In fiction, the agent is looking for literary and upmarket works with inventive narrative structures, strong character development, and original storytelling. In nonfiction, they seek clear, accessible writing that explores timely and timeless subjects through various genres including memoir, investigative journalism, and cultural studies.
Devon Halliday is a literary agent at Transatlantic Agency who represents both fiction and nonfiction authors. They prioritize submissions that bring new perspectives to the market and actively encourage writers from traditionally marginalized backgrounds to submit. They are known for valuing strong, original writing and are open to a wide range of genres including literary fiction, upmarket fiction, narrative nonfiction, and creative nonfiction.
Submissions should be emailed to QueryManager. Please send your query, author bio, and 20 sample pages to querymanager. FICTION: Literary and upmarket fiction across most genres: contemporary, speculative, women's fiction, softcore suspense, romantic comedy, YA. Themes of complicated or ambiguous morality, stories that ask a question and give a few possible answers. Inventive narrative structures, whether playing with chronology, point of view, or typical entry point/focal point. Love stories whose obstacles are organic: complications arising from character flaws, not tricky plotted misunderstandings. Strong, original, surprising writing above all else. Short story collections welcome, likewise genre-crossing or -deconstructing stories. NON-FICTION: Narrative, creative, investigative, and small-picture nonfiction across the board. Clear, accessible writing with enthusiastic momentum that introduces new corners of the world. Interest in psychology, medicine, linguistics, and philosophy, but open to most subjects if they illuminate modern life. Blended memoir: memoir mixed with societal criticism, investigative journalism, or close observation of the niche and bizarre. Especially interested in serious anthropological/historical/cultural takes on little-known pockets of internet/entertainment world. Looking for work that confronts climate change, discrimination, and inequality. NOT LOOKING FOR: Gory violence, hardcore thriller, horror, mystery, true crime, jump-scare suspense. Religious, spiritual, or self-help. Retellings unless substantively different from the original. Unreliable narrators that out-and-out lie to the reader, humiliation as humor, writer protagonists, pregnancy reduced to a plot twist, overly assertive hint-dropping, and prologues. CAVEAT: First prerequisite is strong, original, intelligent writing. Always willing to expand horizons for clients.
Last verified: March 6, 2026
Creative Artists Agency
Writers House
Response time: ~8 weeks
Aevitas Creative Management
Curtis Brown, Ltd.