ABOUT ME: literary agent for Children’s and teens’ books

Daniele is a white woman with curly auburn hair and straight bangs slanted across her forehead. She wears large, cat-eye glasses and smiles at the camera, wearing a plaid dress in shades of blue, purple, orange, and green, with a floral necklace.

A random Twitter comment put it best: “For such a sunshiny person, you sure have dark tastes in books!”



I’m a queer, chronically ill, disabled junior agent at McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency, and my pronouns are she/her. I have a B.A. in English from Drew University, with concentrations in literary criticism, creative writing, and poetry. I’m a member of the AALA. I’m also a proud board member of Literary Agents of Change, and I co-direct their Fellowship program as well!

I’ve been with the children’s department at McIntosh & Otis since a 2016 internship, and am thrilled to now be acquiring! I’m looking for, in order of priority, young adult, middle grade, and picture books. I’m considering (sparingly) opening to adult contemporary romance in 2026.


While my heart lives in contemporary stories, I also love contemporary fantasy and ghost stories, and am selectively open to other genres. I know it sounds cliché, but I’ve been happily surprised by what I fall in love with!

As an agent, I’ll be an author’s biggest cheerleader, and value open communication above all. I strive to be a safe space for marginalized identities/experiences, but don’t force authors to disclose those to me. I’m always open to any accommodations authors need.

I’ll be a mentor for my clients, helping them navigate the publishing industry even after an editor signs their books. I’m also extremely hands-on editorially! And though publishing is a business, I know that writing books (especially the dark, raw, identity-forward books I fall for) is a very intimate endeavor, so I strive to connect with my clients not just on a professional level, but a personal one.

Please note that I still assist on my boss’s list, and I already share some clients with her, too. So I’m likely to acquire more narrowly at first, but that could change as my role expands!

Books saved me as a young reader, and now, my goal as an agent is to help tell the “hard” stories, the off-the-beaten-track stories, that kids/teens who experience hardships or have underrepresented identities deeply need.

Headshot © LTV Photography.