Shannon Hassan

Hello! I have been an agent at Marsal Lyon Literary for over a decade. I am a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) and have my JD from Harvard Law School. I represent upmarket adult fiction, middle grade fiction, and young adult fiction and have New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors on my list. I look for contemporary and historical stories with a fresh voice and a big hook, and am especially interested in underrepresented voices. Currently on my wish list:

KIDLIT–CHAPTER BOOKS, MIDDLE GRADE and YOUNG ADULT:

• Contemporary stories with humor and heart.
• Historical stories that inspire, thrill, or bring untold stories to light.
• Charming magical realism and speculative twists–prefer grounded, real-world settings.
• Adventures, thrillers, and mysteries.
• Unexpected narrators (Olivetti, The Book Thief).

ADULT:

• “Book Club” reads that hit the sweet spot between literary and commercial.
• Historical novels that inspire, thrill, or bring untold stories to light–especially about strong women.
• LIGHTLY speculative stories grounded in our world.
• Upmarket and literary mystery and suspense. (NOT interested in espionage/military)
• Stories of the West; Neo-Westerns.

NOT LOOKING FOR: adult fantasy, sci-fi, romance, or screenplays.

Here’s a sample of books that I have represented:

Middle Grade / YA: INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS, the bestselling middle grade series by Dusti Bowling, THE MYSTERY OF LOCKED ROOMS, the New York Times bestselling middle grade series by Lindsay Currie, THE RED CAR TO HOLLYWOOD, an ALA-award winning YA novel by Jennie Liu, IN 27 DAYS, a speculative YA novel by Alison Gervais, optioned for television by SONY’s Affirm Films, and NANDO, Best Friends Dog Tales, by award-winning author McCall Hoyle.

Adult: UNSINKABLE, a USA TODAY bestselling historical/women’s novel by Jenni L.  Walsh, THE MESMERIST, a historical suspense novel by Caroline Woods, HORSES OF FIRE; DAUGHTERS OF BRONZE, a historical epic by A.D. Rhine, the DARK PARADISE mystery series by Debra Bokur, and THE GOOD DAUGHTERS, a debut novel by Brigitte Dale.

Feel free to give me a try!

Submission Guidelines

Please query Shannon using this Query Tracker Form

I do NOT accept email queries, thank you.

Guidelines & Details