haley casey

associate agent

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agent...

Haley Casey has always had a special place in her heart for stories, but it was when she wrote her first chapter book in fifth grade that her true love of literature was realized. In 2015, she graduated from The University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing, and that fall, she attended the Denver Publishing Institute. She began her full-time career at Ogden Publications, where she was an editor for four years. There she worked with a variety of authors across multiple magazines, wrote articles, edited podcasts, and even styled photos—anything to add some creativity to her days. In 2020, she interned at Metamorphosis Literary Agency and Creative Media Agency, Inc. before stepping into her role as an associate agent at CMA. She also manages the digital arm of the company. Haley is actively building her list, and is ready to assist her authors in achieving their publishing goals.

what i'd like to represent...

adult

    • Women’s Fiction (Right now, I’m very into The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Liane Moriarty.)
    • Book Club Fiction (think Killers of a Certain Age)
    • Romance (Bring me your tropes!)
      • Contemporary
      • Paranormal (I would love anything like the Night Huntress series or The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.)
    • Nonfiction
      • Memoir
      • Narrative
      • True Crime (If you can write like Michelle McNamara, I want to see it.)
      • Cultural, LGBTQ+, and Women’s Issues
      • Gardening and Sustainability

young adult/children's

    • Young Adult
      • Contemporary (I would love to find the next Hello Girls.)
      • Romance (I would love anything similar to You Should See Me in a Crown.) 
      • Mystery/Horror
      • Fantasy (bring me books like The Belles or Cemetery Boys)
      • (Light) Science Fiction (think Welcome to Night Vale)
      • Dystopian (especially a project like Delirium or Scythe)
      • Nonfiction
    • Middle-Grade
      • Contemporary
      • Mystery (The Westing Game, anyone?)
      • Fantasy (Gregor the Overlander is one of my absolute favorites.)
      • Science Fiction
      • Dystopian

I especially love anything that focuses on minority voices, including POC, LGBTQ+, disability, and mental health issues. Send me thoughtful and meaningful magical realism for any age group; manuscripts with nuanced character relationships; unique urban fantasies; clever fairytale retellings; and reimagined classics (such as Jane Austen or The Count of Monte Cristo).

I’m not looking for children’s chapter books or graphic novels, and for adults, I’m not the best champion for political thrillers, high fantasy novels, or satire. In nonfiction, please don’t send me biographies, self-help and how-to manuscripts, or religious, scientific, and academic texts.

some of my favorite (non-client) authors

To name a few: Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Kazuo Ishiguro, Akwaeke Emezi, Fredrik Backman, Ijeoma Oluo, Talia Hibbert, Emily Henry, Anita Kelly, Laini Taylor, Neil Gaiman, Casey McQuiston, Marie Lu, Margaret Owen, Kristin Cashore, Neal Shusterman, Adiba Jaigirdar, Lemony Snicket, and Rick Riordan.

what kind of writing inspires me?

Being an agent means I have to root for your work just as enthusiastically as you, so I have to fall in love with your engaging writing; your complex, flawed, and dynamic characters; and your plot, which should breathe new life into your favorite clichés. Tell me what makes your manuscript different! I’m especially interested in:

    • Loose ends that are all tied up at the end.

       

    • Lyrical prose that makes me stop to reread sentences again and again (think A Thousand Nights).

       

    • Characters that jump off the page and make me laugh, cry, and reevaluate what I think I know.

what I love about my job...

For as long as I can remember, I’ve defined myself by my love of reading. Now, I get to help decide what other bookworms will see on shelves. I get to work exclusively on passion projects alongside authors whose words I’ve fallen in love with, and then gush about those stories to anyone who will listen. I also get to be deeply immersed in the publishing industry, which I’ve only ever previously gotten to admire from afar. I’m looking forward to bringing new stories into the world!

where to find me...

Learn more about me and the books I’m seeking on Publisher’s Marketplace and Manuscript Wish List or connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.