Sharlene Martin, President
Sharlene Martin, Literary Manager/Producer
In 2003, Sharlene took her passion for great stories and their authors and her years in the entertainment industry, to form Martin Literary & Media Management. Her agency has experienced extraordinary success in sales and alliances. In the years since that time, her remarkable rise in the publishing industry is demonstrated by a rapidly growing list of non-fiction sales to such renowned major publishers as Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, St. Martin's Press, Hachette, Simon and Schuster, as well as to a host of boutique publishers for specialized genre books.
Representing adult nonfiction, she has numerous New York Times bestsellers and high profile books, including: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six by Anthony Flacco; Picture Perfect: The Jodi Arias Story by Shanna Hogan; Notes Left Behind by Keith & Brooke Desserich; Raffaele Sollecito’s book, Honor Bound: My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox; HLN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell's memoir, I Want; Suzanne Hansen’s You’ll Never Nanny in this Town Again; MaryJo Buttafuocco's Getting It Through My Thick Skull; and The Goldman family’s If I Did It, based on the OJ Simpson murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson. Many of Sharlene's authors have had their books boosted as serial reprints in prestigious publications such as Readers' Digest, People Magazine, WHO, and the London Times, and numerous clients have appeared on Oprah. Other client appearances include 60 Minutes, The TODAY Show, The View, Fox and Friends, Good Morning America, The Early Show, 20/20, 48 Hours, Discovery Channel, Inside Edition, The 700 Club, ET, The Insider, ABC Nightline, Dr. Phil, Anderson Cooper 360, CNN, HLN, Discovery ID and Fox News.
She is actively doing business with a host of film and TV companies for adaptations of her clients' books. Hallmark Hall of Fame's acclaimed TV movie was based on her client’s book, Front of the Class. She was Executive Producer of Lifetime’s movie, The Pregnancy Project, which garnered the two top Imagen Awards for Best Primetime Movie/Special and Best Actress (Alexa Vega). She was Co- Creator/Producer of the reality series, DEADLY SINS for Discovery ID, which ran for six seasons. She was the Co-EP with Nancy Glass Productions for the season of specials, EPIC MYSTERIES for Discovery ID. She served as Executive Producer with Outpost Entertainment for A&E’s documentary, OJ: Guilty in Vegas. She served as Executive Producer for Apple TV+ straight to series one-hour scripted mystery, HOME BEFORE DARK, directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), based on her client, Hilde Lysiak, a 13-year-old crime reporter and publisher of the Orange Street News, and author of the Scholastic Branches six book series, Hilde Cracks the Case. She Executive Produced for Secrets of a Marine’s Wife for Sony Television on Lifetime. She has numerous projects in development with such Amazon, Netflix and Atomic and Mammoth Screen in the UK. Sharlene is a member of the Producers Guild of America and full credits can be seen at www.IMDB.com.
Additionally, she is also the co-author, with Anthony Flacco, of Publish Your Nonfiction Book (Writer's Digest Books) and Literary Fails: Totally (sic)!.
Publishers, editors, writers and entertainment execs who deal with her consistently express their joy in working with someone who is such an avid fan of good writing, as well as an enthusiastic guardian and representative of her clients' work. She employs this personal touch to all her business relationships and credits it with her proven record of success.
Sharlene only represents nonfiction and does not represent screenwriters.
Follow Sharlene on Twitter: @MartinLitMgmt
Lindsay Guzzardo, Senior Literary Manager - Adult Fiction
Through tenures at Amazon Publishing, Guideposts Books, and Penguin/Signet, Lindsay Guzzardo acquired and edited numerous bestselling titles to fantastic customer and trade reviews, particularly in commercial fiction, women's fiction, and romance.
Now a Literary Manager of adult fiction, Lindsay applies her comprehensive market knowledge and keen editorial instinct to identify and nurture exciting new talent for MLM.
She will consider any adult fiction with a clear, marketable, compelling hook, and strong voice. Her personal tastes align with the following wish list, but she would never shut herself off to The Next Big Thing!
Lindsay is also interested in working with proven genre writers (i.e. previously published, award-winning/nominated, placement in contests, strong platform, etc.) from the elevator pitch onward. Bring her your pitches and she will help direct you which one to pursue, or she can provide you with one to flesh out into a proposal.
She loves:
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Fiction that elevates diverse/marginalized voices
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WWII-era fiction
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Retellings of classic stories (either modern retellings or classic stories told from a different character’s perspective)
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Beach reads
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Fiction exploring family dynamics and relationships (particularly mothers/daughters and sisters)
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Amish romance/fiction
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Cozy, charming, small-town romance/fiction
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Rich, evocative historical fiction
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Fiction featuring historical figures
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European-set fiction, any era and tone
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Dark psychological and domestic suspense
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Family dramas that interweave past and present
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Gorgeous, lyrical literary fiction
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Wholesome, clean fiction and romance
Please submit to Lindsay via Query Manager: https://querymanager.com/query/Lindsay_Guzzardo
Note: Periodically, she pauses incoming queries to tend to her current queue.
Follow her on Twitter: @LindsayGuzzardo
Read interview with Lindsay here: https://darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/book-broker-lindsay-guzzardo
Delia Berrigan Fakis, Senior Literary Manager - Adult Nonfiction
Delia is closed temporarily to submissions effective March 15, 2023.
I can still remember when I was a little girl, sitting on my daddy’s lap in our wicker rocking chair, listening to him read The Monster at the End of This Book, and somehow magically doing Grover’s voice all the way through.
Now, I don’t know if that’s at the root of why I became obsessed with books. My dad also indoctrinated me at a young age with a love of poetry and we’ve both gone through many frayed editions of Oscar Williams’s Immortal Poems of the English Language. It was perfectly normal to hear me quoting Keats, Auden, Houseman, Dickinson, and Shakespeare at high school and college parties.
I grew up in Washington, DC, earned my BA in English from Drew University in Madison, NJ and my MS in Publishing from New York University in New York City. I spent the first 15 years of my career at John Wiley & Sons, the Doris S. Michaels Literary Agency, and was subsequently recruited to Hallmark Cards, Inc. headquarters in Kansas City to help lead the book division.
Now I’m thrilled to have joined a team of brilliant women at Martin Literary Management while also pursuing my J.D. with a concentration on intellectual property.
I’m most interested in representing Adult Nonfiction in the areas of:
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Business
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Thought Leadership
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Memoir
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True Crime
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Narrative Nonfiction
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History and Current Affairs
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Religion and Spirituality
If you’re a leader in your field and know how to reach your audience, I want to hear from you! If you have a distinct voice, a handle of the craft, and something unique to share with the world, send me a query.
I will also take on select projects that strike my personal interest the areas in literary and commercial fiction, mysteries, and children’s picture books.
Submit query letters to Delia@MartinLit.com
Follow me on Twitter @primarilyprose
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Thomas Hill, Literary Manager—Adult Fiction/Adult Nonfiction
CLOSED TO SUBMISSIONS
Thomas Hill joins MLM after fifteen years in the publishing industry. He began his career while serving as an intern at the University of Virginia Press while pursuing his undergraduate degree in government. Part of that experience enabled him to assess incoming book proposals and advocate for acceptance of nonfiction book projects.
He honed his professional editing skills as a copyeditor and proofreader in the workforce, later transitioning into content writing, ghostwriting, and publishing consulting. At Rowman & Littlefield, he edited scholarly and nonfiction titles, and he learned standard protocols for publication production at various nonprofit membership organizations in Washington, DC: the American Staffing Association, Public Broadcasting Service, and the US Chamber of Commerce. His professional experiences enabled him to serve as an editorial consultant to over a dozen publishing entities. Other notable editorial experiences include copyeditor at The Santa Fe New Mexican and, most recently, development editor at John Wiley & Sons.
Thomas has attained many writing credits that include published articles (outdoor adventure, sports) and collaborative projects on fiction and nonfiction titles as a ghostwriter. His fiction debut, Warrior’s Song, placed third in paranormal fiction at the annual Readers Favorite awards in 2011.
He is currently pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts degree at St. John’s College.
Thomas is on a mission to find authentic voices who strive to raise the consciousness of the reading public through satire, humor, brilliant prose, and/or a sobering examination of issues and situations currently impacting the human experience.
He is interested in representing authors in the following fiction genres:
• Thriller/Suspense (political, military, religious/cult, psychological, espionage)
• Historical
• Science Fiction (AI, utopian/dystopian societies, alternate history)
• Western (mountain men, cowboys, Native voices)
Thomas also welcomes nonfiction submissions in narrative nonfiction, memoir, and business.
He is not interested in:
• Fantasy
• Horror
• Poetry
Follow Thomas on social media: Twitter: @agenttommyh , Instagram: @agenttommyh, Facebook: Thomas Hill
Kristen Terrette, Literary Manager
Kristen is a literary manager excited to build her list featuring titles in middle grade, young adult, female-driven crime thrillers, faith-based books, and the occasional picture book with an author/illustrator.
She has a BA in Early Childhood Education and MA in Theology and Religious Studies which led her into children’s ministry for many years. Eventually, her lifelong love of books and authors drew her back to her original dream of entering the publishing world. Kristen is a multi-published author and freelance writer. She’s held such positions as the Blog Manager for a national women’s ministry and the Social Media Manager for a publishing house. All these components landed her a spot in the coveted Writers House Intern Program. There, she received valuable hands-on agenting and publishing experience which she brings into her new position.
Kristen has long been a voice for diversity. She’s written extensively on topics of racial reconciliation and unity and is a facilitator of groups around these topics in her church. In all her focused genres, she welcomes books with BIPOC or disabled main characters and diverse friendships. She believes books change people in all the best ways and that every child should see themselves in the pages.
Middle Grade (All subgenres except Sci-fi): Kristen hearts Middle Grade. She would love to see books tackling themes like abandonment, bullying, loneliness, comparison, divorce, and body image but done so by instilling hope, growth, and healing. Send her the creepy, horrifying, supernatural, fantastical, historical, and contemporary. She is ready to see it all.
Young Adult (All subgenres except Sci-fi): Kristen’s background in writing YA and her extensive reading in this genre has given her a great love and understanding of it. Grab her attention within the first couple of pages. Send her books with first loves, unique friendships, interesting and/or challenging family dynamics, and hard-hitting subject matter (race relations, suicide, abuse, divorce, etc.) but leave her with a satisfying (not necessarily happy!) ending.
Women’s Crime Thriller: Kristen loves a good thriller with a woman main character, so send her the smart, tough, and brave lady crime solvers. If she can’t figure out what’s going to happen next or what the ending will be, you’ve gotten her attention.
Faith-Based Fiction and Memoirs: Kristen loves a good redemption or forgiveness story, a historically accurate saga, a clean and beautiful, yet realistic love story, or a memoir that has her crying and laughing within the span of a few pages. Surprise her with the beauty of God’s grace.
Picture Books with Authors/Illustrators: Picture books are an important part of establishing a love for literature at an early age, though, at this time, Kristen is only looking for authors who are also illustrators. If your work fits these criteria, she’d love to see it.
Kristen is not a good fit for Science Fiction (even in MG or YA), books with any political agenda, extremely foul-mouthed characters, or gratuitous sex scenes.
Submit query letters to: https://querymanager.com/query/2703
Follow her on Twitter: @KTerrette
Rick Lewis, Literary Manager
Rick Lewis represents authors of Graphic Novels with Illustrators (he grew up reading and loving them) as well as speculative fiction titles in the Adult and YA categories, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, and magical realism.
Before joining Martin Literary Management, he was editor-in-chief at Uproar Books, where he worked closely with debut authors to edit and launch award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels such as the gothic fantasy Asperfell by Jamie Thomas, the dark sci-fi comedy Always Greener by J.R.H. Lawless, and the YA contemporary fantasy Foretold by Violet Lumani.
Before joining the literary world, Rick spent nearly two decades as a professional writer, first in television news and then in marketing. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where he lived for 25 years before recently moving to Charlottesville, VA., with his spouse and two children.
Rick is looking for novels that feature complex, realistic characters in highly imaginative worlds. Give him genuine emotions and meaningful struggles, but also at least a touch of science, magic, or the supernatural that captures the imagination while illuminating the real world.
Please submit queries via Query Manager and follow him on Twitter.
Anthony Flacco, Editorial Consultant for Film-TV Adaptations
Anthony Flacco is the author of five nonfiction books and five historical novels, including the New York Times bestseller Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six. His book, Tiny Dancer: The Incredible True Story of a Young Burn Victim’s Journey from Afghanistan is an international bestseller. Anthony holds an MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute. He is a winner of the Walt Disney Studios Screenwriting Fellowship and spent a year writing for the Touchstone Pictures division.
He is a member of the Writers Guild of America. www.anthonyflacco.com.
2021-22 MLM College Interns
Emma Caplinger is an intern assisting president and literary manager/producer Sharlene Martin of Martin Literary and Media Management. She is currently a sophomore at Seattle University pursuing a double-major in English literature and psychology. Emma comes from a family of readers and, because of this, has always had a deep love for reading and writing.
As a child, Emma often woke up with her nose in a book after falling asleep while staying up too late reading. Now, she especially loves poetry and personal essays, but enjoys both reading and writing anything from journalistic articles to cheesy romance novels.
Nick Friesen is an editorial intern assisting Literary Manager Lindsay Guzzardo. He is currently a junior at Seattle University, double majoring in creative writing and film studies. Nick started reading at a very young age and has yet to stop! Throughout his youth, he spent hours upon hours reading and writing his own fantasy novels and short stories.
Today, that passion for the fantastic is still alive, but his tastes have changed slightly. He typically reads a wide range of nonfiction, poetry, and novels of all sorts.
Mara Cobb is an editorial intern assisting literary manager Delia Berrigan Fakis. She is a graduate student pursuing a Master's degree in English. She also works as an ELA tutor and serves as the managing editor of her college's literary journal.
Mara enjoys writing YA fiction novels and poetry for fun. She also loves reading a variety of genres, particularly romance, Christian fiction, historical fiction, and any books that have unique plots and feature courageous and quirky protagonists.
Riley Rogers is an editorial intern assisting Literary Manager Thomas Hill. In 2022, she graduated from the University of Washington and earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and History. In keeping with her academic interests, Riley is excited to explore the intersection of publishing and history and looks forward to reading works of historical fiction and non-fiction. She also works as an editor for eNotes, a literary e-learning organization dedicated to making literature accessible to struggling students.
Growing up, Riley found solace in reading and writing. These childhood passions never left her. Instead, they inspired a desire to delve further into the literary world she still finds magical and enticing. Currently, she is striving to make this dream a reality by pursuing a career in publishing.
Meredith Olsson is an editorial intern assisting Literary Manager Kristen Terrette. They are a senior double majoring in Creative Writing and Sociology at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. They have a passion for storytelling in all forms, including books, movies, and video games. Meredith hopes to hit the ground running in the industry, and one day plans to help edit the next great American novel.
They enjoy reading and writing poetry and fiction (especially fantasy and sci-fi). Their to-be-read list is miles long, but they have a feeling it’s not getting shorter any time soon.
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Contessa Heiskell is an editorial intern assisting Literary Manager Kristen Terrette. She's a senior English major with a double minor in Professional Writing and Christian Studies. She attends Shorter University and graduates in Spring 2023. Her plan after graduation is to pursue a career in copyediting and explore potentially working for a publishing house as an editor.
Her favorite thing to do is read, and her favorite authors include Ted Dekker, Karen Kingsbury, and Robin Jones Gunn. She also loves to be outdoors and to cook. She's currently the Chaplain for her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, and loves every minute of it. Studying God's Word and leading her sisters in Bible studies is one of her favorite things to do at school. She considers herself the grammar police because of how often she catches grammatical errors in anything she reads.
Daniela Naldoken is an editorial intern assisting literary manager Rick Lewis. Born in Vienna, Austria, she moved with her family to Switzerland; Washington, DC; and Mexico City, where she worked at the U.S. Embassy for three years. Now, she’s pursuing an Interdisciplinary Studies degree with a concentration in Writing at the University of Virginia.
She’s an avid reader of novels—especially suspense, fantasy, science fiction, and horror—in both English and German. She writes fantasy short stories and poetry, and plans to pursue a career in publishing.