Pitching an Agent: Wales Literary Agency

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A small, discerning Seattle outfit in search of literary nonfiction and fiction from the Pacific Rim and beyond.

Number of agents: One
Number of clients: About 65
Notable clients: Sex columnist and blue-state provocateur Dan Savage; poet, essayist, and ex-Alaska homesteader John Haines; 'zinester and travel memoirist (No Touch Monkey! And Other Travelers' Lessons Learned Too Late) Ayun Halliday; Outside contributing editor Bruce Barcott; and Arun Gandhi, author and grandson of you-know-who.
Percentage of unsolicited material accepted: About 10 to 20 percent.
Fiction vs. nonfiction: 40 percent fiction; 60 percent nonfiction.

Background: Elizabeth Wales, founder and head of Seattle's Wales Literary Agency, started out working in New York City for Oxford University Press and Viking Penguin in trade ...

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