Quressa Robinson, Agent At Nelson Literary

Quressa Robinson joined the Nelson Literary Agency in 2017 after working at a previous agency and as an editor for five years. She is originally from San Francisco but has been living in New York City for over a decade. As a New York based agent, she is eager to build her MG, YA, and Adult lists. Quressa is also a member of the 2017-2020 WNDB Walter Grant Committee and holds an MFA in Creative Writing: Fiction from Columbia University. In 2020, she was named a Publisher’s Weekly Star Watch finalist. In 2021 she was named an influential gatekeeper in Book and Film Globe’s inaugural Publishing Power 30 list alongside phenoms like Reece Witherspoon, Celeste Ng, and Lisa Lucas.

She would love to see:

  • Modern-day blue stockings, BIPOC fangirls/fanboys, #blackgirlmagic, #carefreeblackgirls, #blackboyjoy, LGBTQ+, BIPOC falling in love, neuroatypical/neurodivergent, and disabled BIPOCs as leads
  • Middle Grade (contemporary, literary, and SF/F). Cute, quirky, charming, and fun. Along the lines of Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, The Girl that Drank the Moon, the Pandava series, Hurricane Child.
  • Young adult (contemporary, Rom Coms, and SF/F) *I have TONS of SF/F on my current list so I am extremely selective with this genre*
  • Adult SF/F with strong genre-bending/crossover appeal. (Think the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker.) I’m also a fan of Anne Bishop and Naomi Novik. More recent books that I’ve loved: Trail of Lightning, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and Empire of Sand.
  • #ownvoices and marginalized authors in all genres mentioned above. Inclusive narratives in all genres.

Meet with Quressa

Meet face-to-face, from home. Choose Skype, Google Hangouts, or phone, and speak for the appointed time about your query, first page, and/or first ten pages (for longer meetings). Does not include written notes, but is a chance to have an honest discussion about your work, and to ask follow-up questions. International meetings welcomed.