Meet Brenna English-Loeb, literary agent with Transatlantic Literary Agency
Brenna English-Loeb comes to the Transatlantic Literary Agency after working for several years at Janklow & Nesbit Associates and Writers House, where she had the pleasure of working with New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors across multiple genres. At TLA she’s excited to grow her list of speculative and suspenseful fiction in both YA and adult, as well as adult nonfiction, in collaboration with senior agents.
Raised on an eclectic blend of Jane Austen, Terry Pratchett and Ursula K Le Guin, Brenna has always gravitated to unique stories with a strong point of view. Aspects of a work that are sure to catch her eye include: evocative atmospheres, character-driven plots, a sense of adventure, and narratives that reveal a deep knowledge of a particular subject. She also loves old tropes made new again, unreliable narrators, and power imbalances.
Brenna’s Wish List:
She is specifically looking for works of YA and adult science fiction, fantasy, and suspense, as well as some adult literary fiction. She loves space operas, myth and fairy tale retellings, survival stories, epistolary novels, and heists. She also has a soft spot for stories that blend multiple genres and for works by and about underrepresented groups and identities. For nonfiction, Brenna is looking for serious, groundbreaking sociological work that holds our culture up to the magnifying glass. She also loves accounts of historical events and people that deserve to be better known, as well as unusual and influential object histories.
MWW Board Member Julie Tuttle Davis interviewed Brenna about her life as an agent and about coming to MWW Agent Fest.
BEL: I would really love to see more westerns, but ones that center on nonwhite characters or are set elsewhere than the American West. And if there’s some magic or a really good mystery in there, so much the better. I’m also looking for own voices, YA KPop stories.I’ve been getting a glut of YA fantasies and political thrillers, and I’m just not in a place to engage with any more of them right now. Another turn off for me is anything with angels and demons, particularly if they’re also romances.
BEL: The biggest thing I’m looking for is clarity. After reading a query letter, I should know the story’s premise and main characters and the author’s writing history/bio. It doesn’t have to be very long or more complex than that. I think a lot of people get flustered by trying to be friendly or make their manuscript sound as exciting as possible, but unfortunately what often happens is that I don’t understand what you’re trying to sell me on.
BEL: There are two things that will keep me from continuing to read. The first is if I’m having trouble caring about the characters, whether because they’re not well-developed or just because they’re not clicking with me. The second issue that stops me is when the plot and character relationships stagnate. I need to see that they’re headed somewhere in particular and not just reacting to isolated events.
BEL: I just read The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie, which is amazing. Once again, she’s managed to upend our expectations of a genre and I can’t wait for everyone else to read it. I’m also looking forward to diving into King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo and revisiting some of the characters from her Grisha Trilogy.
BEL: Don’t try to force it. You’re interviewing an agent as much as they’re interviewing you, and not everyone is going to be the right fit for you and your work, regardless of what they think! Having a clear idea of what you need in an agent will help everyone involved.
