Dunham Literary

What Dunham Literary does

Dunham Literary, Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned literary agency founded by Jennie Dunham in August 2000 and headquartered in New York. The agency represents quality fiction and non-fiction for adults and children, including picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult titles across genres. The agency operates with approximately 3-4 agents (Jennie Dunham, Anjanette Barr, and Associate Agent Lee Melillo, who began signing clients in August 2025) and earns revenue exclusively through commission on deals negotiated for clients (15% domestic, 15% dramatic, 20% foreign, 25% emerging markets). It does not charge reading fees.

The agency's core offering is full-service literary representation on an exclusive, career-long basis rather than a book-by-book basis. Functional capabilities include submission of projects to domestic, foreign, and dramatic markets; contract negotiation; collection and distribution of royalties; editorial guidance; and active sale of subsidiary rights (foreign, dramatic, audio, electronic) through a partnership with the Taryn Fagerness Agency and international co-agents. Client acquisition is conducted via the QueryManager submission portal (as of January 2026), supplemented by conference attendance and a blog featuring author interviews and craft content.

The business model is transaction-based, with revenue directly tied to the volume and value of publishing deals closed on behalf of clients. The agency has no external investors, no disclosed funding, and no parent company. It absorbed the client list of Rhoda Weyr's eponymous agency in 2002, providing an inherited client base and industry relationships. The agency is too small to benefit from scale economics; its competitive position rests on the individual agents' editorial judgment, long-tenured publishing relationships, and exclusive author commitments.

Name

Dunham Literary

Legal name

Dunham Literary, Inc.

Website

https://dunhamlit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dunham Literary is a New York-based, founder-owned literary agency founded in 2000 that provides full-service representation to adult fiction, non-fiction, and children's authors on an exclusive basis, earning commission on publishing deals closed domestically and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Agency Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAFAE), Publishing & Submission Prep Workshops (Query Letters, Agents, Journals) (EDAMAMAI)

Keywords

• Literary representation
• Author representation
• Book publishing
• Foreign rights sales
• Literary agency

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Literary Representation Commission: Dunham Literary earns revenue through commission fees on literary deals negotiated on behalf of clients. Commission rates vary by deal type and market: 15% for domestic deals (US and Canada), 15% for dramatic deals (motion picture and television), 20% for foreign deals (UK and translation rights), and 25% for emerging markets due to higher co-agent fees. The agency does not charge reading fees and does not handle publicity for published or self-published books.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dunham Literary is a full-service literary agency that represents authors on an exclusive, career-long basis across adult fiction and non-fiction as well as children's books (picture books, middle grade, and young adult). The agency submits manuscripts to domestic, foreign, and dramatic markets, negotiates publishing contracts, collects and distributes royalties, sells retained subsidiary rights through international co-agents, and provides editorial and career development guidance to clients.

Product overview

Dunham Literary is a full-service literary agency representing quality fiction and non-fiction for adults and children since 2000. The core offering is literary representation services, which include submitting projects to domestic, foreign, and dramatic markets; negotiating contracts; and collecting and distributing monies. The agency develops writers' careers on an exclusive basis and does not handle clients book-by-book. They represent adult fiction and non-fiction, children's books across age groups (picture books, middle grade, young adult), and sell foreign and subsidiary rights through partnerships with international co-agents. Supplementary offerings include a blog with author interviews and craft advice, curated book recommendations for writers, and educational workshops and presentations by their agents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Literary Representation Services
• Children's Book Representation
• Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction Representation
• Foreign Rights and Sub-rights Management

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Taryn Fagerness AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDunham Literary collaborates with the Taryn Fagerness Agency to sell rights around the world through a network of international co-agents. This partnership enables the agency to offer full-service representation including foreign and translation rights sales, maximizing both the book's earning potential and author exposure internationally.
• Literary Auction for ChangeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAgency founder Jennie Dunham donated a 15-minute agent AMA session to the Literary Auction for Change, a fundraising initiative. Authors bid on the opportunity to have an AMA session with the agent.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Foundry Literary + Media: Boutique literary agency representing fiction, nonfiction, and children's authors. Closely comparable to Dunham in scope, exclusive representation, and active subsidiary-rights sales.
• Gernert Company: Independent literary agency representing literary fiction and nonfiction, founded by a former publishing executive. Comparable to Dunham in boutique scale, exclusive representation, and publisher-relationship emphasis.
• Harvey Klinger Inc. Boutique NYC literary agency with a long operating history representing fiction, nonfiction, and children's authors. Closely comparable to Dunham in exclusive representation and full-service deal negotiation.
• Barry Goldblatt Literary Agency: NYC literary agency with strong children's and YA representation alongside adult fiction. Comparable to Dunham's blend of children's and adult categories, particularly for picture books, middle grade, and YA deals.
• Trident Media Group: Independent literary agency also founded in 2000, representing adult and children's authors across fiction, nonfiction, and subsidiary rights. Comparable to Dunham in founding era, full-service model, and international co-agent usage.
• InkWell Management: Literary agency representing literary fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and select children's authors on an exclusive basis. Comparable to Dunham in exclusive career-development model and emphasis on sub-rights monetization.
• Writers House: Long-established NYC literary agency with deep fiction, nonfiction, and children's representation. Highly comparable to Dunham in adult/children's dual focus and full-service deal negotiation.
• Sterling Lord Literistic: Long-established, boutique NYC literary agency representing fiction, nonfiction, and children's authors on an exclusive basis. Highly comparable to Dunham in size, model, and career-development approach, with a similarly storied founder legacy.
• Folio Literary Management: Boutique NYC literary agency representing literary and commercial fiction, nonfiction, and select children's authors. Directly comparable to Dunham in category breadth and exclusive representation model.

Broad incumbents

• WME (William Morris Endeavor): Global talent and literary agency with deep roots at the William Morris Agency (where Dunham's predecessor Rhoda Weyr was the first female literary agent). Operates a much larger literary division covering book deals, dramatic rights, and foreign sales, representing a broader incumbent benchmark for Dunham's full-service ambitions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/dunhamlit
• Facebookfacebook.com/JennieDunhamLit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dunham Literary