Brian DeFiore
Brian DeFiore began his career in 1981 as an editor at St. Martin's Press. In 1988 he moved to Dell Publishing as senior editor, quickly moving up to the position of Vice President and Editorial Director of Delacorte Press. In 1992 he joined The Walt Disney Company's start-up publishing operation, Hyperion, where he served for five years as Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. In 1997, he took over the Villard Books division of Random House as Senior Vice President and Publisher.

Some of the authors Brian worked with as an editor and publisher include Ridley Pearson, T. Jefferson Parker, James Lee Burke, Ken Follett, Daniel Silva, Eve Ensler, Jon Krakauer, Jack Olsen, Leonard Nimoy, Jesse Green, Roger Kahn, M. Scott Peck, Linda Barnes and Bill Carter.

Brian started the agency in 1999. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Authors Representatives, is the Chair of the AAR Electronic Rights Committee, and is on the faculty of The Center for Publishing at New York University.

Non-fiction Highlights:

  • Frank Warren (Post Secret: Extraordinary Confessions From Ordinary Lives; My Secret; The Secret Lives of Men and Women; A Lifetime of Secrets)
  • Loretta LaRoche (Kick Up Your Heels; Life is Short, Wear Your Party Pants)
  • David Rensin (All for a Few Perfect Waves; The Mailroom)
  • Bill Shapiro (Other People's Love Letters)
  • Bernie Brillstein (It's All Lies and That's the Truth)
  • Richard Yancey (Confessions of a Tax Collector)
  • Michael Walker (Laurel Canyon)
  • Jimmy Lerner (You Got Nothing Coming)
  • Rachel Manija Brown (All the Fishes Come Home to Roost)
  • Adena Halpern (Target Underwear and a Vera Wang Gown)
  • Lou Manfredini (House Smarts)
  • Steve Ettlinger (Twinkie Deconstructed)

Fiction Highlights

  • Rick Yancey (The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp; The Thirteenth Skull; The Highly Effective Detective)
  • Jason Starr (The Follower; Lights Out)
  • Adena Halpern (The Ten Best Days of My Life)
  • Norman Green (The Last Gig; Shooting Dr. Jack; Way Past Legal)
  • Lisa Kusel (Other Fish in the Sea; Hat Trick)

What I'm looking for:

My tastes are eclectic, and I tend to respond favorably to projects of any sort if they demonstrate a real storytelling talent. And to me, that means a combination of strong narrative drive and mastery of voice which leads the reader seamlessly into the author's realm and won't let him leave without a fight. It's not easy to do, and not easy to describe. But when it's there, it's hard to miss. That said, the areas I tend to respond more favorably to in non-fiction are memoir, popular culture, pop science, sports, self/help and inspiration, cookbooks, humor and lifestyle. In fiction: not romance, western or science fiction. But all other sorts of novels that meet the criteria for 'storytelling talent' for both adult and young adult readers.

How to submit to Brian:

Send a persuasive e-mail to Querybrian@defioreandco.com. (Or, if you must, a snail mail letter.)The note should clearly indicate:

  1. the kind of book you are writing
  2. a BRIEF description of the book's contents
  3. anything about your life experiences that will make readers take notice
  4. most importantly: a level of creativity, confidence, and precision in the prose that will make me want to read several hundred more pages written by you…
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© 2008 DeFiore and Company