Presenters

In-Person Conference

Caitlin Blasdell has been a literary agent with Liza Dawson Associates since 2002. When she started agenting, she focused on SF and fantasy, but she has since expanded to represent a wide range of commercial fiction including thrillers, romance of all kinds, women’s fiction, mysteries, and historical fiction. She represents primarily adult fiction as well as a few select young adult and middle grade authors.

Before becoming an agent, she was a senior editor at HarperCollins Publishers. A graduate of Williams College, she lives in Westchester with her husband, sons, and ever-expanding perennial garden.

From Caitlin:

Why don’t I have a manuscript wish list?

I don’t find manuscript wish lists to be useful. Like everyone else, I’m looking for great books that I can sell to publishers for good money. It’s hard to predict what that will be.

I don’t like horror–too scary!–but when THE LIBRARY AT MOUNT CHAR crossed my desk, I couldn’t put it down and offered representation immediately. I was tired of YA fantasy until I read SEVEN DEADLY SINS last year and knew I had to represent it. “”Everyone”” knows that SF romance doesn’t sell, but when a client referred Constance Fay to me I snapped up her CALAMITY series and sold it to Bramble.

But, of course, I also want to see the genres that are selling now. As I write, that would be romantasy, cozy fantasy, heart-warming mysteries, big epic fantasies and space operas with nail-biting suspense, clever rom coms that pull from different genres but keep the romance at the center. By the time of the conference: who knows?

The best way to get a sense of my taste is to browse the authors whose books I represent. You can find a good selection on my page on the Liza Dawson Associates website.

Presentations