Photo credit: Franco Vogt

The best way to reach me is by email at lynn at lynnjohnstonlit dot com.

You may be interested in this Q&A about what I look for in queries, my favorite books & more.

I often tweet about publishing.

Read my advice on author acknowledgments.

Read my essay in The New York Times.

Hello! Thank you for taking time to learn more about me. For more than 20 years, I've represented nonfiction and a small selection of fiction. The books on my list have been called "firebreathng" and "righteous" by the New York Times, "exuberant" by O, The Oprah Magazine, and "a godsend" by Publishers Weekly. Among them are New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today bestsellers; Books for a Better Life Award finalists; winner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Award; Grammy nominee for Best Spoken Word Album; Porchlight Book of the Year finalist; and numerous "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 I meant it as a joke. Thinking about it later, though, I realized I'd inadvertently gotten it right. I care about my authors, how their important work gets translated 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. Here is a gallery of some of them in action.

Before working in publishing, I held marketing and management positions and served on the the board or staff of notable non-profits including Dress for Success, Bottomless Closet and the American Bar Association. I was elected in 2022 to the board of the Association of American Literary Agents and serve on the advisory board of the Woodstock Book Fest. My degrees include an MBA and BA in Philosophy. ​

I 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 home has several good bookstores within walking distance but never enough bookshelves.