“I always ask writers if they want to write a book or if they want to publish one – one is a matter of hard work and discipline, and the other launches you into small-scale entrepreneurship.” —Clare Mao, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
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 Clare Mao
Clare Mao is an agent at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, where she represents adult fiction and nonfiction. Clare grew up in Queens, New York, attended Grinnell College in Iowa, and worked at Janklow & Nesbit and Europa Content before joining SJGA in 2024.
In fiction, she is looking for novels with a strong sense of place and insightful character work. She represents fiction across the spectrum of literary to upmarket/book club to commercial with strong writing, with a soft spot for a good, elevated love story. In nonfiction, she is seeking cultural criticism, narrative, and essay collections, and is actively looking for writing about solidarity, food, pop culture, and new modes of creating community. She also represents illustrated projects like cookbooks and photo books, and her list includes a Chinese mythology-inspired tarot deck, a photographic archive of emo music, and a narrative cookbook about baking through a year of self-discovery. Across genres, she is drawn to writers who are curious, thoughtful, and critical, who have expansive interests and concerns including and outside of writing, and who have a knack for blending genres and forms. Most importantly, she wants to represent writers who are having fun.
Clare’s clients include: Ifrah F. Ahmed, Tanya Bush, Johanna Hedva, Sally Wen Mao, Emily Mester, Rioghnach Robinson, and more.
How would you describe your personal approach to working with an author?
Clare Mao: When it comes to project development, I take a very collaborative, very editorial approach, though I always follow the author’s lead in how they prefer to communicate and what level of editorial feedback they’re looking for. After the book is sold, my approach is to make it as easy as possible for a writer to focus on writing the book they want to write and that they’d be proud of, and for me to manage the rest.
What do you look for in a debut author?
CM: Point of view, discipline, communication (I would much rather my clients ask me too many questions than too few!). I also appreciate a willingness to engage with and an embrace of the fact that publishing is, ultimately, a business.
What’s one piece of advice you find yourself giving time and time again?
CM: I always ask writers if they want to write a book or if they want to publish one – one is a matter of hard work and discipline, and the other launches you into small-scale entrepreneurship. You can be a writer without ever being published. And if you do want to be published, I encourage you to think deeply about what you would like that to look like. Also, read books! If I ask who your literary inspirations are or what you’ve been reading recently, have an answer ready!
What excites you the most about the publishing industry today?
CM: As easy as it is to feel doomed about publishing, I think the past few years has shown a desire for tactile experiences, emotional connection, and intellectual stimulation, and books have been able to step up to meet that moment, whether it’s events, parties, book clubs, merch, etc.
Tell us about a recent book/project that you worked on that excited you and you want everyone to know about?
CM: I have two—in March, my client Ifrah F. Ahmed released her first cookbook, Soomaaliya, which includes both an in-depth cultural and culinary history of Somalia, touching on colonialism, agriculture, and trade, as well as 75 beautifully photographed recipes. It’s not only gorgeous and great to cook from, it’s also deeply researched and educational on a long-overlooked culinary tradition.
In May, my client Heather Eng published her debut novel, Double Happiness, which follows Mei, who feels, in her mid-30s, that she’s finally on the right track—great job, great fiance, financial stability. Of course, not all is as it seems. I loved Heather’s frank portrayal of class insecurity and workaholism, and because the couple at the heart of the book is older, the roadblocks to their happily ever after feel more grounded and realistic.
Both examples of the kinds of books I’d love to work on—books that couldn’t have been written by anyone but their respective authors, that draw on many wells of knowledge and experience, but that also have an undeniably attractive commercial pull.
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Thanks, Clare!
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.
