“Every time you think you’ve read the best book of all time, there’s another book waiting around the corner to surprise or challenge you in the same or a completely different way.” -Samantha Fabien (Root Literary)
The 2025 Agents Symposium is a year-long program of monthly events with literary agents – taking writers step by step along the journey to publication. We’re happy to share Q&As with some of our featured agents here. To register for Samantha Fabien’s presentation on July 26 on “The Submission Process” click here.
An Interview with Samantha Fabien
Samantha Fabien (she/her) is a literary agent at Root Literary, representing award-winning and bestselling authors. She’s interested in high-concept, commercial, and upmarket fiction with all-or-nothing stakes for adult, young adult, and middle grade readers. Belonging to several intersectional identities and surrounded by an equally diverse community, Samantha has a deep-held passion for stories that feature, highlight, and uplift marginalized and underrepresented voices. Her background includes a Bachelor’s in PR and Journalism from Seton Hall University and a certificate from the Columbia Publishing Course. Previously, she was the International Rights Manager at LDLA and also interned and worked at various agencies, such as Ayesha Pande Literary and Writers House. From these experiences, Samantha fostered a love for sharing diverse, lasting, and inclusive stories with the world—both in the U.S. and abroad. Samantha also works and volunteers with organizations, including Gotham Writers, Authors Guild, and the New York Writing Room. Currently, she serves as a co-director of the Mentorship Committee within AALA and LAOC, which is devoted to increasing the promotion and retention of historically underrepresented groups, particularly people of color, in the agenting profession.
Scribe: How would you describe your personal approach to working with an author?
Samantha Fabien: I would describe my personal approach to working with authors as collaborative, communicative, strategic, and rooted in respect for the whole person behind the work. When these are mutually valued, creativity and careers on both sides thrive.
Scribe: What do you look for in a debut author?
SF: I’m drawn to authors who are curious, collaborative, and communicative. I also work well with authors who consider themselves students of the craft of writing, find inspiration everywhere, and those who have practical and adaptive goals and visions for the future.
Scribe: What’s one piece of advice you find yourself giving to others time and time again?
SF: Always be reading in the genre you want to write in! It’s important to observe what the current trends are. Even if a book wasn’t your favorite, why didn’t it work for you but work for others? The more curious you are, the more you’ll learn about where you want to exist in the publishing landscape.
Scribe: What excites you the most about the publishing industry today?
SF: In books and in publishing, there’s truly no end to the excitement of discovery. Every time you think you’ve read the best book of all time, there’s another book waiting around the corner to surprise or challenge you in the same or a completely different way.
Scribe: Tell us about a recent book/project that you worked on that excited you and you want everyone to know about?
SF: This always feels like a loaded question because I’m excited about every book I work on and want everyone to know about each of them.
Focusing on August, though, I have two books coming out—If Not for My Baby by Kate Golden (a contemporary romance, Berkley, August 5) and Her Soul For A Crown by Alysha Rameera (a romantasy, Sourcebooks, August 12). I could gush endlessly about how talented Alysha and Kate are, but truly, I think the first chapters of each of these books speak for themselves!.
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Thanks, Samantha!
Click here for more information on the 2025 Agents Symposium, an event that focuses on the craft of writing, the business of publishing, and building a literary community.
