Meet Agent Duvall Osteen
Image
Image
Duvall Osteen is a literary agent at Aragi Inc. She represents a wide range of literary fiction and narrative nonfiction. Her literary interests include writing rooted in place, especially the South; multigenerational storytelling; family drama; and literary suspense. Duvall holds a Masters of Arts in Southern Cultural Studies from the University of Mississippi.
To learn more, visit her Aragi Inc. agent page.
***
How long have you been an agent, and what did your career path look like?
I've had my own list for about six years now. Before that, I was an assistant at a big agency in the foreign rights department (invaluable experience!) and then an assistant at Aragi for two years. I continued to assist Nicole while I built my own list, and then one day after I'd sold quite a few books (while still assisting her and her clients), it made sense for her to have a dedicated assistant and let me run my own list.
What's your favorite part of your job?
Pitching my authors to editors. The best part of this job is getting the be a hype woman for my clients. I'm so passionate about everyone I take on—reaching that moment when their work is ready to be submitted for publication is the biggest thrill. I can spend all day on the phone talking to editors about how great a client's book or proposal is. I feel so invested in their work, and their process, and their success—getting to push them to the next level is such a joy.
What do you look for in an author to potentially represent?
Humor, patience, and good ideas. Great writing on the sentence level, of course, but the rest is equally important, because it's a long journey from manuscript or proposal to publication.
What do you look for in a project to potentially represent?
An author behind the writing who is willing to do the hard work it takes to bring a book to life.
Register for Wordsmith for a chance to meet with Duvall! Already registered but not yet scheduled for a pitch or consultation? Sign up here.