About Us
Hello! Thank you for taking time to learn more about us. We are a small and mighty team dedicated to advancing our authors' interests.
Lynn Johnston
Agent & President
For more than 20 years, I've represented nonfiction and a small selection of fiction. The books on my list have been called "firebreathing" and "righteous" by the New York Times, "exuberant" by Oprah, and "a godsend" by Publishers Weekly. Among them are numerous New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today bestsellers along with multitudes of "best of the year" honorees.
In response to the question, "What do you do?" I once replied, "I care." It was at a party and although I meant it as a joke, I'd inadvertently gotten it right. I care about my authors, how their work translates into book form, what happens to the book before and after publication, and ultimately the impact it has in the world. My authors have been honored with the Pulitzer Prize, Peabody Award, Global Teaching Prize (finalist), and GLAAD award, to name a few. I'm proud to work with each and every one
I have held marketing and management positions and served on the the board or staff of notable non-profits, including Dress for Success, Bottomless Closet, American Management Association, and American Bar Association. In 2024, I was elected to my second term on the board of the Association of American Literary Agents where I also serve on the Contracts Committee and Ethics Committee and co-founded the People of Publishing Conference.
I have an MBA and BA in Philosophy and came to live and work in New York City by way of Chicago, Dallas, Austin, Dunedin (Florida), Bangkok and Saigon where I was born. My sunny home used to be a pencil factory, of all things. It has several excellent bookstores within walking distance but never enough bookshelves.
Debbie Clayman
Agent & Director of Global Rights
I am am proud to support our authors and their desire to share their messages to audiences worldwide and to apply 20 years experience in finance and media. In addition to building my own list, I manage the agency's subsidiary rights, working with trusted co-agents to sell translation rights in key territories.
I hold a marketing degree from Tulane University and an MBA from New York University. I’m a member of the Association of American Literary Agents where I volunteer on the People of Publishing Conference as the logistics expert.
After growing up in Ohio, and living in the great cities of Chicago, New Orleans, New York, and London, I settled in Brooklyn with two kids, dog, and cat. I love going for a run or a stroll and enjoying the view of Manhattan. I started running many years ago on a dare and now coach young adults recovering from cancer in a program called Cancer to 5K. Like our authors, these are the people who inspire me every day.
Laney Pope
Agent & Manager of Content Production
Would it be too nerdy to say I love newsletters? It’s undoubtedly an underrated medium, and I wish more people took advantage of its potential. At CNN, I wrote for the Reliable Sources newsletter and at the New York Times, I was part of the data team reporting on COVID that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
For two years, I taught English in Spain. This experience made me appreciate not only how much we have in common with each other despite language and cultural differences but also the profound nuances of communications.
At Pomona College, I played collegiate volleyball for the Sagehens and graduated with a degree in Public Policy Analysis and a minor in Spanish. In my free time, you can find me playing beach volleyball, walking my dog, Sugar, and crocheting, particularly crocheting sweaters for Sugar.