Hosts
Lane Heymont
Lane Heymont’s literary agent journey began at the age of eight when his grandfather paid him $5 to read and discuss the classics of literature. He started his publishing career at The Seymour Agency. In 2016, Lane formed The Tobias Literary Agency. With his eclectic taste and particular passion for horror, Lane is the top literary agent in the genre.
Some of Lane’s favorite reads include horror classics such FRANKENSTEIN, OR THE MODERN PROMEHTEUS by Mary Shelley, THE WILLOWS by Algernon Blackwood, and the works of Sheridan Le Fanu, Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft (in spite of his being a monster himself), Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Bronté sisters, Daphne du Maurier, Ann Radcliffe, and more. Newer horror favorites include THE HUNGER by Alma Katsu, THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS by Stephen Graham Jones, and ALL THE WHITE SPACES by Ally Wilkes.
Outside of horror, Lane’s favorite novels include SKELETONS AT THE FEAST by Chris Bohjalian, KNIGHT OF THE BLACK ROSE by James Lowder, the DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote, I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS by Maya Angelou, and THE DINOSAUR ARTIST by Paige Williams.
Kelly Dyksterhouse
Kelly holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults for Vermont College of Fine Arts and got her start in agenting by working as an editorial reader and assistant at leading literary agencies. She joined The Tobias Literary Agency with the merger of Raven Quill Literary Agency in 2022 and is excited to help grow TLA’s Children’s Department.
Kelly considers the opportunity to help bring books into existence to be a great honor, and it is a particular joy for her to work alongside authors as they develop their project from idea to polished manuscript. The best feeling of all is when those manuscripts end up as books in the hands of children. Her agenting style is collaborative and editorial, and she always seeks to refine a manuscript so that the author is telling the story they most want to tell in the best way possible.
Kelly represents picture books, middle grade and young adult, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as graphic novels. She also represents illustrators. She is drawn to high concept stories with high level writing, books that can be described in one sentence that bring something new to shelves—children’s books should be both fun to read and say something important. She passionately believes that all kids should be able to see themselves in books, and so is always on the lookout for diverse perspectives.
Jacqueline Lipton
Jacqui Lipton loves all things books and publishing and has been an avid reader since elementary school. Her tastes were always broad and eclectic. She loved (and still does) everything from a good murder mystery to space opera to contemporary romance and everything in between. She also loves nonfiction projects with a compelling narrative voice.
Her background is also eclectic. At university (yes, in Australia and England they call it “university”), she studied law, psychology, drama, languages, and information technology. She practiced as a banking and finance attorney in Australia, and has worked as a law professor in Australia, the U.K. and the United States where her teaching and writing has focused on laws relating to the publishing industry, digital technology law, copyright, trademark, privacy, and defamation. She is the author of LAW & AUTHORS: A LEGAL HANDBOOK FOR WRITERS (2020, University of California Press) and OUR DATA, OURSELVES: A PERSONAL GUIDE TO DIGITAL PRIVACY (2022, University of California Press).
She holds an M.F.A. in Fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts and regularly teaches classes on writing and on legal aspects of publishing around the country.
Jacqui represents authors of fiction and non-fiction from middle grade through to adult, as well as selected projects for younger readers (picture books, chapter books etc.) She is currently focusing on developing her adult fiction and nonfiction lists and particularly enjoys mystery/crime, romance, how-to books, and compelling contemporary novels. She is not currently seeking high fantasy, and considers science-fiction selectively.
Ann Rose
Ann Rose is a California native who left her heart in San Diego, and now resides in Texas after a stint in Florida. Her degree is in Communication from San Diego State University, and her resume runs the gamut from Lifeguard to Business Systems Analyst, but books have always been her passion. Ann is excited to finally merge her love of literature with her past professional experiences as a literary agent with The Tobias Literary Agency after starting her career with Prospect Agency. She looks forward to helping authors build successful, sustainable careers.
Ann represents all genres of middle grade—and especially love stories that push the MG boundary. By this she means they explore topics that affect middle graders but aren’t always talked about in MG books; like It Happened on Saturday by Sydney Dunlap. Ann also represents all genres in YA. In the adult arena, she adores swoony romances, light sci-fi or fantasy (emphasis on the light side), commercial fiction, and heartwarming - or heart wrenching - contemporaries.
She is ready to roll up her sleeves and help her authors create the best books possible, from brainstorming at the idea stage all the way through submissions and beyond. Ann loves attending conferences and sharing her knowledge of the publishing industry.
