Jamie Chambliss

Literary Agent

I’m drawn to literary and upmarket/book club fiction; narrative nonfiction, especially dealing with food, pop culture, the quirks of human nature, the stories within the worlds of science and sports, and the forgotten corners of history.

Writers are astounding. Only 26 letters at your disposal, yet you shift and rearrange them into an endless stream of invention to conjure new worlds again and again. I’ve been chasing the endless ordering of those 26 letters most of my life, first as a reader, then as a writer, editor and agent. Before I joined Folio, I worked at Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, working on both fiction and nonfiction and in both editorial and marketing. I understand how to shape a story before it goes out into the world, and how to best position it once it’s there. I’ve also been a freelance writer and editor, and a manuscript reader. Before any of that I was an award-winning magazine writer and editor covering, among other things, books, the arts, and sports narratives. I’m a graduate of Wake Forest University and have a master’s degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

What I’m looking for: I’m drawn to literary and upmarket/book club fiction; narrative nonfiction, especially dealing with food, pop culture, the quirks of human nature, the stories within the worlds of science and sports, and the forgotten corners of history.

What I’m not looking for: Sci-fi or high-concept fantasy; legal- or political thrillers; poetry; romance; screenplays.