Literary agent Irene Kaster’s focus on rural Midwest and mountain town fiction signals a broader industry shift toward regional authenticity and underserved markets. This trend represents both validation for overlooked stories and opportunity for writers crafting geographically specific narratives.
The entertainment industry’s hunger for proven stories has turned every novelist into a potential Hollywood player, but the reality is messier than most writers imagine. Literary agent Jillian Davis reveals why good writing trumps social media following and how the book-to-screen pipeline really works.
René Kooiker’s arrival at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret as a junior agent building his list represents a golden opportunity most writers overlook. New agents offer personalized attention, genuine investment in client success, and the hunger to make deals that established agents simply can’t match.