In this week's installment of mediabistro.com's "Pitching an Agent," M. David Hornbuckle visits the Linda Chester Agency, where Alexandra Machinist (right) is actively looking for new authors, with "a particular affinity for historical fiction, plot-driven literary fiction, women's fiction that straddles the line of commercial and literary, narrative nonfiction, and revealing (but not self-indulgent) memoir." She's willing to search through the slush pile, but if you're going to contact her directly, make sure to explain why you think she might be the agent for you.

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