Kristin Nelson

My goal as an agent is simple: I want every client of mine to make a living solely from writing and 90% of my authors do without help from any other source of income. I established NLA in 2002 and over the last two decades of my career, I’ve represented over fifty-five New York Times bestselling titles and many USA Today bestsellers. Although I’m a very nice Midwesterner, I’ve heard through the grapevine that editors call me “a hard-working bulldog agent that will fight for you.” What a compliment!

When not busy selling books, I’m quite sporty. I enjoy tennis, pickle ball, and golf. I also love playing Bridge (where surprisingly I’m not the youngest person in the club). On weekends my husband Brian and I can be found hiking in the Mountains.

You can also read about my latest sales at Publishers Marketplace.

 

#MSWL

  • Literary/commercial novels that tackle timely issues and uncomfortable or complicated relationship dynamics and leave the reader grappling long after the last page is read (Little Fires Everywhere, Such a Fun Age)
  • High-concept, character-driven novels with one foot squarely in genre (Wool, Bird Box, Station 11)
  • Absolutely delightful and emotionally engaging novels that can be read over and over again because experiencing that world and those characters is a joy (Remarkably Bright CreaturesMajor Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Less, Lessons in Chemistry)
  • Character-driven novels in the thriller, speculative, or science fiction and fantasy realm that illuminate the world we live in through the lens of an imagined world (The Fifth Season, Ancillary Justice, Gone Girl)
  • Historical novels that feature a narrative voice and story that is under-represented in history or a story never before told (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, The Downstairs Girl, The Ventriloquists)
  • Young-adult novels that pack a serious or a delightful emotional punch delivered in a contemporary setting, #ownvoices, or in a past, future, or imagined world
  • I am not currently looking at submissions for middle-grade novels.
  Query Kristin

Kristin’s Recent News

Regan Winter at Disney-Hyperion has bought author-illustrator Primo Gallanosa‘s The Pet Placement Society middle grade graphic novel series for the Melissa de la Cruz Studio.

Anna Parsons at Aladdin has bought North American rights to the middle grade novel The Last Dragon on Mars by Scott Reintgen.

With the release of his 10th novel, A Door In the Dark, Scott Reintgen lands on the NYT list for the very first time at #2.

Marie Lu‘s Stars & Smoke is an instant NYT bestseller, landing at #6.

For mid-six figures, Avon’s Nicole Fisher preempted Ally Carter’s The Blonde Identity.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy Jamie Ford

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford has been named to many notable 2022 best-books lists, including those by Amazon, Apple, Goodreads, IndieNext, Library Journal, and Hudson.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is a 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in both the fiction category and the debut novel category.

Gwendy’s Final Task by Richard Chizmar and Stephen King is a 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in the horror category.

Today Show Logo

August’s Today Show Read With Jenna book club selection is The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford.

 

Jamie Ford’s The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is an instant New York Times Bestseller.

Whoopi Goldberg shares Remarkably Bright Creatures as one of her favorite books in “The Ladies Get Lit” on The View.

Kristin’s Film/TV Options

Optioned to:
Netflix

Currently under option

Currently under option

Optioned to:
Bound Entertainment

Optioned to:
Frederator Animation

Optioned to:
Boat Rocker & Untitled Entertainment

Optioned to:
Bound Entertainment

Currently under option

Optioned to:
Made Up Stories

Optioned to:
Quon Productions

Currently under option

Currently under option

Currently under option

Optioned to:
Tango Entertainment

Optioned to:
Picture Start

Optioned to:
Warner Bros.

Currently under option

Currently under option

Currently under option

Currently under option