PROFESSIONAL BIO: Prior to working in publishing, Liz Nealon was an award-winning executive producer and media industry leader who played an integral role in shaping the indelible youth brands Sesame Street, Kidz Bop, and MTV. She served as Worldwide Creative Director for Sesame Street and traveled the world as SVP of MTV International, launching channels in Europe, Brazil, Japan, and Australia. I am the President and Founder of Great Dog Literary, where I represent both adult and children’s books, largely non-fiction. Not surprisingly, given my many years working in television and interactive media, I am drawn to illustrated books, for both children and adults. My tastes skew strongly to non-fiction and my instincts are decidedly commercial, so I’m always looking for just the right mix of pop appeal plus challenging, original intellectual content. I like nothing more than packaging serious non-fiction in an alternative, surprising frame. I am more interested in thought-provoking than provocative, though I’ve been known to represent some deeply edgy content. Across all of the media in which I have worked, I have been committed to seeking out and amplifying underrepresented and diverse creative voices, including neurodiversity in both characters and authors. My commitment to building an agency which celebrates diversity is grounded in recruiting, mentoring, and supporting a diverse staff, and then empowering that team to source and develop breakthrough content.
Specific genres I’m looking for
ADULT NON-FICTION: Pop Culture, Illustrated Memoir, Art/Illustrated books, Graphic Memoirs, Current Affairs/Fresh Takes, Tarot, Spiritual/Inspirational. ADULT FICTION: Literary fiction, Book Club Fiction, Graphic Novels, Poetry (very selective, underrepresented voices) CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION: Science & Nature, Graphic Novel. CHILDREN’S FICTION: Author/Illustrators only for Picture Books. Illustrated Middle Grade. I love informational fiction, novels-in-verse, and graphic novels. I do NOT agent: SciFi, Fantasy, Horror. Some of the current and forthcoming titles from my clients include… Who’s Watching Shorty? a memoir by Reshona Landfair—known as “Jane Doe” when she testified at R. Kelly’s trial, She was the 14-year-old-girl in the child pornography video that ultimately led to a sex-trafficking conviction and 30-year prison sentence for the R&B superstar. (Legacy Lit, 2026) Award-winning poet Crystal Simone Smith’s Common Sense (1776): Addressed to the Americans 0f (2026) a striking work of erasure poetry for both Adult and YA readers that takes a critical look at the contradictions embedded in Thomas Paine’s essay “Common Sense,” a foundational text of American democracy, and its implications on our current political landscape (The Beacon Press, 2026). Machiavelli 4 Everybody: Outrageous, Irreverent, and Very Practical Advice on Life, Leadership, and Your Precious Career, by Carol C. Darr (Koehler Books, Recorded Books, 2026). Machiavelli is considered to be the Father of Modern Political Science, and Darr breaks his writing down into accessible, actionable language. Author/illustrator Katie Palazzola’s debut picture books will both be published by Neal Porter Books. The Great Frog (2026) is about a girl who invents a tall tale to assuage her little brother’s worries, only to have his innocent excitement grow to the point that she realizes she must tell him the truth; and Before and After (2027), a story about a father and young daughter wondering together, imaginatively exploring questions of past and future, and ultimately finding comfort in embracing uncertainty together. Enid Baxter Ryce’s Plant Magic At Home: A Complete Guide to Harnessing the Power of Nature from Rituals to DIYs (Running Press 2025); Magical Echoes of the Ancients (Red Wheel/Weiser 2026), an illustrated book of spells that read like lyrical poems, sourced from cultures around the world; and Grace Flows to Your Heart: 101 Spiritual Verses from Around the World (