Our Agents

Jasper Banks is the founding partner of Avorax Literary. He launched the agency after a decade of working as a senior rights director, where he specialized in negotiating major international translation and audio deals. This extensive business background shapes his strategic, career-focused approach to author representation. Jasper holds a degree in Philosophy and Economics from Northwestern University and regularly speaks at industry panels about the evolving landscape of digital media and publishing.

Jasper actively builds a roster that balances high-impact fiction and prestige nonfiction. On the fiction side, he seeks sharp near-future sci-fi, political thrillers, and campus novels with satirical edges. For nonfiction, his interests lean toward investigative journalism, behavioral economics, and memoirs centered on unique subcultures. Across both main categories, he looks for propulsive pacing, sharp wit, and ideas that ignite cultural conversations.

Jasper loves to champion investigative journalists, academics writing for a mainstream audience, and debut voices from overlooked regions. He is dedicated to building long-term, multi-platform careers for authors who challenge readers to think critically about society.

Jasper is currently closed to new submissions while he focuses on upcoming film rights negotiations and his current client list; he only receives submissions by recommendation.

On weekends, he can be found restoring mid-century modern furniture, playing competitive squash, or scouting local independent bookstores.

Elena Rostova is a partner at Avorax Literary. She entered the literary world as a foreign rights manager, handling international translation deals before transitioning into full-time domestic agenting twelve years ago. This global perspective heavily influences her approach to building her boutique client roster. Elena holds a degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington and frequently speaks at writers' conferences about the intersection of art and commerce.

She builds an eclectic list that spans both fiction and nonfiction. In fiction, she gravitates toward dark, atmosphere-driven psychological horror and speculative cli-fi featuring morally gray protagonists. Her nonfiction tastes focus on deeply researched cultural histories that explore forgotten archives and narrative essays detailing the natural world. Across both genres, she is particularly drawn to lyrical prose and non-linear structures.

Elena loves to champion neurodivergent authors, historians breaking out of academia, and underrepresented voices who disrupt the status quo. She is fiercely dedicated to writers who take massive creative risks, blending high-concept premises with uncompromisingly artistic prose.

Elena is currently closed to new submissions while she focuses entirely on her existing client roster and upcoming sub-rights negotiations.

On weekends, she can be found foraging for wild mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest, volunteering at her local botanical conservatory, or listening to ambient vinyl records.

Celandine Nerys is a senior literary agent at Avorax Literary. She joined the agency in 2018 after spending five years as an associate editor at a major publishing house. Celandine graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a degree in English and American Literature.

She represents a diverse roster across both fiction and nonfiction. Her list includes adult literary novels, psychological suspense, investigative journalism, and sharp contemporary memoirs and non-fiction. She looks for voices that challenge conventional narratives.

Celandine is currently closed to unsolicited queries. She accepts new submissions by industry referral only.

When she is not reading manuscripts, she enjoys hiking in Upstate New York with her rescue dog, Barnaby, and searching for the perfect espresso.