Photo by Melanie Dunea
Brenda Bowen, Senior AGENT
Brenda Bowen represents authors and artists of books for adults, young adults, and children. Her clients have won the MacArthur Fellowship; the Newbery Medal and Newbery Honor; the Stonewall Award for Adult Fiction; the Caldecott Medal and Caldecott Honor; the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent; the Sibert Medal; the Geisel Honor; the William C. Morris Honor; the New York Times Best Illustrated Book prize; the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal; as well as many other awards and citations. Brenda’s clients have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, and have been translated around the globe; she represents Oscar-, Emmy-, and Tony-Award winners; career authors and artists; and newcomers making their debuts. She can’t decide which she loves more: a bold picture book, a lyrical middle-grade novel, or a sweeping work of historical fiction.
Brenda has the unusual advantage of having seen publishing from all sides. As well as being an agent, she was a children’s book publisher for many years; she’s an award-winning author of some forty-five books for children; and her new adult trade novel, The Emergency Book Club, is coming out from Morrow in winter 2027. She lives in New York City, and spends August in a cottage in Maine, where the menu almost always includes blueberry corn muffins.
Brenda’s manuscript wish list is here. Right now, she is not accepting picture book manuscript submissions; however, if you are an artist submitting a book dummy or a portfolio, please include a link to the dummy and to your website or portfolio.
A few books Brenda loved reading… The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley, Mel Fell, by Corey R. Tabor; How To Write an Autobiographical Novel, by Alexander Chee; Wintering, by Katherine May, Anything, by Rebecca Stead, illustrated by Gracie Zhang, The Garden Just Beyond, Lindsay Leavitt, Summertime, by Edith Wharton.
Select titles from Brenda’s list
