Ismita Hussain is a literary agent & social media manager with Great Dog Literary.

Ismita is a Georgia native and graduate of Emory University, where she studied Human Health and Italian. During college, she also worked for various Atlanta area hospitals in departments ranging from neonatal to geriatric care. In her Desi household, she grew up speaking Bangla, Hindi, and Urdu. Ismita is a founding member of Disability in Publishing and currently serves on their Board of Directors. She also participated in the 2022 Literary Agents of Change Mentorship Program.

Some of her favorite authors are Flannery O’Connor, Cormac McCarthy, Oscar Wilde, and Tom Perrotta. Ismita is especially drawn to fiction with a Southern setting, gritty realist writing, and any books that explore health or disability. Ultimately though, she’s a sucker for writing with a great sense of humor. Member: AALA

In Adult Fiction she seeks:

Literary Fiction, Upmarket, New Adult, Short Story Collections.

Specifically: Fiction in all genres that is informed by, or inspired by, the myths and superstitions of a culture. Fiction that features food service/restaurant culture. Satire, and humorous fiction that comes with a message or reveals a truth about people/society.

Ismita is open to novels that fit these categories but have some genre-fiction elements (ie. literary fiction with a speculative twist).

The most important elements that grab Ismita’s attention are style and literary quality writing.

In Adult Nonfiction she seeks:

Narrative Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Humor, Memoir, Travel, Cookbooks, History, Sports

Specifically: Narrative nonfiction that discusses medicine or health in a way that is accessible and well researched. Nonfiction that makes the reader see their body in a different way. Cookbooks that explore a niche ingredient/theme and cookbooks that tell a story. Quirky and visually stunning coffee table books.

The most important elements that grab Ismita’s attention are expertise and a surprising/niche topic.

In Young Adult she seeks:

Contemporary, Rom-Com, Novel-in-verse, Commercial

Specifically: YA rom-coms featuring desi teens. Retellings of classic stories that haven’t been redone to death (no Shakespeare, King Arthur, etc) and that provide a twist or a fresh new take. A heist book.

The most important elements that grab Ismita’s attention are themes/situations that are true to the teen experience today and commercial quality.

In All Genres she seeks:

Southern settings, Italian settings, Gritty and Realist writing, Books that explore health/disability,

Dark humor

Request/Referral Only