UPDATE:

Marlo Berliner is currently closed to queries and has taken a step back from agenting for the foreseeable future while she deals with some family matters. She will open again as soon as she is able, so please watch for her announcement on Twitter @marloberliner.

IN ADDITION TO BEING AN AUTHOR, MARLO BERLINER IS ALSO A LITERARY AGENT WITH THE JENNIFER DE CHIARA LITERARY AGENCY (JDLA) IN NY. JDLA HAS BEEN MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE FOR 21 YEARS AND COUNTING!

Marlo Berliner has been actively building her list as a Literary Agent with The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency since November 2018. She joined JDLA as an editorial intern in December 2017, after having completed a previous internship at The Bent Agency. Marlo has been involved in publishing in various capacities since 2007, first as a writer, then an award-winning young adult author, then a freelance editor, and finally a children’s lead bookseller at Barnes & Noble. She is a member of SCBWI. Prior to her career in the publishing world, Marlo was an accounting manager for a Fortune 500 company and holds B.S. degrees in Economics and Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Marlo lives in Northern New Jersey with her husband, two sons, and one rambunctious puppy named Max (who doubles as her puplicist).

What I’m looking for:

I believe the best stories have both compelling characters and tight, emotionally involving plotlines. If your writing can translate emotion to the page and give me a visceral reaction of humor, fear, joy, sadness, intrigue, or romance, then I will keep turning pages.

Across the board, I’m always looking for stories by traditionally underrepresented authors. BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, and disabled, #ownvoices authors are highly encouraged to query me.

Middle-Grade and Young Adult: I am interested in ALL genres of MG and YA fiction, with particular emphasis on adventure, fantasy, mystery, thriller, suspense, paranormal, urban fantasy, horror, speculative, sci-fi, contemporary, and romance. I enjoy ghosts, witches, magic, magical realism, unusual settings, dark elements, gothic stories, secrets or secretive characters, treasure hunts, puzzle-solving, and unreliable narrators. Basically, my tastes are varied, so even if you have something not mentioned on this list, try me! Also, if you can take a story or intellectual property (in TV or books) that is popular with the adult crowd and give me its MG or YA version, then I will give it a look because I believe these types of stories may have strong potential for the market. I am also open to coming-of-age stories set in college that walk the line between upper YA and new adult. While I do like contemporary tales, I may not be the best fit for “issue” books where the central conflict revolves primarily around rape/rape-culture, drugs, or illness. I will also consider some select non-fiction projects in MG and YA, particularly if they involve pop-culture, current events, or social awareness/commentary.

Picture book: Seeking submissions primarily from author-illustrators, though I will consider select text-only submissions. Please submit your query with a link to your portfolio and the entire text of the PB manuscript. Also, query only one PB at a time! I am more drawn toward character-driven stories that are cute, funny, or heartwarming. I love twists on familiar characters or story lines, and unlikely friendship stories.

Adult: I am particularly interested in horror, mystery, thriller, and suspense, especially psychological suspense, supernatural suspense, and domestic thriller. I am also seeking women’s fiction with some heft and heart, and all genres of Romance, except inspirational and erotic. As far as historical romance, I prefer 1900’s and forward.

What I’m not looking for:

• Political, true crime, or military/espionage thrillers
• Short stories
• Poetry
• Screenplays
• Books involving rape/rape-culture, drugs, or illness
• Previously self-published books

Some recent favorite titles on my reading shelf include The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Wilder Girls by Rory Power, and The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller.

My recent deals include:

Journey Beyond the Burrow by Rina Heisel (MG, Harper Children’s, 7/13/21)

Frances and the Monster by Refe Tuma (MG, Harper Children’s, 8/23/22)

Frances and the Werewolves of the Black Forest by Refe Tuma (MG, Harper Children’s, 8/22/23)

Other Side of the Tracks by Charity Alyse (YA, Denene Millner Books/S&S, 11/22/22)

For more, check out my page at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency here, https://www.jdlit.com/marloberliner , or follow me on Instagram @MarloBerliner and Twitter @MarloBerliner You’ll also find more tidbits here on the Manuscript Wish List website: MSWL – Marlo Berliner

How to submit: 

NOTE: Currently closed to queries for 2023.

Please submit your query and first 20 pages of your finished and polished manuscript via my Query Manager: http://QueryMe.Online/marloberliner

You will receive an automatic response from Query Manager, which lets you know your submission is in my inbox, and you can track your query’s progress. I usually respond to queries within six weeks. Requested full manuscripts may take longer than six weeks to read, so please be patient. All queries and requested material will get a response.

PLEASE NOTE: I only accept Query Manager submissions. Emailed queries will be deleted unread, as will queries sent through Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Any queries sent by regular postal mail will also not be considered.

2022 EVENTS

October 1st                      SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest Authors & Illustrators Day –                                                     Fullerton, CA

2021 EVENTS

September 19th               NJ-SCBWI See You in September Virtual Critique

2020 EVENTS

March 28th – 29th             MD Writers’ Association Annual Conference – Hyattsville, MD

May 2nd                            NESCBWI Spring Conference – Springfield, MA

2019 EVENTS

April 12th – 14th                 Washington Romance Writers Retreat – Westminster, MD