Slider Editor
Stephanie Kim is a literary agent with more than 10 years of in-house PR & marketing experience in publishing and tech. She began her career as an assistant publicist at William Morrow/HarperCollins where she cut her teeth on high-profile campaigns for Tom Franklin, Laura Lippman, Wiley Cash, and many others.
At Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Stephanie led publicity for three consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers: "What If?" and "Thing Explainer" by xkcd creator Randall Munroe, and "Tools of Titans" by Tim Ferriss. Some additional campaign highlights include working on Gabourey Sidibe’s memoir "This Is Just My Face" and Chinelo Okparanta’s Lambda Literary award-winning debut novel "Under the Udala Trees."
Stephanie is focused on representing authors from diverse backgrounds. As an agent, she is career-oriented and dedicated to nurturing new and up-and-coming talent with tenacity and transparency. She is looking for upmarket adult fiction and non-fiction (pop culture analysis, “big idea” books) as well as select YA fiction.
Stephanie is based in the Los Angeles area. In her free time, she likes to go to K-Pop concerts and scream-cry over her favorite idols.
I KNEW I’D BE AN AGENT WHEN
I didn't ever think I’d become an agent! But when I was working in-house as a publicist, colleagues started to notice that I would always get really excited about books that had the potential to pop in the media, and encouraged me to further develop my commercial sensibility. In 2020, I did some soul searching and resolved to do my small part in helping more underrepresented authors get the attention they deserve. Those two things combined inspired me to become an agent.
Wishlist
UNHINGED MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY:
- “Julie Chan Is Dead” by Liann Zhang
-“Yesteryear” by Caro Claire Burke
- “My Sister, the Serial Killer” by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- “Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang
RIP MY HEART OUT AND LEAVE IT ON THE FLOOR:
- “Martyr” by Kaveh Akbar
- “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett
- “There, There” by Tommy Orange
- “Exhalation” by Ted Chiang
- “Talking at Night” by Claire Daverley
WOW, THAT FRIENDSHIP IS COMPLICATED:
- “Little Rot” by Akwaeke Emezi
- “The Compound” by Aisling Rawle
- “The Interestings” by Meg Wolitzer
- “We Hexed the Moon” by Mollyhall Seeley
- “The Atlas Six” by Olivie Blake
- “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt
SHE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE:
- “An Academy for Liars” by Alexis Henderson
- “Ninth House” by Leigh Bardugo
- “Girl Dinner” by Olivie Blake
- “The Likeness” by Tana French
FAKE DATING NEVER GETS OLD:
- “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han
- “The Kiss Quotient” by Helen Hoang
- “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood
(SOCIAL) SCIENCE BUT MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE:
-“Why Fish Don’t Exist” by Lulu Miller
- “From Here to Eternity” by Caitlin Doughty
- “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” by Omar El Akkad
- “Wow, No Thank You” by Samantha Irby
- “Lab Girl” by Hope Jahren
WE’RE ALL STUCK IN LATE-STAGE CAPITALISM, SEND HELP:
- “Fetal Position” by Carolyn Huynh
- “Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe
- “Brotopia” by Emily Chang
- “Careless People” by Sarah Wynn-Williams
And if all of that wasn’t weirdly specific enough, I’m especially hungry for: A full throttle adult k-pop horror novel, something that remixes the themes of “Natural Beauty,” “Holy Boy” and “Gorgeous Gruesome Faces,” but feels even more unhinged. An adult cozy girlie-pop lit RPG that puts a fresh feminist spin on games like “Stardew Valley,” “Moonlight Peaks” and novels like “Dungeon Crawler Carl” and “Legends and Lattes.”
I’m not currently open to queries, but If you happen to have manuscripts that match these two very specific wishlist categories above, please submit via query manager
BREAD & BUTTER
In fiction, I can't resist a high-concept plot written with propulsive, seamless prose. I’m always chasing that “can’t put this down” feeling, looking for voicey writing and stories dripping with heart about nerds, messy relationships, and complicated women — morally grey anti-heroes, quirky witches, blood-thirsty mermaids, etc. In non-fiction, I’m looking for compelling narrative journalism, pop science & tech, and pop culture analysis. I will look at anything inspired by Stray Kids and/ or BTS in any genre.
TASTE SCALE
TESTIMONIALS
“Stephanie Kim is wonderfully smart and creative. I was elated and lucky to collaborate with her on the marketing of my book. Not only did she come up with incredible ideas for the best ways to connect to my audience, but she did so with such a vivid imagination and excited positivity, that made even the planning stages feel like a thrill ride. She truly is an impeccable team member.”
— Gabourey Sidibe, actor, director and author of "This is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare"
“Both creative and thorough, Stephanie Kim is an unstoppable force. She tackles any challenge with tenacity, and she won’t stop until she finds exactly the right solution for any situation. You want her on your side.”
— Randall Munroe, creator of the webcomic xkcd and author of #1 New York Times bestsellers "What If?," "Thing Explainer," & "How To"
“I adore Stephanie Kim. She did really excellent work for 'Under the Udala Trees.' I doubt the book would have been noticed the way it has been without her efforts.”
– Chinelo Okparanta, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of "Happiness, Like Water" & "Under The Udala Trees"
"Stephanie Kim is one of the most collaborative, insightful people I've worked with in publishing. Her breadth of experience is matched only by her boundless energy and creativity. Her role in launching my first novel was crucial. I can honestly say that I have a career as a novelist because of the foundation she laid."
– Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author of "The Last Ballad" & "A Land More Kind Than Home." Writer-in-Residence at UNC-Asheville
“Stephanie Kim is as engaging as she is engaged. She’s smart, savvy, kind, and wildly creative. She’s a powerhouse. What more is there to say?!”
— Hannah Pittard, author of New York Times Noteworthy selections "Visible Empire" & "Listen to Me," and IndieNext Pick debut novel "The Fates Will Find Their Way"
Ultimately, I’m genre agnostic. What I look for are beautifully-written books that inspire big feelings and maybe even open up a new part of the world for the reader. I’m always chasing the same thing I looked for when I was a publicist: books that demand your attention, have a clear (likely underserved) audience, and don’t let go.
Bottom Line
Submissions
Stephanie is currently closed to submissions.
