7 Questions For: Literary Agent Mallory Brown

Mallory Brown joined TriadaUs Literary Agency as an intern in 2014 and officially joined the ranks in 2015. She loves to travel and is very keen on sociopathic characters. She's seeking young adult, new adult, women’s fiction, and non-fiction. She is especially drawn to pieces with strong character-driven plots and witty humor. She loves contemporary fiction, low fantasy, and romance. Mallory also appreciates a well-placed comma and hopes you do, too.

Some of her favorites are: A Series of Unfortunate Events,  Outlander, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. You can follow her on Twitter @MalloryCBrown.

And now Mallory Brown  faces the 7 Questions:

Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

Oh, the dreaded question… 

I suppose my favorites (at the moment) would have to be: Jane Austen’s Emma because of the love story, of course, but also because Emma’s quite the character; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet because of the way the Holmes/Watson friendship is introduced and developed; and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl because I have never seen a plot twist that incredible and well-done.

                      

Question Six: What are your top three favorite movies and television shows?

My all-time favorite show is BBC’s Sherlock. The plots, characterization, and humor are amazing. I just love it. I also border on obsessive with the Marvel movies. Finally, I’ve recently gotten intoThe Walking Dead. I know, I’m late to the party with that one, but I’m so glad I’ve made it. Again, the relationships between the characters just get me.

Question Five: What are the qualities of your ideal client?

My ideal client is somebody who is all about honest communication and teamwork. I’m not the type to sugar-coat. If something isn’t working, I will tell you and we will work to make the project perfect. I am never mean, but I am honest. I also think it’s important to have a good sense of humor if you’re going to work in the arts, so I really appreciate that.

Question Four: What sort of project(s) would you most like to receive a query for?

I am determined to find a contemporary YA/NA with some witty humor and an interesting romance. I also would kill for stories with strong sibling relationships, female friendships, and perhaps private high school/study abroad settings.

Question Three: What is your favorite thing about being an agent? What is your least favorite thing?

My favorite thing is talking with authors about their projects. Since joining Triada as an intern and now as a lit agent assistant, I’ve been lucky enough to talk to a variety of authors. All of them have this passion that is so inspiring and motivating.

My least favorite thing is rejections. It takes a lot of courage to query agents, to put yourself and your project out there, and I always ache when I have to write a rejection.

Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

Do not be afraid of the rejection that I mentioned above. It’s not personal. Just because one agent doesn’t think your manuscript is for them doesn’t mean the next agent won’t adore it. Don’t give up! The right agent is out there for you!

Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

Oh, no, I cannot choose one! Daniel Handler or J.K. Rowling… Both of their series really shaped my childhood. I think both authors are just brilliant.

I might have gone a tad overboard. I tend to ramble when asked about my favorites/writing haha! Shocker, right? An arts-lover being long-winded ;)

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