About — Straus Literary

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.

Associate

Andrew Sass-Cao broke into publishing after a decade working as a tech journalist and legal editor in Barcelona and San Francisco. He is an author of children’s, middle grade, and YA fiction and nonfiction, and has also worked as an authenticity reader and writing mentor. He currently assists with foreign rights and administrative duties at Straus Literary. Andrew holds a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and a J.D. from University of the Pacific – McGeorge School of Law.

NEW & FORTHCOMING

*Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria*
by Ozoz Sokoh
Artisan, March 2025

*Elysian Kitchens*
by Jody Eddy
Norton, November 2024

*The Ice Book*
by Camper English
Red Lightning Books, 2023

*Sweet Farm!*
by Molly Yeh
William Morrow, March 2025

*Chorus of the Union*
by Edward McClelland
Pegasus Books, June 2024

*Asada*
by Bricia Lopez with Javier Cabral
Abrams, 2023

*American Oasis*
by Kyle Paoletta
Pantheon, January 2025

*Game On*
by David Bockino
University of Nebraska Press, April 2024

*Taking Care*
by Sarah DiGregorio
HarperCollins, 2023

*One Thousand Vines*
by Pascaline Lepeltier
Mitchell Beazley, November 2024

*A Quick Drink*
by Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix
Abrams, April 2024

*Drink Lightly*
by Natasha David
Clarkson Potter, 2022

BESTSELLERS & AWARD WINNERS

Bestselling cocktail book of the modern era; over 170,000 copies sold — Bestselling cocktail book of the modern era; over 200,000 copies sold

IACP Award for Best Culinary Travel Book

Winner of the James Beard Award and the Guild of Food Writers Award

Shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize

New York Times Bestseller with over 120,000 copies sold; James Beard Award winner — New York Times Best Seller with over 120,000 copies sold; James Beard Award winner