Serendipity Literary Agency

GO TELL IT: HOW JAMES BALDWIN BECAME A WRITER by Quartez harris and Serendipity Literary Agency illustrator Gordon C. James is a Common Sense Media Selection for Families! This stunning picture book biography is perfect for introducing children to James Baldwin and his life, offering descriptions of the racism and poverty that impacted Baldwin’s younger years, and how his courage, perseverance and curiosity propelled him forward. You can read the full selection here: https://lnkd.in/eMhKWRr9 GO TELL IT is available now from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Little, Brown and Company)

If you're in the Raleigh, NC area, you're invited to attend Victoria Scott-Miller’s book signing at the Village District Barbes & Noble this Saturday, March 8th, where she’ll be signing copies of her newly released book, AT NIGHT, THEY DANCED! AT NIGHT, THEY DANCED is available now from Denene Millner Books (Simon & Schuster)

You only launch your first book in the UK once! ?? The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: How To Build a Disability-Inclusive World launches in the UK tomorrow, March 6! ???? To celebrate, I’ll be hosting a series of events across London and Birmingham throughout the month. From book talks to panels on accessible fitness, disability entrepreneurship, and workplace inclusion, each event offers a unique conversation, so feel free to attend as many as you'd like! ?? Upcoming UK events: 1. Thu, Mar 6 | Virtual – The Unlearning Ableism podcast with Disabled by Society's Jamie Shields & Celia Chartres-Aris (née Hensman) [https://lnkd.in/grvvtxNN] 2. Thu, Mar 13 | London – Author panel @ The Common Press with Rick Dove & guests [https://lnkd.in/gthaNBFS] 3. Thu, Mar 20 | Birmingham – Author showcase @ Naidex with John & Jade Reynolds, Pamela Aculey, Dr. Amo Raju OBE DL [https://lnkd.in/gSR7cYWH] 4. Fri, Mar 21 | London – Panel on accessible fitness @ CrossFit Shapesmiths with Brooke Millhouse, Patricia Walsh, Tom Peter [https://lu.ma/nreqlwnc] 5. Sat, Mar 22 | London – Book talk & signing @ The Scarlett Letters with Liam O'Dell [https://lnkd.in/g3QGS_AF] 6. Mon, Mar 24 | London – Panel on disability entrepreneurship @ LSE Generate with Kim To, Victoria Jenkins, Joseph Williams, Celia Chartres-Aris (née Hensman) [https://lnkd.in/g6YqVire] 7. Tue, Mar 25 | London – Panel on disability inclusion at work @ LSE The Inclusion Initiative with Dr. Anne Theunissen, Praveen Kolluguri MBA, Kate Nash OBE ?? [https://lnkd.in/gpwdk65K] ??? More details & RSVP: https://TiffanyYu.com/book I'd love to have you join us! Come say hi, bring a friend, and let’s celebrate disability inclusion together. Which event(s) will you be joining? Tag someone in the UK who’d be interested! ?? #AntiAbleistBook #BookLaunch #BookTour #DisabilityInclusion #AntiAbleism Profile Books Serendipity Literary Agency Image description in the comments.

Serendipity Literary Agency is thrilled to welcome Reverend Natalie R. Perkins to the team! She’s being represented by Adrienne Ingrum.

Happy Book Birthday to Serendipity Literary Agency author and founder of Liberation Station Bookstore, Victoria Scott-Miller, for her heartwarming new picture book AT NIGHT, THEY DANCED, illustrated by Toni D. Chambers! In this joyous family story about love and togetherness, two brothers get the chance to share in the magic of their parents' stay-at-home date night. Get your copy online or at a bookstore near you! You can order a copy here: https://lnkd.in/eREwGeRs AT NIGHT, THEY DANCED is available now from Denene Millner Books (Simon & Schuster).

Huge congratulations to Will Packer, his team, led by Shayla Cowan of Collective Edge Management, his editor Matthew Benjamin, and the amazing team at Harmony/Rodale (Random House Group) on WHO BETTER THAN YOU? THE ART OF HEALTHY ARROGANCE & DREAMING BIG becoming a New York Times and USA TODAY Best Seller! We’re so proud to have launched Will from award-winning producer to best-selling author. If you’ve read WHO BETTER THAN YOU?, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Leaving a review is one of the best ways to support the book and help even more readers discover its message. Thank you for being part of this exciting moment! WHO BETTER THAN YOU? is available now from Harmony/Rodale (Random House).

I just wrapped up the AI and the Slush Pile webinar, and the discussion was fascinating! In my prep for the talk, I got a chance to familiarize myself with one of the leading AI platforms, Storywise.?All I have to say is this could really be a game changer. If you've followed my agency for a while you know that there are periods when we have to close our submissions so that we can catch up. One of the worst feelings in the world is knowing in your gut that there's an amazing project lurking in the slush and you just don't have time to find it. Why not? Because we have to give 110% to our existing clients. That means reading their manuscripts thru multiple rounds of edits, helping authors understand the various stages of the publishing life cycle, helping to promote their work, negotiating contracts, making sure they get paid and so on and so on. There are 11 or so AI tools in various stages of development and the developers are seeking to reshape how we approach manuscript submissions and evaluating our slush pile. In this carousel, I illustrate the ways AI is being used in publishing, the challenges that stood out, and what this means for authors and agents. What are your thoughts? Would you be less inclined to submit to an agent you knew was using AI to help evaluate submissions? Would love to hear your thoughts as I begin to explore tools and platforms. Thanks to Thad McIlroy, Gavin Marcus, and the Book Industry Study Group for a thought-provoking webinar.

The Power of Healthy Arrogance for Writers How Will Packer is Promoting His Book (Writers, Pay Attention!) Will Packer isn’t just dropping a book—he’s making it an event. Look at how he’s using his platform: - High-energy TV and podcast interviews - Social media moments that get people talking - Pulling in his network to amplify the message Lesson for writers: Your book won’t sell itself. How you show up matters. - Doubting your ideas? Who better than you????? - Think you need permission? Who better than you????? - Afraid to pitch your book? Who better than you? ???? If Will Packer can launch a book with this level of confidence, what’s stopping you from going all in on yours? Your Story Deserves a Platform Get the Book & Get Inspired If you’re serious about writing, publishing, and owning your voice, WHO BETTER THAN YOU? is a must-read.?Get your copy now and start moving like you belong. Available now from Harmony/Rodale (Random House Group).

SAVVY SUMMERS AND THE SWEET POTATO CRIMES by Sandra Jackson-Opoku was listed as #1 on Listopia's "Diverse Releases of 2025 - Mystery, Thriller, Horror" Goodreads list! Synopsis: When Savvy Summers first opened Essie’s soul food café, she never expected her customer-favorite sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation. But when Grandy Jaspers, the 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead at table two, she suddenly has more to worry about than just maintaining Essie’s reputation for the finest soul food in the Chicagoland area. Even as the police deem Grandy’s death an accident, Savvy quickly finds herself—and her beloved café—in the middle of an entire city’s worth of bad press. Desperate to clear her name and keep her business afloat, Savvy and her snooping assistant manager, Penny Lopés, take it upon themselves to find who really killed Grandy. But with a slimy investor harassing her to sell her name and business, customers avoiding her sweet potato pie like the plague, and her police sergeant ex-husband suddenly back in the picture, will Savvy be able to clear the café’s name and solve Grandy’s murder before it all falls apart? After all, while Savvy always said her sweet potato pie was to die for, she never meant literally. SAVVY SUMMERS AND THE SWEET POTATO CRIMES releases on July 29th, 2025, from Minotaur Books (St. Martin's Press). You can preorder your copy here: https://lnkd.in/eN5u9MvR

WHO BETTER THAN YOU? THE ART OF HEALTHY ARROGANCE & DREAMING BIG by Serendipity Literary Agency author and award-winning filmmaker Will Packer is the #1 Best Seller in Black & African American Biographies on Amazon! It's also listed as #5 in Motivational Management & Leadership, #11 in Success Self-Help, and #90 in Overall Books! WHO BETTER THAN YOU? is available now from Harmony/Rodale (Random House Group). You can order your copy from Amazon here: linktr.ee/serendipitylit