From Draft to Deal: Navigating the Publishing World

The perfect event for any and all aspiring novelists.

Topics will range from querying to getting representation to deals and more.

About the participants:

LAURA DAIL (President, Laura Dail Literary Agency): After studying at Duke University and earning a Masters in Spanish at Middlebury College, Laura's publishing career began at St. Martin's Press. She translated several novels and books of nonfiction from Spanish to English and founded the agency in 1996. Laura is focused on representing upmarket and commercial fiction. She is always seeking fresh, diverse voices, and innovative partners. And she recently relocated from NYC to Rustic Canyon.

JENNIFER ROFÉ (Senior Agent, Andrea Brown Literary Agency): Jennifer Rofé wanted to live in the Berenstain Bears tree house when she was a child. Today, she represents the authors and illustrators who create the characters and worlds that inspire young readers. As a senior agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Jennifer works with creators primarily in the middle grade, picture book, and illustration spaces. Her clients range from seasoned, award-winning, and bestselling authors and illustrators to industry newcomers. Jennifer has been on the faculty of many conferences including the Big Sur Writer's Workshop and numerous SCBWI events, and she is especially known for her The So What? Factor presentation.

LUCY CARSON (Senior Agent, The Friedrich Agency): Lucy Carson joined The Friedrich Agency in 2008, and she has since cultivated a list of fiction and narrative non-fiction for the adult trade audience. In addition to brokering domestic publishing deals for her own clients, Lucy also oversees all Film, Television & Dramatic business for the wider agency list. During her 17 years with The Friedrich Agency, Lucy has worked with established bestselling authors such as Sue Grafton, Elizabeth Strout, Ruth Ozeki, Terry McMillan, and Karen Joy Fowler, while launching many debut authors as well, including Leila Mottley, Alison Espach, Rachel Harrison, Silvia Park and Daria Lavelle.

DAVIN MALASARN (Author, The Outer Country): Davin Malasarn was born and raised in Southern California. After completing his PhD in biology at the California Institute of Technology, he earned his MFA from Bennington College and completed the Queens University of Charlotte Book Development Program. He was a PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow, a Plympton Writing Downtown Fellow, and a Bennington Alumni Fellow. He co-founded The Granum Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting writers, and hosts The Artist’s Statement podcast. His debut novel, The Outer Country, is forthcoming from One World/Random House in May 2026.

ALICIA CLANCY (Executive Editor, Ballantine Books): Alicia Clancy is an Executive Editor acquiring a broad range of fiction, with a primary focus on all things romance, including big-hearted rom-coms, lush romantasy, delightfully tropey series of both the spicy and sweet variety, and sweeping romance, in addition to select mystery, suspense, thrillers, women’s fiction, book club fiction, historical fiction, and grounded magical realism/speculative fiction projects. Across all genres, she is particularly drawn to books with a uniquely fresh voice, splashy hooks, jaw-dropping twists, cinematic pacing, and the ability to make her both laugh and cry within a matter of pages. In the decade prior to joining Ballantine Bantam Dell, Alicia worked at Lake Union Publishing (an imprint of Amazon Publishing) and St. Martin’s Press (an imprint of Macmillan Publishers), where she had the honor of working with bestselling authors including Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Elle Cosimano, Maggie Shipstead, Marie Benedict, Sonali Dev, Barbara O’Neal, Julianne MacLean, Glendy Vanderah, Suzanne Redfearn, and Sara Goodman Confino, among others. A converted West Coaster originally from the Southeast, Alicia currently resides in Southern California with her British husband and two Australian Cattle Dogs.

DAN SMETANKA (Edotorial Director, Catapult Book Group): Dan Smetanka is the Editorial Director of the Catapult Book Group, which is comprised of the imprints Catapult, Counterpoint, Hawthorne, and Soft Skull Press.His authors include Joan Silber, Susan Straight, Dana Johnson, Natashia Deón, Ben Ehrenreich, Karen E. Bender, Tod Goldberg, Gina Frangello, Vanessa Hua, Elizabeth Rosner, Maria Hummel, and Jamie Harrison, among others. He is based in Los Angeles.