For any general inquiries about Massie McQuilkin & Altman or our subsidiary, Russell & Volkening, please email info@mmqalit.com. Please be aware that MMQA agents will only ever reach out from emails ending with @mmqalit.com.
We are open to submissions and will happily review your query per the guidelines below. We accept electronic submissions only; please do not call about or mail a hard copy of your submission. If you have any query- or submission-related questions that are not answered on this page, please email info@mmqalit.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Note that we do not represent screenplays.
Massie McQuilkin & Altman
27 West 20th Street, Suite 305
New York, NY 10011
(212)352-2055
Please send us a query letter that briefly describes your project as well as any personal or professional information that may be relevant (for instance any awards you have won, regular media appearances you make, and/or professional or academic affiliations you may have). Do not query more than one agent at the agency at one time, though if one agent passes on your work, you are welcome to query another. Include the word “Query” in the subject line of your email. Please also include the first 5-10 pages pasted into the body of your email. We look forward to reviewing your work.
Maria Massie seeks literary fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction. She will not accept commercial fiction or YA.
Please send queries to the attention of Maria Massie at info@mmqalit.com. Please note that she only responds to queries in which she is interested. If you haven’t heard from her in 4-6 weeks, your project is not a good fit for her.
Rob McQuilkin focuses on literary fiction as well as narrative nonfiction and nonfiction in the areas of memoir, history, biography, art history and cultural criticism.
Please send queries to the attention of Rob McQuilkin at info@mmqalit.com. Please note that he only responds to queries in which he is interested. If you haven’t heard from him in 4-6 weeks, your project is not a good fit for him.
Elias Altman specializes in sharp and moving narratives featuring psychological insight, timeless themes, and strong characters whether in reported non-fiction by journalists, popular history by scholars, memoirs by people who’ve really lived, or literary fiction by writers with precision, honesty, and heart.
Please send queries to the attention of Elias Altman at info@mmqalit.com. Please note that he only responds to queries in which he is interested. If you haven’t heard from him in 4-6 weeks, your project is not a good fit for him.
Rayhané Sanders is interested in literary fiction, historical fiction, upmarket commercial fiction (including select YA), narrative nonfiction (including essays), and select memoir.
Please send queries to Rayhané directly at rayhane@mmqalit.com. Please send the first 10 pages of your manuscript (or, if a proposal, your sample chapter) copy & pasted at the bottom of your query email—no attachments. Please note that she only responds to queries in which she is interested. If you haven’t heard from her in 4-6 weeks, your project is not a good fit for her.
Stéphanie Abou seeks literary and upmarket commercial fiction (including select young adult and middle grade), crime fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction.
Stéphanie Abou is currently closed for unsolicited submissions.
Renée Zuckerbrot is looking for voice-driven fiction, short story collections, narrative nonfiction (especially science, history, biography, memoir, and pop culture). She can be reached at renee@mmqalit.com. See below for submission guidelines.
Renée only accepts electronic queries. Please query her directly and include the word “query” in the subject line. You should include a synopsis of your project, your publication history, a brief bio, and your contact information. Please also attach an excerpt, up to three sample chapters, as one Word document. The attachment should be paginated and double-spaced, and, for novels, the excerpt should be the first three chapters.
Julie Stevenson represents literary and upmarket fiction, suspense and thrillers, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and YA.
Please send queries directly to Julie at julie@mmqalit.com. Format your email subject line as follows: Query: BOOK TITLE, category (e.g., Query: GIRL IN PIECES, YA Fiction). Include the first 10 pages of your manuscript (or, for nonfiction, a sample chapter) pasted into the body of the email—no attachments, please. Julie responds only to queries she is interested in pursuing. If you haven’t heard back within 2–4 weeks, the project is not a fit.
Neil Olson is primarily interested in fiction, history, biography, travel and environmental issues.
Please send queries to the attention of Neil Olson at neil@mmqalit.com. Please note that he only responds to queries in which he is interested. If you haven’t heard from him in 4-6 weeks, your project is not a good fit for him.
Sandra Pareja is looking for authentic, unconventional literary voices in fiction, non-fiction and sometimes poetry. She reads and edits in English, Spanish and Italian at a native level, and could tackle manuscripts in French, Portuguese and Catalan. She would consider works from other languages if they are attached to an English translator.
Please query Sandra directly at sandra@mmqalit.com and strive to include as much reading material as possible. If you haven’t heard from her in 4-6 weeks, your project is not a good fit for her.
Lane Zachary is looking for books of nonfiction and fiction that are beautifully crafted and have the capacity to change the way in which we see and live in the world.
Please send queries to the attention of Lane Zachary at lane@mmqalit.com. Please note that she only responds to queries in which she is interested. If you haven’t heard from her in 4-6 weeks, your project is not a good fit for her.
Aram Fox is open for submissions. He’s crazy about literary and commercial fiction that put immersive storytelling and authentic emotional consequences front and center. In nonfiction, he’s looking for deeply reported narrative nonfiction, history and singular memoir, including eye-opening writing about culture, politics, science, natural history and the history of ideas. There’s more information about Aram on our agency’s About page.
Fiction writers, please send a query letter and the first 30 pages. Nonfiction writers, please send your query letter and book proposal (if you don’t have a proposal, please send the first 30 pages of your manuscript and an outline). All queries should be sent to aram@mmqalit.com and should include a synopsis, brief bio, and your contact information. Aram asks that you put “Query” in the subject line and paste the letter and sample pages into the body of the email. Please note — and it kills him to say this — that Aram is not able to respond to everyone who sends him material. If he would like to hear more about your writing, he will be in touch within 2-3 weeks.
Michael Taeckens is interested in literary fiction and a wide variety of narrative nonfiction (including biography, cultural studies, history/current events, hybrid work, memoir, popular culture, and science).
Please send queries directly to michael@mmqalit.com with the subject line “query” and include a synopsis of your project, your publication history, and a brief bio. Please also include an excerpt of up to 10 pages pasted within the body of the email (not as an attachment, please). If you haven’t heard from him in 4-6 weeks, your project is not a good fit for him.
Max Moorhead represents literary fiction and nonfiction in the areas of memoir, politics, journalism, cultural history, and biography. In fiction: he is drawn to beautiful writing, unforgettable characters, family stories, socially engaged writing, and compelling plots.
Please send queries to the attention of Max Moorhead at max@mmqalit.com. Please note that he only responds to queries in which he is interested. If you haven’t heard from him in 4-6 weeks, your project is not a good fit for him.
REMOTE INTERNSHIPS
Massie McQuilkin & Altman seeks intelligent and versatile interns interested in a career in book publishing. The ideal candidate will be able to commit 10-15 hours a week, 2 days a week, though we are flexible in regard to scheduling. Internships last about 3 months, with academic credit available. We will hire both remote and in-person interns each season. Please indicate in your cover letter which position you are applying for.
The intern’s main duties will revolve around managing and responding to unsolicited queries and manuscripts, and will involve evaluating this material with an eye to its quality, relevance to the agent queried, and its viability in the marketplace. A critical eye is necessary for this position. Additional projects may be assigned that will address other aspects of agenting, including foreign rights and contracts. As with any internship, a part of the position will be general administrative work, but we will do our best to work with individual interests.
To apply, please email Ellie Roppolo (ellie@mmqalit.com) and Sophie Weiler (sophie@mmqalit.com) with a cover letter in the body and your resume as an attachment.