René J. Kooiker joined DG&B as Digital Coordinator and Junior Literary Agent in 2026, following stints in book-to-screen scouting, magazine editing, and academia. He consulted on new fiction for major book-to-screen clients in Hollywood and was Assistant Editor at The Yale Review. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Yale University and a B.A. in French and English from Amherst College. Having grown up in the Netherlands, he also lived and studied abroad in Avignon and Paris, France.

René is actively building his list, balancing fiction with non-fiction. In fiction, he’s drawn to high-concept or speculative upmarket fiction, literary debuts, friend groups and family sagas, grounded love stories and romcoms, psychological thrillers, crime or noir, and elevated horror. Generally, he loves reading fiction that has potential to be adapted for the screen. For non-fiction, he will consider previously untold or marginalized histories, research-driven narrative, incisive or funny essay collections, and smart cultural criticism for a broad audience.

For a full overview of what he is looking for, along with select comps, please see his Manuscript Wishlist. To query René, please visit his Query Manager page. He does not accept queries via email.

René says... 

Agenting is a dream job for me because I love being someone’s most trusted reader and sounding board. I’m happiest when brainstorming pitches and new ideas or getting into the weeds with workshopping and editing.

My personal reading tastes are small-c catholic; I enjoy the latest Emily Henry just as much as a Pynchon doorstopper. I believe we read for many different reasons throughout our lives. Sometimes we crave escape into another, vastly different world; at other times, we want to take an unflinching look at our own. My list seeks to reflect the many reasons and purposes I’ve found for reading in my own life.

My path to agenting and publishing was anything but direct, so I understand how opaque the industry can be. In life, I’ve navigated translation problems while moving between continents, and in my career, I’ve translated between three distinct industries, though each revolves around reading and thinking deeply. I do what I can to help prospective authors understand the hidden curriculum of this industry and want to help translate between their world and mine. Given my background in the academic humanities, I’m eager to develop and represent non-fiction proposals from scholars or experts who want to reach a bigger audience.