Writing is where it all begins. Throughout history, many of the greatest human achievements had their genesis when a writer first sat down to articulate an idea, whether large or small, imagined or discovered. As we hurtle into the future, the importance of writing will only increase, even as the forms and methods of disseminating it shift and change, because there is no substitute for a great idea.
Straus Literary is a full-service boutique agency based in San Francisco with a presence in New York. We are dedicated to cultivating quality writing and unique ideas in a range of genres, with a focus on literary fiction, history, social issues, biography, popular science, the environment, and the culinary arts. We look for books that are international and multicultural in scope, and that contribute something new to the conversation.
Agent Jonah Straus works closely with authors throughout the writing and publishing process, from concept and editing to marketing and publicity, and also maintains an extensive network of international subagents and contacts in film and television.
Visit our Publisher’s Marketplace page for more information.
Agent/Founder
Jonah Straus got his start in the warehouse at Atrium Publishers Group, an independent book distributor in Northern California, and went on to hold positions in production, editorial, sales, and marketing at several publishers in the San Francisco area. He moved to New York in 2005, where he worked in marketing for arts and literary programs, including the Selected Shorts NPR reading series at Symphony Space. He established Straus Literary in 2007, and moved the agency back to San Francisco in 2013 while maintaining a regular presence in New York. He has appeared at numerous writing conferences, including Community of Writers in Olympic Valley, the Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference, the Guadalajara International Book Fair, and Muse and the Marketplace.
Associate
Alec Yoshio MacDonald has twenty years of experience as an editor, writer, and teacher. He has worked at nonprofit organizations including the League of Women Voters and the Nichi Bei Foundation, alternative weekly newspapers, and Browne & Miller Literary Associates in Chicago. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.A. in humanities from the University of Chicago, where he wrote his thesis on John Okada’s No-No Boy.
NEW & FORTHCOMING
Asada
by Bricia Lopez with Javier Cabral
Abrams, April 2023
Home Is Where the Eggs Are
by Molly Yeh
William Morrow, 2022
Punks
by John Keene
The Song Cave, 2021
Taking Care
by Sarah DiGregorio
HarperCollins, May 2023
Doctors & Distillers
by Camper English
Penguin Books, 2022
Death & Co: Welcome Home
by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan
Penguin Random House, 2021
Slow Drinks
by Danny Childs
Hardie Grant North America, September 2023
Gullah Geechee Home Cooking
by Emily Meggett
Abrams, 2022
Gabriel Kreuther: The Spirit of Alsace, A Cookbook
by Gabriel Kreuther
Abrams, 2021
Chorus of the Union
by Edward McClelland
Pegasus Books, June 2024
Drink Lightly
by Natasha David
Clarkson Potter, 2022
Boomerang
by Achy Obejas
Beacon Press, 2021
BESTSELLERS & AWARD WINNERS
Bestselling cocktail book of the modern era; over 200,000 copies sold
Winner of the Windham-Campbell Prize, the Lannan Literary Award, and the American Book Award
Over 50,000 copies sold; IACP Judge’s Choice award
IACP Award for Best Reference Book
IACP Award for Best Culinary Travel Book
Over 800,000 copies sold in Portuguese
James Beard Award winner
New York Times Bestseller with over 120,000 copies sold; James Beard Award winner
Over 550,000 copies sold in Brazil
Over 90,000 copies sold worldwide
Shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize
James Beard and Spirited Award Winner with over 70,000 copies sold