural Critique
• Investigative Journalism
• Eco-Nonfiction
• Naturalist / Survivalist Accounts or Travelogues
• Pop Science
• Graphic memoir

Currently not looking for:

• Self-help
• Health and Wellness
• Cookbooks
• Historical fiction focused on WWI, WWII or Cold War conspiracies and/or spy-adjacent books
• Kidlit / YA
• High/Epic Fantasy with heavy world building

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 six weeks, please assume that your work is not suitable for their current list.