Joëlle Delbourgo is a highly energetic former publishing executive turned entrepreneur. She has been consistently astute in identifying and developing talent, in her executive posts at HarperCollins and Random House, and more recently, as founder and President of Joëlle Delbourgo Associates, Inc. Her primary goal in all of her roles in publishing has been the strategic management of authors' careers, with an eye to both front-list success and enduring backlist sales.Joëlle Delbourgo Associates is a boutique literary management and publishing consulting company based in Montclair, New Jersey, just 15 miles from the heart of New York City. Joelle brings in-depth "insider" knowledge of the industry from her prior editorial and executive publishing positions to the literary representation. Through a network of sub-agents around the world and co-agents in film and television, the agency strives to bring an author's work to greater visibility globally and in as many formats as possible.
Joëlle Delbourgo Associates is dedicated to identifying new and exciting voices and innovative ideas. The agency represents a broad range of fiction and nonfiction. The hallmark of JDA is quality, not quantity. In both fiction and nonfiction, JDA looks for authors who know how to tell a unique story, and tell it beautifully. JDA is especially drawn to books that introduce fresh ideas and cutting-edge research, present fresh perspectives, stretch the envelope or turn the current wisdom or knowledge about a particular subject on its head. The agency has particular strength in such categories as: psychology, self-empowerment, business, women's issues, narrative nonfiction, memoir, lifestyle, history, science, medicine and health, current affairs and parenting. The agency is looking for literary fiction, quality commercial fiction and young adult fiction. In nonfiction, we seek authors who are pioneers in their fields, leaders and fearless thinkers, and writers who make uncommon connections between disciplines. JDA is attracted to writers of distinction, who see the world through an uncommon lens or can transport the reader to new worlds.
Clients of the agency include: New York Times' bestselling author, Missy Chase Lapine, the "Sneaky Chef"; popular historians Philip Mitchell Freeman, Julie Fenster and Jeff Sypeck; New York Times' bestselling writer and crusader for the rights of foster and adopted children, Ashley Rhodes-Courter; Pulitzer-Prize winning Wall Street Journal writers Geeta Anand and Randall Smith, and George Polk Award-winning Wall Street Journal writer Ellen Schultz; novelists Pamela Duncan, Bob Mitchell, Roy Hoffman and mystery writer, R.T. Jordan; nationally syndicated and top-rated business blogger ("Escapefromcubiclenation.com") and consultant, Pamela Slim; internationally bestselling philosopher, Lou Marinoff; Duke University Medical Center Chief of Biological Psychiatry, P. Murali Doraiswamy MD; pioneering sleep researcher, Carlos Schenck MD; public radio show host and Business Week contributing editor, Chris Farrell; current affairs commentator and opinion-maker, Marc Siegel MD; esteemed cardiologist, Thomas Graboys, MD; breast cancer survivor and memoirist, Geralyn Lucas; leading educator and parenting expert, Michele Borba, Ph.D; ESPN's top-rated outdoor show host, mad fisherman, Charlie Moore; International Living, publishers and experts on living, traveling and investing abroad; former UBS Paine Webber chief, Joseph J. Grano; and fine art photographers, Zeva Oelbaum and Don Glentzer.
Prior to founding the agency, Joëlle Delbourgo was Senior Vice-President, Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher of HarperCollins, Adult Trade Division, where she worked with bestselling authors Paulo Coelho, Ken Davis, Susan Forward and Lawrence Schiller, among many others. She spent over fifteen years in various editorial and executive posts at Ballantine Books, division of Random House, where she published such ground-breaking books as Karen Armstrong's A History of God and Jerusalem, Benjamin Barber's Jihad vs. McWorld, Mary Pipher's Reviving Ophelia, Mother Teresa's A Simple Path, Carol Gilligan's Meeting at the Crossroads, and James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom. She worked with Lee Smith, Robert Massie, Barbara Tuchman, Dave Barry, Jim Davis, Sophy Burnham, Gail Sheehy, David Herbert Donald, and Christina Garcia. As Vice-President, Editor-in-Chief, she initiated Ballantine's incursion from trade paperback into hardcover publishing and spearheaded the spiritual publishing explosion. She began her publishing career at Bantam Books, where she launched the international bestselling children's book series, Choose Your Own Adventure.
Joëlle Delbourgo holds an M.A. in English and Comparative Literature with Honors from Columbia University, and a B.A. from Williams College, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa with a double concentration in History and English Literature. She also attended Vassar College. Joëlle Delbourgo is listed in Who's Who, Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who of Entrepreneurs, and International Who's Who. She is profiled in Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary agents and mediabistro.com. She has been an instructor at the Geneva Writers Conference (Switzerland), The Writers Institute at the University of Wisconsin, and at the writing week at Rancho La Puerta, as well as a panelist for The American Society of Journalists. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, she has lived on three continents, is fluent in French, and considers herself to be a citizen of the world.
Click here for information about sending submissions to Joëlle Delbourgo
Molly Lyons, Agent
Molly Lyons began her career in the editorial offices of at Working Woman, Gourmet, Elle Decor, SELF and Lifetime magazines. She's written for publications such as City, Self, All You, Child, This Old House, Glamour, Redbook, Prevention and Parenting. As a founding editor of Lifetime, she covered all things books, from choosing titles to review, authors to interview, excerpts to buy and new voices to approach. She's acquired, assigned, edited and written profiles, memoirs and personal essays, as well as health, psychology, nutrition, personal finance, parenting and entertainment pieces. Molly has been able to work with diverse writers from pros like Elinor Lipman to newcomers such as Lolly Winston. She's helped shape pieces with non-writers such as doctors and other experts, and has ghostwritten highly personal stories. Molly is a sharp editor and someone with an eye for new voices and ideas. She's interested in representing fiction, especially women's fiction, memoir, narrative non-fiction, biography, health, psychology and cultural issues.
Molly is a graduate of Amherst College and serves on their Executive Committee of the Alumni Council. She's also on the Junior Advisory Council of Common Ground, a supportive housing organization and is on the board of Women's Media Group.
Click here for information about sending submissions to Molly Lyons.
Subagents
World excluding Asia:Jenny Meyer
Jenny Meyer Literary Agency
jenny@meyerlit.com
Asia:
Japan:
Owl's Agency
shimo@owlsagency.com
Korea:
Duran Kim
Duran Kim Agency
duran@durankim.com
People's Republic of China:
Andrew Nurnberg Associates, Inc.
Beijing: Jackie Huang
jhuang@nurnberg.com.cn
Shanghai: Kang Ning
Taipei: Whitney Hsu
whsu@nurnberg.com.tw
