The P.S. Literary Agency (PSLA) has championed creators for nearly two decades since opening in 2005 as a full service literary agency. Since then, we’ve built a tradition of connecting our clients with leading publishers in North America, Europe, and the entire world. Our goal is to support clients from their drafts to post-publication, pursuing foreign, audio, digital, TV/film and serial rights to give our select client list every opportunity to succeed. At PSLA, we share your passion for storytelling—and we work to share that with the world.
We represent bestselling and award-winning creators, celebrity personalities, and incredible creators just starting out on their publishing journey. We at PSLA support our clients for their entire careers by providing the highest quality editorial feedback, working tirelessly to secure fair contracts, and attending all major industry conferences to keep our fingers on the pulse of the publishing world. Our clients receive our undivided attention because we love what they do.
Please take a moment to meet our team:
Curtis Russell – President and Principal Agent
Curtis Russell began his publishing career as the proprietor of an indie press before co-founding PSLA nearly two decades ago. Curtis’ reputation for excellence and passion for getting the best for his creators has resulted in a wide-ranging and diverse client list that appeals to his many literary interests. His penchant for discovering creators with standout ideas in a variety of categories has served the agency well. And his ability to spot talent of all stripes has resulted in the creation of a growing and dynamic PSLA team committed to the highest standards of literary representation. If you would like to send a query to Curtis, please review our Submission Guidelines.
B.D. Gyulai – Executive VP and Business Affairs
B.D. Gyulai co-founded PSLA nearly two decades ago. He brings a wealth of experience in business and finance to his role at the agency. B.D. handles all day-to-day business operations and financial administration which includes auditing royalty statements, payment processing, and acting as the liaison between clients, agents, and rights holders. His tenacious advocacy in pursuit of our clients’ business affairs has resulted in PSLA recovering tens of thousands of dollars in missing royalties.
Carly Watters – Senior Literary Agent and Senior Advisor
Carly Watters began her publishing career in London at the Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency. She has a BA in English Literature from Queen’s University and a MA in Publishing Studies from City University London. Since joining PSLA in 2010 Carly has had great success launching new creators domestically and abroad. Never without a book on hand she reads across categories which is reflected in the genres she represents at PSLA. Representing debuts and bestsellers, Carly is drawn to: emotional, well-paced fiction with a great voice and characters that readers can get invested in, and platform-driven non-fiction. If you would like to send a query to Carly, please review our Submission Guidelines.
Maria Vicente – Senior Literary Agent and Advisor
Maria Vicente is a senior literary agent and advisor at PSLA representing creators of innovative and beautiful books for readers of all ages. With over a decade of experience in the publishing industry, Maria has helped launch the careers of many bestselling, award-winning, and critically acclaimed authors and illustrators. Whether it’s collaborating on manuscript drafts and proposals, negotiating book deals and contracts, or exploring adaptation opportunities, she advocates for her clients every step of the way. Maria is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents (PACLA) and the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA). She lives in New Brunswick, Canada, reading and selling books from the Atlantic Ocean shore. If you would like to send a query to Maria, please review our Submission Guidelines.
Eric Smith – Literary Agent
Eric Smith is a literary agent at PSLA, with a love for young adult books, literary fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, and non-fiction. He’s worked on award-winning and New York Times bestselling titles, and began his publishing career at Quirk Books. A frequent blogger, his ramblings about books and the publishing industry regularly appear on Book Riot, Paste Magazine, and Publishing Crawl. He also occasionally writes books when he finds the time, like his latest, Don’t Read the Comments (Inkyard Press). If you would like to send a query to Eric, please review our Submission Guidelines.
Claire Harris – Literary Agent
Claire Harris is a literary agent at PSLA representing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction for adults. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, she got her start in publishing through the NYU Summer Publishing Institute. Claire seeks projects that shine a spotlight on people, places, and events that are often overlooked or not given the attention they deserve. She loves complex and well-developed characters, unique voices, and twisty plots. She enjoys the creative process of working with creators and collaborating closely with them throughout all stages of their careers. Having grown up in Wisconsin, she has a soft spot for stories set in the Midwest. If you would like to send a query to Claire, please review our Submission Guidelines.
Cecilia Lyra – Literary Agent
Cecilia Lyra is a literary agent at PSLA representing adult fiction and non-fiction. She is particularly drawn to books centered around power (dynamics, imbalance, rise & fall), identity (perception, exploration, intersectionality), and dysfunction (familial, societal, cultural) told with originality, nuance, and authenticity. As a mixed race Latinx immigrant, Cecilia is passionate about representing under or misrepresented voices and stories that contribute to a larger cultural conversation. She began her publishing career through the Centennial College Book, Magazine and Electronic program and worked at a mid-sized agency before joining the PSLA team. Cecilia is also a recovering lawyer but asks that you do not hold that against her. If you would like to send a query to Cecilia, please review our Submission Guidelines.
Rose Ferrao – Associate Agent
Rose Ferrao is an associate agent at PSLA. She began her publishing career in London, working in non-fiction at Bloomsbury and science fiction, fantasy and horror at Orbit Books. She has a BA in English Literature and Film from Queen’s University and an MA in Publishing from University College London. Rose has a wide range of reading tastes, but she is particularly drawn to compelling, character-driven stories that embrace the weird and wondrous. Outside of work, she spends her time cooking and watching too many movies. If you would like to send a query to Rose, please review our Submission Guidelines.
Nour Sallam – Associate Agent and Literary Assistant
Nour Sallam is an associate agent at PSLA representing adult fiction and non-fiction. She first joined the PSLA team as an intern in 2022 before becoming a literary assistant. Nour has previously worked in editing, podcasting, communications, and journalism. She got her start at the University of British Columbia where she studied English Literature and Political Science. She then completed her publishing certificate at Toronto Metropolitan University. As an Arab woman and an immigrant, she particularly loves books of any genre that feature BIPOC characters, complex and nuanced histories, power dynamics, or social and political issues. If you would like to send a query to Nour, please review our Submission Guidelines.
Frances Yackel – Literary Assistant
Frances Yackel is a literary assistant at PSLA. Prior to joining the team she was an assistant editor at Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. She worked on everything from cookbooks and memoirs to literary fiction and romantic comedies. She has a BA in Philosophy from New York University and participated in the Columbia Publishing Program in 2020. Frances is drawn to a wide range of genres, including: fantasy, narrative driven memoir, book club fiction, and literary fiction and, in particular, stories centered on familial, romantic, or platonic relationships with well-drawn and emotionally developed characters. When she’s not reading, Frances enjoys skiing, beating her friends at backgammon or Catan, and painting.
Lacy Phillips – Digital and Social Media Coordinator
Lacy Phillips is a communications professional who has worked with over 40 nonprofits and organizations, helping them promote the good they seek to do in the world. She’s thrilled to bring her 20+ years of design and storytelling experience to PSLA with the goal of celebrating and furthering the successes of our clients and our team. She’s also an incorrigible book lover. She’s an active participant in the Fat Girls in Fiction Book Club and contributes annually to Virtual JaneCon, an online celebration of the Jane Austen fandom.
Paula Breen – Contracts Manager
Paula Breen is a former publishing executive with over thirty years experience in negotiating and deal-making. Before becoming an independent publishing consultant in 2003, she was Vice President and Director of Contracts for Random House. Prior to that, she worked in the contracts department of both Crown Publishers and Simon & Schuster. Paula is known throughout the industry as a fair but tough and tenacious negotiator, and she utilizes her experience to help negotiate contracts on behalf of PSLA.