Emily S. Keyes is a literary agent with Keyes Literary.

Genres Represented: Middle Grade Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Graphic Novels, Picture Books, Fantasy, Horror, Women’s Fiction, Science Fiction, Pop Culture and Humor.

In general, Emily is looking for all types of books for young readers and the young at heart. In particular, she wants to foster the joy of reading in kids (so if your goal is to “teach kids stuff,” then she might not be the right fit for you).

In nonfiction, she is looking for nonfiction picture books (though only biographies of individuals who do not already have a book about them), interesting non-fiction for middle grade and young adult readers (particularly from podcasters, YouTubers and those who already have a platform), and select adult nonfiction.

Emily was an agent at Fuse Literary from 2013 to 2021. She has represented many award-winning titles mainly (but not exclusively) in the realm of children’s literature. She loves finding and nurturing new talent, as well as reading and representing projects that will get readers excited to go to the bookstore. Emily is actively searching for all kinds of children’s literature, as well as select adult projects in genre fiction—so long as it’s not “serious” literature. She is searching for authors and illustrators who will be her coworker for a long career.

Previously she worked at the L. Perkins Agency as a contracts manager and associate agent. Before that, she was a Contracts Administrator at Simon & Schuster for five years. In 2008, she graduated from New York University’s Center for Publishing. Emily lives in Brooklyn but she can usually be found spending too much time on the internet. For a better idea of who she is and what she represents, follow her on Twitter and Tumblr.