Book Broker: an interview with Kesia Lupo

Agent: Kesia Lupo, Donald Maass Literary Agency

Website: MaassAgency.com

Preferred genres: MG, YA, adult fiction (SFF, horror, thrillers, historical, book club, women’s fiction, upmarket romance); select adult non-fiction (politics, history, culture).

Bio: Kesia Lupo joined Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2024 after 11 years working across the publishing industry. She started out as an editorial assistant at Pan Macmillan London in 2013, transitioning to children’s fiction in 2015 when she moved to Chicken House (a UK imprint of Scholastic), where she worked her way up from junior to senior editor. Here she acquired and edited bestselling, internationally successful and prize-winning fiction for middle-grade and YA readers. In 2023 she transitioned over to the US and agenting, working with the Bindery Agency before finding a home with DMLA.

1) What stands out in a good submission?

Can be a lot of things – but one thing I really appreciate is a writer who knows both where their novel fits on the shelves and what makes it different – a tricky balance!

2)  What's a typical warning sign that a manuscript isn't ready for representation?

One example is a synopsis that feels muddled—this can often be a warning sign that the author isn’t confident in their story and therefore the book is editorially not there yet.

3)  What's at the top of your manuscript wish list right now?

Honestly, anything across all categories that jumps out at me as a strong, original, and hooky concept within its genre.

4) For writers without prior publications, what can they say in their "about me" query paragraph to catch your attention? Does it help to know if the manuscript has gone through workshopping or developmental editing?

Even if you don’t have a history of publication, it’s helpful to include a line or two on your writing background—yes, including workshopping and editing. The purpose is to get a rough handle on your level of experience. However, I’m keen to emphasize that I know not everyone can afford formal editing or courses prior to querying and although it’s always nice to know if the book has been worked on, I won’t penalize anyone whose experience is more informal. Writing groups, beta readers, free courses, or simply a long-time love of writing are all valid experience. Beyond that, I love to know what drew you to the specific project you’re working on. What was your inspiration or main influences?

5) Some people say that "agents hate prologues." Is that true for you? What is the most common reason that a prologue falls flat?

No, I don’t hate them! As with anything in writing, it’s possible to do them well AND to do them badly. They can work brilliantly in any genre but particularly, I find, thrillers/mysteries and SFF—often it’s a scene that is intrinsic to the plot but isn’t part of the main storyline. E.g. a thriller prologue could be the book’s central crime from the perspective of whoever committed it, containing both clues and obfuscation, or an SFF prologue could be a piece of important world-building or character background that happens before the start of the plot. The worst prologues can be self-indulgent on the author’s part and don’t add to the reader’s experience. It is definitely worth interrogating your prologue to ensure it really works for the reader’s experience and not against it!

6) If you could change one thing about the publishing industry, what would it be and why?

If I could, I would raise pay in the book industry across the board (which would likely involve raising sales across the board too… but that’s another story!). Publishing staff, agents, authors, booksellers… everyone in this industry below executive level is chronically underpaid.  The knock-on effects are serious—e.g. diversity of publishing staff (since it is those with independent wealth/support who can best afford to work in publishing).

7) How important is it for an author to have a strong social media presence when querying?

Not important at all unless they are writing non-fiction. Non-fiction editors are much more concerned with author platform—though this doesn’t have to mean social media. E.g. If you are an academic authority in your field or someone who speaks at lots of well-attended events, those too can be a platform—even if you only have a small following on socials. Having said that, it always broadly helps if you have a friendly, supportive social media presence as it indicates you will be comfortable promoting your work and it’s nice to know if you are liked/respected in the writing community. (But again—not compulsory!)

8) What red flags in a query letter are enough to cause you to pass on a project without looking at the writer's sample pages? What percentage of submissions would you say die with the query letter?

The vast majority of query letters are absolutely fine—no red flags, no real "mistakes" on the author’s part. Even so, I would say I pass on two-thirds of queries after reading the query letter, usually because I don’t feel the central concept or pitch is strong enough. If I don’t feel I could effectively pitch the book, there is no point in me reading more!

9) What's the best (non-client) book you've read recently, and how did it hook you?

I just finished Bunny by Mona Awad and loved it—kind of a dark horror-comedy novel, kind of strange feminist literary fiction. Weird and wonderful and mind-bendy—the voice hooked me first, but then the real, raw, emotional story and big reveals kept me turning the pages.

10) Can you tell us about an exciting author you're working with at the moment? 

The first of my clients to be published will be Caroline Madden, whose darkly funny women’s fiction novel, The Marriage Vendetta, will be out with Park Row, HarperCollins in the US and Eriu, Bonnier in the UK in May/June 2025. Follow her on X (@carolinemadden2) and Instagram (@carolinemaddenwriter) for all the latest news, and check out her website here.