Gracie Freeman Lifschutz joined Dystel, Goderich & Bourret in the spring of 2022 as a subrights assistant, after completing the Columbia Publishing Course in its second virtual summer. She was raised in the bustle of New York City, surrounded by all kinds of stories — from story time at her local library to musicals on Broadway. She now can’t imagine her life without either. Gracie graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in English and a minor in French. Her work in the time since has always revolved around storytelling and human connection.

She is not open to queries, but her literary interests include genre fiction, upmarket romance, narrative nonfiction, and cookbooks. When she isn’t reading, she can be found baking, playing tabletop games, or sharing her pop culture opinions with friends.

Gracie says... 

I’ve been told that my first word was “book,” which would be harder to believe if I didn’t demand repeat reads of books like Eloise in Moscow and Shel Silverstein’s various collections as a child. I have vivid memories of correcting my parents when they were sleepily “reading it wrong.” As I grew, I developed a love for Shakespeare and the power of words to change us.

In college, I got to explore genres, poetry, and international literature. I had the opportunity to read stirring works from diverse perspectives such as No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai and Toni Morrison’s Beloved. When I followed my literary fascinations to the UK, I traveled as much as I studied, visiting places from my reading like Stratford, Stonehenge, and Venice.

I have always been captivated by how and why stories endure. As soon as I realized I could spend my life bringing stories to others, that was all I wanted to do. I’m grateful for the opportunity to join the team at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret and help bring powerful narratives to readers wherever they may be.