John Talbot
The Talbot Fortune Agency
John Talbot has over twenty-five years of book publishing experience as an editor and literary agent. As an agent, he has placed books at all of the major publishers and their imprints. His clients include New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and ABA Indiebound bestsellers, as well as several winners of national literary awards. He is a member of the AALA. Prior to becoming an agent John spent over a decade with Pocket Books and Putnam Berkley. At Putnam Berkley he was named Senior Editor and had the honor of working with such global bestsellers as Tom Clancy, W.E.B. Griffin, and Jack Higgins, as well as then-rising literary stars such as Tom Perrotta. He edited dozens of national bestsellers and several New York Times Notable Books. He began his editorial career at Simon & Schuster. John received his B.A. in English Composition from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and spent semesters at Washington University in St. Louis and Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan. After graduating from college he lived in Japan and traveled the Pacific Rim before settling in New York to work in book publishing.
Subject Focus
Experience
Submission Requirements
How to successfully present your work
FICTION: In fiction we represent thrillers, all types of mysteries and suspense, women's fiction, historical fiction and book club fiction. NONFICTION: The agency represents authors of narrative nonfiction across a wide range of categories, including but not limited to history, immersive journalism, sports, and current events. PLEASE ALSO SEE THE FAQ for more detail on what we represent. WHAT WE DON'T HANDLE: We don't handle children's books, fantasy, poetry, or screenplays. PLEASE QUERY VIA EMAIL using the email address on the Contact page. Be sure to include the word "query" in the subject line, and specify whether the query is addressed to John Talbot or Gail Fortune. Below your query letter please paste in the first five pages of your manuscript. While queries are important, sample text is the best way for us to get to know your writing and to evaluate your work. TIPS & REMINDERS: If you have been referred by someone please note this by including the word "referral" in the subject line of your email. Please remember to include your daytime phone number and return email address as well as your physical mailing address. Also remember to include the title of your book and the approximate word count. Note any previous publications you have had, plus any relevant writing experience. Please send proposals, partials, or complete manuscripts as email file attachments in Microsoft Word or as a PDF to the return address of the email you receive. Thank you and good luck. Happy writing!