Julie Barer, partner
Born and raised in New York City, Julie Barer began her career as a bookseller at Shakespeare & Company, where she discovered the joy of putting books into people’s hands. After fifteen years in the business, Julie co-founded The Book Group with her partners Faye Bender, Brettne Bloom and Elisabeth Weed in 2015. Julie represents a variety of writers across a literary spectrum, with a special emphasis on fiction.
Julie’s clients have been winners of numerous grants and prizes, including the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics’ Circle Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and many others. Works by several of her clients have graced the cover of The New York Times Book Review, have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, and have been made into feature films and television series. A number of books that Julie represents have been chosen by national book clubs including the Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club, Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club and Oprah’s Book Club.
Julie is looking for novels that are deeply rooted in story, with a powerful emotional center and compelling characters. She loves books with a strong sense of place, and enjoys being transported, challenged, and moved by what she reads. Her taste is expansive - ranging from old-fashioned, traditional storytelling to genre-bending fiction that breaks the rules.
Some of Julie’s recent titles:
Heart the Lover by Lily King (Grove), Isola by Allegra Goodman (Dial Press) and Run For the Hills by Kevin Wilson (Ecco).
A few books Julie loves…
Migrations by Charlotte Mcconaghy, A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Known World by Edward P. Jones, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, The Overstory by Richard Powers, The Roundhouse by Louise Erdrich, and Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr.
Julie Barer's Client List Includes:
Natalie Adler
Ayad Akhtar
Rumaan Alam
Xhenet Aliu
Mia Alvar
Hilary Bell
Megan Mayhew Bergman
Kelly Braffet
Amy Brill
Ayse Papatya Bucak
Essie Chambers
Jennifer Close
Garrard Conley
Michael Crummey
Margaret Lazarus Dean
Nicole Dennis-Benn
Nicola DeRobertis-Theye
Carola Dibbell
Emma Duffy-Comparone
Jenzo DuQue
Nick Dybek
Portia Elan