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  • Agent Spotlights & Interviews have been updated through the letter "K" as of 3/28/2024 and many have been reviewed by the agents. Look for more information as I find the time to update more agent spotlights.

Agent Spotlight: Alyssa Reuben

This week's Agent Spotlight features Alyssa Reuben of Paradigm Talent Agency.
Status: Open to submissions.
f5b777626bd096bd8a29c25734822677_Reuben-NEW150x150About:Alyssa Reuben has been a passionate representative and advocate of authors for well over a decade. Her list reflects her multifaceted passions and includes adult, young adult, and the occasional middle grade fiction as well as smart, platform driven, nonfiction ranging from pop-culture, lifestyle, cookbooks, and narrative to memoir. She gravitates toward voice-driven non-fiction presenting a fresh point of view and particularly loves novels with an edge or a great romance arc. Her favorite kind of project is one that allows her to roll up her sleeves to develop and edit material alongside a collaborative and engaged author and prides herself on discovering new voices and launching successful careers. She runs the book publishing department at Paradigm Literary and Talent Agency, which has been her home since graduating Cornell University.” (Link)
About the Agency:
“At Paradigm Publishing, we believe that an artist who is successful in reaching the public in one medium, should also reach an audience of dedicated readers through book publishing. That philosophy is at the heart of what we do: we work with clients who are active in other areas of the agency – television, film, the internet – to develop book properties that will build and enhance a client's brand.
"We represent a host of different writers and talent in all genres including existing clients of the agency, as well as independent, traditional writers. We have sold books in all areas and genres—commercial celebrity-driven, humor, memoir, journalistic, food/lifestyle, adult and children’s fiction—and everything in between. Paradigm has a proven track record servicing all aspects of a client's literary career, providing hands-on editorial guidance and working closely with publishers to ensure that writers gain a competitive edge in today's publishing marketplace.” (Link)
Web Presence:
Paradigm Talent Agency website.
Twitter.
AgentQuery.
QueryTracker.
What She's Looking For:
Genres/Specialties:
"Fiction: Literary Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Graphic Novels, Humor/Satire, Romance, Family Saga, Historical Fiction, Thrillers, Young Adult, Multi-Cultural, LGBTQ, Adventure, Offbeat/Quirky, Middle Grade.
"Non-Fiction: History, Celebrity, Biography, Religion, Food & Lifestyle, Drama/Music, Multi-Cultural, Cookbooks, illustrated, LGBTQ, True Crime, Memoirs, Travel, Adventure/True Story, Dating/Relationships, Current Affairs, Women’s Issues, Pop Culture, Film & Entertainment, Cultural/Social Issues, Humor, Journalism, Narrative, Memoir." (Link)From AgentQuery :
“She represents a range of both adult and children’s genres. For children’s, she gravitates toward contemporary Middle Grade and YA with a strong voice. But a high concept, or an interesting paranormal twist has been known to catch her eye. For nonfiction, her categories include pop-culture, lifestyle, quirky histories, food, narrative and memoir. On the fiction side, her tastes are extremely wide ranging between literary and commercial. She’s a sucker for a coming-of-age story or a good romance arc.” (Link)
Also see her Manuscript Wish List to learn what she is looking for.
What She Isn't Looking For:
Unknown.
Editorial Agent?
Yes.
Clients:
There are lists of bestsellers and prize winners and new releases on the agency website.
Ms. Reuben’s clients include: Colleen Clayton, Carly Cylinder, Melissa Joan Hart, Moses Gates, Emily Liebert, Kathy McCullough, Bob Saget, Alena Smith, The Betches, Alecia Whitaker, among others.
Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes (only).
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
Send a query letter and the first ten pages in the body of an e-mail. Include contact information. No attachments.
See the Paradigm Talent Agency website for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines.  Ms. Reuben’s contact information can be found at her Manuscript Wish List, AgentQuery, and QueryTracker.
Response Times:
Due to the volume of submissions received, the agency only responds if interested (Link). However, Ms. Reuben does send some rejections, often with the help of an assistant and usually within 1-3 months.
What's the Buzz?
Alyssa Rueben has been with Paradigm Literary and Talent Agency for over ten years. They are a large entertainment agency, representing many big names across multiple medias. In children’s, Ms. Reuben is interested in middle grade and YA and open to new talent.
I recommend following her on Twitter @Areubey.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews and Posts:
None found online.
Agent Alyssa Reuben at Writing and Illustrating (04/2020
What Does a Literary Agent Want to See When They Google You? at The Write Life (07/2013)
Contact:
Please see the Paradigm Talent Agency website and the query databases above for contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 5/2422/20.
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes
Last Reviewed By Agent? 4/29/13.
***
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.


















































14 comments:

Reader said...

I like these agent spotlights. Eye-opening. It's neat to check out the clients of the agent there also...I notice one of hers is Melissa Joan Hart ...Sabrina :)

Jill

Natalie Aguirre said...

Another awesome spotlight though it doesn't sounds like Alyssa's looking for middle grade high fantasy.

S.P. Bowers said...

Love these spotlights. Thanks for taking the time to do them.

Cynthia said...

I think it's great that she's open to so many different genres.

DMS said...

Alyssa sounds like a wonderful agent and I think it is great that she reads so many different genres. Spotlighting agents is such a terrific idea. :)
~Jess

Theresa Milstein said...

Thanks. She sounds like a good fit for me.

Unknown said...

Great info on Alyssa. Thanks so much! :-)

Rachel said...

I had a full with Alyssa that turned into an R&R and can attest Alyssa has a strong editorial eye and passion for the YA market. She really is fabulous. I'd really recommend querying her. :-)

Creepy Query Girl said...

Alyssa requested a fullMS which I sent her over a YEAR ago. I sent a few follow up emails to find out if she'd had a chance to read it but she never got back to me:(

Anonymous said...

I love coming-of-age stories. I'm pleased to meet Alyssa.

Casey McCormick said...

That's a bummer, Creepy Query Girl. Thanks for the input.

Mart Ramirez said...

Thanks again for another great spotlight, Casey!

Mart Ramirez said...

I've had the exact thing happen to me with two agents in the course of six years. Not common but unfortunately it happens.

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