The Knight Agency, a Georgia-based literary agency, announced yesterday that it had hired Jia Gayles as its promotions and public relations director, providing marketing support for both the agency and its roster of authors including Gena Showalter, Lauren Baratz-Logsted, P.N. Elrod, and Cara Lockwood. "Books are like cherished friends to me," Gayles said in her first press release for Knight. "I have always dreamed of working in the book publishing industry, and I am delighted to be a part of such a highly regarded agency."

This is the second major addition to Knight's lineup in the last month: In mid-May, the firm's client list was significantly bolstered by the arrival of literary agent Lucienne Diver.