Laura McGrath
@lbmcgrath
Professing literature in Philadelphia. Writing MIDDLEMEN: Literary Agents & the Making of American Fiction (April ‘26). laurabmcgrath.substack.com
And for they obvious physical similarities, and because I think they sound similar, Ed Harris should read Chapter 6, The Export, as Andrew Wylie.
Marie Brown, an icon, gets the gravitas of Phylicia Rashad. (But this one was tough! I think Quinta Brunson is a dead ringer for young Marie.)
Candida Donadio was known as a legendary gossip. For the voice alone, Natasha Lyonne should read The Lunch.
His one-time assistant, who would outpace him in every way, was Lynn Nesbit. The Collection should be read by Christine Baranski.
Bob Odenkirk (possibly as Saul Goodman?) should read The Debut, profiling Sterling Lord.
Guys, it finally happened. Academia dot edu accurately identified something I wrote.
Putting together my tenure dossier, and reflecting again that the things that have made me proudest have no place here. I don’t mean trade vs. academic, but things like “I wrote this chapter with a newborn strapped to my chest“ or “I gave this epic talk at 11 weeks postpartum,” etc.
Come hang with me at the US Book Show tomorrow! Join me and PW’s Ed Nawotka for a lunchtime chat about literary agents. (Not to be confused with the panel about AI agents happening a few doors down. Only humans here!)
Cheers to @princetonupress.bsky.social and a happy belated one month to Middlemen.
We will be continuing the conversation at the US Book Show on June 3! usbookshow.com
NYC folks! I hope you’ll join me and Gerry Howard tonight at 7 pm to celebrate my book launch at McNally Jackson Seaport! RSVP: www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/laura-...
There are first novels, and then there are Debuts. When, how, and why did the literary debut become such A Thing? Thrilled to see this excerpt of MIDDLEMEN published at Poets & Writers! www.pw.org/content/the_...
3.) My neighborhood/front yard in full bloom! 🌸 4.) This pretty pink cover (sorry not sorry)
Things making me happy this week: 1.) talking to @manshel.bsky.social’s lovely and brilliant grad students, who asked lovely and brilliant questions! 2.) This selfie from my longtime RA, who worked on the book with me and now works in editorial at Princeton UP! Peep that pink heart!🩷
I hear that OAH is in Philly! historians, come say hi at the American Philosophical Society’s publishing salon on 4/15 at 5:30! We’re talking about publishing difficult books. www.instagram.com/p/DVtVXa0lD5...
🍸Book Launch!!!🍸 Join me on April 30 at 7pm at McNally Jackson Seaport, where I'll be celebrating my book, MIDDLEMEN: LITERARY AGENTS AND THE MAKING OF AMERICAN FICTION, in conversation with @ghoward1950.bsky.social! RSVP Here: www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/laura-...
Really looking forward to this conversation with Randy Winston on Read the Acknowledgments this week! With the brilliant @aliahanna.bsky.social!
2/3! a red velvet Bûche du Noël, aspiring toward birch tree with white chocolate bark.
Show me your holiday bakes!! 1/3 cakes in my kitchen today. A raspberry swirl cheesecake!
And finally (now with alt text), this blurb from Mark McGurl will be printed out and hung on the walls of all of the offices that I will ever occupy.
I write in my Methods Appendix that MIDDLEMEN was inspired by a sentence written by Jim English. How moving, and appropriate, to round this off with such kind words from him.
First up, from Gerry Howard (@ghoward1950.bsky.social), editor extraordinaire and author of THE INSIDER, my favorite work of publishing history in recent memory. I can't imagine higher praise.
If you'd asked me which agent was most likely to publish a memoir, I'd probably have guessed Emanuel. If you were to ask me which agent I would MOST LIKE to publish their memoirs... well, I'd have a very different answer.