Brenna English-Loeb is a literary agent with Transatlantic Agency.
Brenna works with authors of adult genre fiction and adult nonfiction, with select YA and crossover clients. She joined the Transatlantic in 2019 after working for several years at Janklow & Nesbit Associates and Writers House, where I had the pleasure of working with New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors across multiple genres. Brenna grew up in beautiful Upstate New York and studied English and Theatre at Bucknell University.
Brenna is also the owner of BEL Tower Editorial, where she works with authors as a developmental editor on such big-picture issues as world-building, plot and character development, pacing and theme, among other areas of concern, such as query and synopsis critiques.
For nonfiction:
Brenna is looking for serious, groundbreaking sociological work that holds our culture up to the magnifying glass. She also loves accounts of historical events and people that deserve to be better known, as well as unusual and influential object histories.
For fiction:
Brenna has always gravitated to unique stories with a strong point of view, and she’s specifically looking for works of contemporary and secondary world fantasy, high concept space operas, gothic fantasy, horror, classic/traditional mysteries, Westerns from a queer and/or BIPOC perspective, and any combination of the above.
Pitch her:
Contemporary and second world fantasy (adult, or crossover)
High concept space operas (adult)
Gothic fantasy (adult, or crossover)
Horror (adult, or crossover)
Classic mystery (adult)
Any combination of the above!
In every genre, Brenna is looking for beautiful, gripping writing, settings that could be another character, exciting, surprising characters, and relationship-driven plots with personal stakes. Elements of a story that are sure to catch her eye are time loops and time travel, a masterful understanding of genre conventions and how to subvert them, and investigations of large power imbalances within all kinds of relationships. At the moment, she is most excited about finding a classic mystery with a solarpunk setting.