Literary Agent Matthew Carnicelli
Notas do episódio
Matthew Carnicelli is president of Carnicelli Literary Management and specializes in idea-driven nonfiction and quality fiction. He began his publishing career at Dutton, where as an editor he worked with many great writers of fiction, history, and current events, including Vice President Al Gore. At Contemporary Books and McGraw-Hill, he became enthralled with strong health writing and business and sports books. He became an agent in 2004 to have more control over the depth of his work with clients and to focus only in areas that interested him intellectually and creatively. Over the past 15 years, he has represented many notable authors. Matthew is a graduate of Washington University, with a B.A. in English literature and political science, and received an M.A. from the University of Toronto in English literature. He has taught college-level nonfiction writing, and he’s quite simply one of my favorite people, and agents. For a more indepth bio, visit his website, Carnicellilit.com.
Matthew joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about changes in publishing since he began agenting in 2004, why he focuses mainly on nonfiction, ageism in publishing, AI, book covers, memoirs, developmental editors, agenting fiction, trends, what he’s looking for, and so much more.
For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It’s stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you’ll find an album’s worth of typewriter music like the music you hear on the show. It’s perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website.
(Recorded on July 10, 2026)
Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
Host: Marrie Stone
Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)