Sharon says...

Books have been the center of my life for as long as I can remember. At the age of three, I demanded that my mom teach me to read and soon I was haunting the children’s library and writing lots of “books” in spiral notepads. During my college years, I figured out that I wanted to be even further behind the scenes—not writing books myself, but working closely with authors to make their writing the best it can be, and helping them reach as many readers as possible.

As I’ve pursued my career in publishing, I’ve worked on all sides of the industry: in bookstores, at a small press, and at a self-publishing company, and now with a literary agency. All of these experiences have expanded how I think about my role in the publishing ecosystem: storytelling is craft, but also product. Readers are consumers, but so much more than that. An agent is both a creative editorial force and a canny career mastermind; both a fearless negotiator and an empathetic cheerleader.

And, first and foremost, an agent is a reader. So I want to work on the stories I love to read: attention to craft that makes the words sing, fully developed characters ready to step off the page, and an engine that keeps you turning the pages fast enough to give you papercuts—whether that pace comes from plot points, emotional stakes, or a marvelous alchemy of both. I want my list full of books I’m dying to talk about as soon as I finish reading them—from startling upmarket suspense and unexpected procedurals to smart, hearty women’s fiction and challenging book club must-reads. And I want gripping, important narrative nonfiction that tells a little-known story or gives volume to a new voice on the issues and ideas shaping our culture today. My apartment is full of books, shelves on every way and stacks in every corner, but I’m greedy and I want more! I want yours.