Agent Spotlight: Victoria Skurnick

This week's Agent Spotlight features Victoria Skurnick of Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency.
Status: Accepting submissions.
About: "Victoria Skurnick came to Levine Greenberg after being at The Book-of-the Month Club for almost twenty years.  As Editor-in-Chief, she relished the opportunity to devour every kind of book, from the finest literary fiction to Yiddish for Dogs.  Anne Tyler, John LeCarre, Amy Tan, Tom Wolfe, Stephen King, Michael Lewis, Lee Child, Roddy Doyle, Alice Sebold, Tracy Kidder, Julia Child and Susan Elizabeth Phillips are just a few of the authors that make her deaf and blind to anyone around her when she's reading.
"Victoria's other addiction besides reading is music. She has sung in many choirs in New York City and spent a few ostensibly happy years singing rock in groups like Big and the Evolution. No, you haven't heard of it-if you had, she wouldn't be an agent. She also is the co-author (with Cynthia Katz) of seven novels written by 'Cynthia Victor.'
"Raised in New Rochelle, NY, Victoria went to the University of Wisconsin where she studied political science with an emphasis on constitutional law, a subject that still fascinates her. Neither adventurous nor peripatetic, she has remained within a 20-mile radius of home since her day of birth." (Link)
About the Agency:
"Founded 30 years ago – now a full-service agency with 11 agents in New York, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle –- we’re proud to be known throughout the publishing community for our:
"Collaboration: We are fully engaged as creative and business partners throughout the entire publishing process, from the development of concepts, proposals and manuscripts through publicity, marketing, sale of film and television rights, and more, across every category of fiction, non-fiction, and books for young readers. We represent careers, not just individual projects,
"Culture: We’re known for trust, transparency, and teamwork – and for being a great place to work. People stay here for a long time, fully committed to serving our clients and supporting their colleagues.
"Success: 30 New York Times bestsellers in the last two years alone, in every category on the list, with even more bestsellers on other lists. Our clients have won PEN, Edgar, Newbery, MacArthur, and the Nobel Prize in Economics, among other awards. Numerous projects we represent have been produced for film and television, with many others optioned for development." (Link)
What She's Looking For:
Genres of interest:  Literary fiction, historical fiction, women's literature, romance, comedy, humor, horror, mystery, narrative nonfiction, arts, cinema, photography, biography, memoir, cooking, food, wine, crafts, hobbies, DIY, health, diet, history, mind, body, spirit, parenting, family, politics, current affairs, pop culture, entertainment, relationships, family, religion, spirituality, inspiration, science, technology, self-help, sports, technical, how-to, true crime, YOUNG ADULT. (Link)
"She is looking for fiction—especially literary, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and politics. (Link)
"Thrillers, literary fiction, mysteries, narrative nonfiction, biography and memoir are among her favorites, but she has also sold books on everything from exercises for the soul to sumptuous recipes for the gastrointestinally challenged. She does not handle children's books, but will look at young adult." (Link Defunct)
What She Isn't Looking For:
Comics, graphic novels, science-fiction, fantasy, textbooks. (Link)
Editorial Agent?
Yes.
Web Presence:
Levine Greenberg Rostan Agency website.
AAR.
Fictionaut.
LinkedIn.
AgentQuery, QueryTracker
Clients:
There is a list of agency clients on the website.  Ms. Skurnick's clients include: Senator Tom Daschle, Harry Dolan, Robert Rotenberg, Alice LaPlante, Sasha Abramsky, Karen Bergreen, Rachel Brady, Libby Cataldi,  Naomi Fein, June Breton Fisher, Daniel Friedman, Jennifer Hillier, Jess Lourey, Susan Elia MacNeal, Meline Nadeau, Debbie Mumford, Jude Polotan, Andrea Robinson,  Danny Schechter, among many others.
Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes.  
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: Yes.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
Send a query and attach no more than 50 pages.  You can also query via  the online form attaching no more than 50 pages. 
See the agency website for up-to-date submissions guidelines.
Response Times:
The agency only responds if interested, usually within three weeks but sometimes more than.  Ms. Skurnick tends to have rather fast response times with occasional instances of longer or no response. 
What's the Buzz?
Ms. Skurnick appears to be a good, well-respected agent.  She's a member of the AAR and has an established list of clients and sales.  A couple of the other agents at the Levine Greenberg Rostan Agency are more specialized in YA, but Ms. Skurnick is accepting and considering YA submissions.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews and Post:
On Landing an Agent at a Conference at the Book Doctors (01/2016)
Victoria Skurnick's Top Query No-No's at Jungle Red Writers (07/2014)
Agent Victoria Skurnick at The Write Path (10/2012)
7 Questions for Literary Agent Victoria Skurnick at Middle Grade Ninja (02/2011)
YouTube video featuring literary agents Victoria Skurnick and Michael Strong and Bantam Dell Assistant Editor Randall Klein (05/2009).
Contact:
Please see the Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency website for contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 5/31/2020.
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes
Last Reviewed By Agent? NA
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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7(at)gmail(dot)com
Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.