2025 Rising Star Final Round Judges

Melissa Danaczko, Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency
Melissa became a literary agent after more than a decade of publishing experience, most recently as Senior Editor with the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Today, Melissa represents a wide-range of Adult fiction and non-fiction titles. In fiction, she gravitates towards high-concept novels with a fresh perspective, energetic writing, deep emotional connection, and an immersive sense of place. Favorite categories include contemporary book club fiction, mystery, crime, psychological thrillers, speculative fiction, horror, and historical novels. She also represents history, science, memoir and idea-driven non-fiction books that are rigorous, emotionally compelling and have something big to say about our world.

Across all categories, she is looking for a diversity of voices and projects that are both entertaining and enlightening, the types of books that you can get lost in and then when you finally resurface, want to discuss with others. Her authors have won or been nominated for the Pulitzer, Edgar, Anthony, International Thriller, Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, Lambda, Stonewall, NAACP, Hurston Wright Legacy, among other awards.

Originally from Houston, TX, Melissa has lived in Miami, FL and now calls New York City home.

Angie Hodapp, Nelson Literary Agency
Angie is the Director of Literary Development at Nelson Literary Agency. She holds a BA in English and secondary education from the University of Northern Colorado and an MA in English and communication development from Colorado State University. A graduate of the Publishing Institute at the University of Denver, she has worked in professional writing, editing, and education for more than twenty years. A frequent presenter at writing conferences and events, and the author of Query Craft and Do You Need a Literary Agent, she loves helping writers improve their craft and learn about the ever-changing world of publishing. Learn more about her here: www.nelsonagency.com.

Erin Niumata, Folio Literary Management
Erin has been in publishing for several decades. She has been a Senior Vice President at Folio Literary Management since 2006. She also worked in the editorial departments of Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins and was editorial director of Avalon Books (now a division of Amazon Publishing). She has edited many authors including Leon Uris, Stuart Woods, Erica Jong, Joan Rivers, and more. She has represented NY Times bestselling women’s fiction author Carolyn Brown; Discovery Channel’s Fast N Loud, North America, and Cash Cab; TLC’s The Cake Boss, Diesel Brothers, and Extreme Couponing; Animal Planet’s Finding Big Foot, River Monsters and Puppy Bowl; NASA’s Above and Beyond; inspirational speaker Josh Shipp; graffiti artist/inspiration speaker Erik Walh; skin care expert and co-founder of SoKo Glam, Charlotte Cho; Hello Fears internet sensation Michelle Poler; Forever Twenty Something founder Sam Matt; humorist and NY Times bestseller Jen Lancaster; humorist and NY Times bestselling author Jen Mann; activist Tyler Merritt; mom/blogger/humorist Anna Lind Thomas; humorist Anna Lind Thomas, The Smithsonian Institute; mystery writer Leslie Karst, confidence expert Juan Bendaña, lecturer and TEDx producer Shermin Kruse, bestselling author and motivational speaker Selena Rezvani, Women’s Fiction authors Lex Erath and Julie Anne Lindsey; and many more. Erin has a Master Degree in Creative Writing and is completing her doctorate with a focus on the publishing industry. She also guest lectures on creative writing and the publishing industry both in the UK and USA.

Hayley Steed, Janklow & Nesbit
Hayley is a literary agent primarily representing writers of fiction. She previously worked for seven years at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency, joining Janklow & Nesbit in September 2023. Before that she worked in book PR, after completing a degree in English. Her authors include The Sunday Times and The New York Times bestselling authors, and she has been named both a Trailblazer and a Rising Star by the UK book trade.

 Her clients include Yomi Adegoke, Clare Pooley, Freya Sampson, Heather Marshall, Kehinde Fadipe, Sara Nisha Adams and Leah Hazard.

Ann Leslie Tuttle, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret
Ann Leslie joined DG&B in 2017 after working for 20 years at Harlequin Books where she most recently was a Senior Editor. At Harlequin, she was fortunate to work on an extensive and varied list of bestselling and award-winning titles in romance and women’s fiction. She is actively acquiring women’s fiction, contemporary romance, romantasy, thrillers, mysteries, and narrative nonfiction geared for a female audience. She received her B.A. degree from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from the University of Virginia. Finding and nurturing talented new and established writers has always been Ann Leslie’s passion.

Natanya Wheeler, Nancy Yost Literary Agency
Natanya is looking for literary, upmarket, and commercial fiction. She is particularly interested in books that help us understand our world, or escape from it for a moment. She’s looking for multicultural and underrepresented voices, psychological thrillers, suspense, book club fiction, romance, grounded magical realism / grounded speculative, any type of page turner, and humorous fiction. She loves to find new writers and does not shy away from debut talent. For nonfiction, Natanya is interested in authors with strong platforms who write about nature, the human mind, women’s issues, or animals.