HomeAgents & Editors

Agents & Editors (2022)

Pennwriters offers many ways for our attendees to meet and get feedback from agents and editors in the publishing industry.

Pitch Sessions: One-on-one agent/editor appointments are available at no additional fee. You must have a finished manuscript to sign up for a pitch session. Spots are limited and are filled on a first-registered, first-assigned basis. Sign up for 10-minute pitch sessions when you register for the conference. Please note: A pitch session does not guarantee publication.
Agents will also be leading workshop sessions and participating in panel discussions. Bring your questions about the publishing process and hear these experts talk about the state of the industry.
Agents and editors are also part of our Friday night read-and-critique sessions, where you can get feedback on your writing from industry pros.

Agent and Editor Pitch Sessions

Ronald Gerber
Lowenstein Associates

Looking for:
Adult Fiction: Contemporary, Literary, Romantic Comedies, Upmarket Romance, Psychological/Domestic Thrillers, Horror, Mysteries, Historical, and Grounded science fiction

Middle Grade: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Mysteries

Not interested in the following: Religious Books, Military Thrillers, Self-help or Practical Nonfiction, Picture Books, High Fantasy, Erotica, or New Adult

Ronald Gerber is a literary agent at Lowenstein Associates. Before joining the Lowenstein team in 2019, he spent several years in literary scouting and supported two agents at Writers House. Ronald’s clients have books forthcoming from Simon & Schuster, St. Martin’s Press, and others. He is actively building his list in thriller/mystery, contemporary and historical fiction, romance, grounded sci-fi, narrative nonfiction, memoir/biography, middle grade, and more. Ronald’s focus is on cinematic stories with strong hooks and relatable characters, and he is always looking for projects from queer, BIPOC, and other underrepresented authors. He resides in Queens and is a proud graduate of Bard College at Simon’s Rock and Clark University. See Ronald’s manuscript wish list here, and follow him on Twitter @RGerberAgent.

Dawn Dowdle
Blue Ridge Literary Agency

Genres and subgenres of interest: Cozy Mystery, Historical Mystery, Amish Mystery, Mystery, Suspense, Picture Books, Amish Romance, Rom-Com, Inspirational Romance, Middle Grade, True Crime, and Cookbooks

Dawn Dowdle began Blue Ridge Literary Agency, LLC in Virginia in 2009 to help authors, especially newer authors. Prior to establishing her agency, she was a freelance copy editor and an avid reader of cozy mysteries. Murder at Redwood Cove by Janet Finsilver, Staging Is Murder by Grace Topping, and Murder at Harbor Village by G.P. Gardner, are Cozy Mysteries she represents that are USA Today Bestsellers. Her agency is a boutique agency representing mysteries, romances, middle grade, and picture books.

Cathy Teets
President, Headline Books

Cathy Teets, 2020 Independent Publisher of the Year, is President of Headline Books with 36 years of publishing experience and producer of Zoom Into Books, which has reached over 2.5 million people worldwide since its inception. She has over 425 titles in print and publishes fiction, nonfiction, and children's books. Headline Books releases about 35 new books per year and has won 837 national and international book awards. Cathy promotes independent authors at national events like ALA, AWP, BEA, NEA, and large retail events like The Southern Christmas Show in Charlotte NC. She is also available for workshops and consulting.

Cathy will listen to pitches in all genres except horror, porn, and poetry.

Lisa Kastner
Founder and Executive Editor, Running Wild Press

Lisa Kastner was born in Camden, NJ which was one of the most dangerous cities in America. In high school, she was a dancer and co-host on Dance Party USA. At the age of 20 she came home to find her house had burned down and she was suddenly homeless. She spent the next several years rebuilding and obtained her Bachelors, MBA, and MFA. While fulfilling an amazing corporate career, she began Running Wild, LLC which consists of Running Wild Press where they publish great stories that don't fit neatly in a box and RIZE Press where they publish great genre stories written by people of color and other underrepresented groups. Running Wild has been honored with two best of 2019 and two best of 2020 books according to Kirkus Reviews as well as several starred reviews and additional acclaim. Lisa was named to Yahoo Finance's Top 10 Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2021 and nominated to FORBES NEXT 1000, a list of American self-funded entrepreneurs who continue to strive during the challenging times of COVID. She was named to New York Weekly’s Top Ten Females to Watch in 2021, and LA Wire’s Top 10 Businesses to Watch in 2021.

Lisa is interested in cross genre and in all genres from people of color and other underrepresented groups.

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Agents & Editors (2022)

Agent and Editor Pitch Sessions