“There is no actual rush. Don’t be swayed by what I like to call ‘artificial urgency’…” —Amy Bishop-Wycisk, Trellis Literary Management
Every other year, the Writers’ League of Texas brings notable literary agents and book editors to Austin for its Agents & Editors Conference. As we look ahead to the 31st A&E Conference, taking place June 26–28, 2026, we’re happy to share Q&As with some of our visiting agents and editors here.
An Interview with Amy Bishop-Wycisk
Amy Bishop-Wycisk is an agent with Trellis Literary Management. With almost a decade of experience, she’s cultivating a wide-ranging list in upmarket and book club fiction, grounded sci-fi and fantasy, speculative fiction, expert-driven narrative nonfiction, and select YA, with a special interest in underrepresented voices. Her authors’ books have been NYT, USA Today, and indie bestsellers, a Reese’s Book Club selection, James Beard Award and Edgar Award winners, Indie Next picks, and Book of the Month and B&N Monthly selections. Before diving into the world of publishing, she graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a degree in Creative Writing. You can find her on Instagram at @abw.books.
How would you describe your personal approach to working with an author?
Amy Bishop-Wycisk: I think of working with each of my authors as a tailored partnership. I aim to approach things collaboratively and compassionately—everything from edits to preparing a submission list and letter to discussing covers and cover copy with them and so much more, along the way. There’s also no “one-size-fits-all” approach to working with an author, and so while I have some firm boundaries (like preferring work communication to route through email vs. text messages), I also recognize every author needs something a little different from me in their process.
What do you look for in a debut author?
ABW: Apart from the usual things regarding their project—great line-level writing, a fresh or unique hook/twist, a firm sense of story direction—I lean in a more commercial direction. So I love an author who is savvy—practical and realistic about the market, not precious about projects (though I always an author to know and tell me what is integral for them to keep in a story), and who enjoys building literary community, and has taken some steps towards that.
What’s one piece of advice you find yourself giving time and time again?
ABW: There is no actual rush. Don’t be swayed by what I like to call “artificial urgency”—most of the time, the only rush or pressure you’re facing is self-inflicted (I have to remind myself of this, too!). Take the extra time to do a final polish if an agent asks for your manuscript during a conference—don’t feel like you need to hand it over within thirty minutes. Take your two weeks to let other agents know and have other conversations once an agent offers representation. And so forth! Rushing into big decisions can wind up causing more regret down the line, so do your due diligence.
What excites you the most about the publishing industry today?
ABW: The people I work with—not just my stellar colleagues at Trellis, but passionate editors across the aisle, creative publicists and marketers, hardworking assistants, dedicated organizers of conferences and workshops, and so many more. Yes, there is always toxicity in the industry—in any industry—but I feel like I’ve had so many refreshing conversations with industry colleagues about issues facing our industry right now + possible solutions, the kinds of stories that excite us, and the ways we can all help each other. On a macro level, it’s tough out there, but if you drill down, the people doing the work on the ground make me feel encouraged about the direction we’re headed.
Tell us about a recent book/project that you worked on that excited you and you want everyone to know about?
ABW: I’m just about to go on submission with a really tremendous novel that came to me by way of the author’s Australian agent, about a hooded stranger who steps in to stop an attack on a queer Muslim teen being beaten in a Melbourne park. When his identity is revealed, other secrets about his past come out, and the media frenzy switches from hailing him as a hero to demonizing him as a terrorist, spurred on by right-wing Discord chats that are brewing their own homegrown radicals. It’s told in multi-POV and ultimately traces two young men’s parallel—yet diverging—stories of fanaticism and interrogates who gets to be a hero and who is cast as a villain when belief, media, and fear collide. It’s a brilliantly-done novel—there’s a great thriller heartbeat to it but told with so much nuance. I haven’t stopped thinking about this novel since I read it!
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Thanks, Amy!
Click here for more information on the 2026 Agents & Editors Conference, a weekend-long event in Austin, TX (June 26-28) that focuses on the craft of writing, the business of publishing, and building a literary community.
