Jill Marsal

Jill Marsal is a founding partner of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency and has been named a top dealmaker by Publishers Marketplace. She is known for championing both bestselling and debut authors with equal passion. With over 20 years of experience in publishing and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, Jill brings a rare combination of editorial insight, excellent negotiation skills, and deep industry knowledge to every project she takes on.

Jill sees her role as more than just an agent – she’s a true partner to her authors, helping them shape their writing careers, find the perfect publishing home, and reach their readers. Whether you’re working on your first book or your fifteenth, Jill is known for her collaborative spirit, strategic thinking, and unwavering dedication to her clients.

She is currently looking for standout voices and fresh perspectives in both fiction and nonfiction. If you have a compelling story or an idea that can spark thought, start conversations, or touch hearts, Jill would love to hear from you.

Fiction | Non-Fiction

FICTION:

Jill is seeking commercial and upmarket fiction with a strong voice, memorable characters, and interesting storylines that feel fresh and engaging. Jill loves women’s fiction, book club fiction, contemporary and historical, romance, speculative, and Southern fiction – manuscripts with characters and stories readers can’t stop thinking about.

She also has a keen eye for mysteries, thrillers, psychological and domestic suspense with gripping twists and fresh hooks. She’s drawn to page-turners that keep readers up at night and stories that explore compelling relationships in unexpected ways. If you have a story with a strong hook and characters who are as compelling as the mysteries they’re caught up in, query Jill.

Some of the talented fiction authors Jill has worked with include NYT bestselling author Marina Adair, NYT bestselling author Ginny Baird, WSJ bestselling author Jamie Beck, USA Today bestselling author JL Berg, USA Today bestselling author Amanda Bouchet, USA Today bestselling author Christie Carlyle, USA Today bestselling author Aaron Clark, USA Today bestselling author Eva Devon, NYT bestselling author Stacy Finz, USA Today bestselling author Janice Kay Johnson, NYT bestselling author Kelsie Leverich, USA Today bestselling author Stefanie London, USA Today bestselling author Renee Ann Miller, USA Today bestselling author Stacy Reid, NYT bestselling author Katie Reus, WSJ bestselling author Winter Renshaw, USA Today bestselling author Jo Segura, and NYT bestselling author Michelle Valentine

In suspense and mystery, she’s had the pleasure of representing bestselling authors including USA Today bestselling author Audrey Cole, USA Today bestselling author Kristen Bird, NYT bestselling author Lynn Cahoon, NYT bestselling author Diane Capri, NYT bestselling author Rachel Howzell Hall, USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes, Washington Post bestselling author Minka Kent, WSJ bestselling author Melinda Leigh, USA Today bestselling author Annette Lyon, NYT bestselling author Kristin Miller, USA Today bestselling author Diana Orgain, USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian, USA Today bestselling author Rose Pressey, and NYT bestselling author Paige Shelton.

If you have a novel that has a strong hook, original concept or great voice, Jill would love to see it.

NON-FICTION:

Jill is equally passionate about nonfiction and looks for projects that inform, inspire, or challenge the way we think. She represents a wide range of nonfiction—business, leadership, health and wellness, current affairs, psychology, parenting, science, animals and nature, lifestyle, advice/relationships, and narrative nonfiction.

She especially enjoys books that share fresh insights, uncover fascinating research, or offer readers actionable tools for growth. If your work offers a bold argument, explores a timely issue, or helps people live, lead, or think better – Jill wants to hear from you.

She’s proud to have worked with top business thought leaders, bestsellers, and experts, including:

• CEO and founder of AI Truth Cortnie Abercrombie
• WSJ bestselling author Brent Adamson
• CEO and founder of Heirloom Traditions Paint– Paula Blankenship
• Managing Director of the Broad Center Chaka Booker
• Vice President Climate Action, Salesforce Tim Christophersen
• Vice President, Pepsi Co. Allan Church
• Director of Forbes Womens Media Nancy Clark
• Chairman of the Kravis Leadership Institute Jay Conger
• WSJ bestselling author Matthew Dixon
• WSJ bestselling author Peter Economy
• Head of Talent Development for CVS Health Ted Fleming
• Former President and CEO of ForeSee Larry Freed
• Forbes columnist Zack Friedman
• USA Today bestselling author Stella Grizont
• NYT bestselling author and Emmy award winning journalist Carolyn Gusoff
• The Wall Street Journal’s com columnist Catey Hill
• Chairman and CEO of Founders SpaceSteven Hoffman
• CEO and co-founder of Bala– Natalie Holloway
• Forbes Contributor Melissa Houston
• NYT bestselling author Michael Levin
• USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Areva Martin
• Founder of Watermark Consulting Jon Picoult
• Former CEO of Charles Schwab David Pottruck
• NYT bestselling author James Reed
• Senior Vice President at Gartner, Inc. Jamie Roca
• LAT bestselling and award-winning investigative author Nicholas Schou
• Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact and Government Affairs Officer, Global Citizen Michael Sheldrick
• Chief Strategy and Growth Officer Money 20/20Scarlett Sieber
• Forbes columnist Daniel P. Simon
• NYT bestselling author Paul Stoltz
• Co-founder of OPI Suzi Weiss-Fischmann
• USA Today bestselling author- Kandi Wiens

Jill has worked with many of the nation’s premier academics, scholars, and educators including:

• Dean for Research at Vanderbilt Law School Rebecca Haw Allensworth
• Division of Continuing Education Faculty at Harvard Margaret Andrews
• Professor of Political Science and Classics at U. of Toronto Ryan Balot
• Research Director for Intl. Security Studies at UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation and Professor of Economics at UCSD Eli Berman
• Professor of Education, Graduate School of Education at Stanford Jo Boaler
• Professor of History at UC Berkeley Paula Fass
• Professor of Biology at Stanford Deborah M. Gordon
• Professor of International Business, Graduate School of Management, UC Irvine John Graham
• Professor of Psychology at Boston College Peter Gray
• Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at U. of Texas Eli Greenbaum
• Executive director of Accelerator for Learning at Stanford Isabelle Hau
• Professor of Economics, School of Global Policy and Strategy at UCSD Ruixue Jia
• Economist and former research fellow at Hoover Institution at Stanford Tim Kane
• Co-director of the Center on China’s Economy and Institutions at Stanford Hongbin Li
• Professor of Political Science at U. of Michigan and Asst. Director of the National Science Foundation Arthur Lupia
• Professor Emeritus of Political Science at The Ohio State U. John Mueller
• Professor of Classics and Political Science at Stanford Josiah Ober
• Research Professor at U. of Michigan, Institute for Social Research Terri Orbuch
• Professor of Political Science at UCSD Samuel L. Popkin
• Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Emotional Intelligence at Yale Zorana Pringle
• Professor of Organizational Science at UNC Charlotte Steven Rogelberg
• Professor of Sociology at UCLA Abigail Saguy
• Former Deputy Asst. Secretary of State and Professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UCSD Susan Shirk
• Professor in the School of Engineering, U. of New Castle Mark Stewart
• Professor of Environmental Studies at NYU Michael Mehta Webster

In health, science, and medicine, she has worked with top experts including:

• Former president of The American Geriatric Society and Stanford School of Medicine’s Walter Bortz
• Director of the Brogaard Lab for Multisensory Research at U. of Miami Dr. Berit Brogaard
• Senior contributor with Forbes and Psychology Today David DiSalvo
• Neuroscientist, department of psychiatry at UCLA Alex Korb
• Editorial Board Member of the American Journal of Sports Medicine and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert F. LaPrade
• Chair of the global social movement, OneSharedWorld, Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council, and faculty member of Next Med Health Jamie Metzl
• Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at U. of Maryland School of Medicine Dr. Michael Miller
• Former Associate Clinical Professor at UCLA  Howard Murad
• Radiation oncologist and cancer researcher at the London Health Sciences Centre David Palma
• Former National Institute of Health Research Fellow Lisa Price
• Chair of Psychiatry at Tulane U. School of Medicine Michael Scheeringa
• Co-chair for Spine & Pain Rehabilitation for the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Saloni Sharma
• Director of Mind/Body Medicine for Georgia Cancer Treatment Center Brenda Stockdale
• Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at The Institute of Living and Adj. Assoc. Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine  David Tolin
• Clinical researcher in the areas of migraine, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and physician at Emory Healthcare Joshua Turknett
• Clinical researcher at the UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Dr. Tonia Vojtkofsky

Whether you’re a debut author with a powerful story or an established expert with a platform and a bold new idea, Jill is always on the lookout for exceptional projects, and she welcomes submissions from both new and previously published authors.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your publishing journey with a supportive, strategic, and experienced advocate by your side, Jill Marsal would love to hear from you.