Kim Perel

Founder, Literary Agent

With a dozen years of collective experience as a literary agent, first at Wendy Sherman Associates and later as a Vice President at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, Kim co-founded High Line Literary Collective and the Paper Over Board division with the goal of fostering an author-centric environment alongside a group of brilliant, diverse professionals with whom she has the utmost respect and adoration.  

Kim is passionate about discovering unique voices and making authors’ dreams come true. She has been privileged to represent award-winning, NYTimes best-selling authors throughout her career. She is particularly excited about leaders and artist’s whose point-of-view cuts through the noise and connects with readers in a way that translates into a new understanding about an important aspect of life. When she brings in a new client, her favorite part of the job is creating a clear publishing plan in lockstep with the author’s current team, big-picture career goals and future aspirations. Close communication and a common vision both creatively and strategically are at the core of all of Kim’s client relationships.  

In 2012, Kim co-authored the book Wedding Cake for Breakfast: Essays on the First Year of Marriage (Berkley). She holds an MFA degree in Creative Writing from The New School where she studied with world-renowned professional writers in the areas of fiction and nonfiction. She also received her undergraduate bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.  

Kim splits her time between Westchester and NYC with her husband and puggle Bella, co-curates the popular H.I.P. Lit reading series, and loves adventures like road-tripping, whitewater rafting, and camping (fine, glamping).  

What to Submit to Kim: 

She is actively looking for large platform-driven nonfiction by authors who are well-known, renowned leaders in their fields. She represents interior design that crosses over into deep storytelling or other areas of expertise like wellness or psychology, slice-of-life memoir from personalities with a built-in audience, tasty cookbooks by badass chefs, women’s health books by mediagenic doctors and experts with strong or even contrarian messages, game-changing, “big-think” books by researchers and social psychologists, and reportage that illuminates injustice. Also, spiritual gurus, wellness books for all, conscious business and personal finance for young people, and books about adventure travel, awakening creativity, relationships, parenting and happiness.  

Kim Perel is currently closed to submissions.

Margaret Danko

Literary Agent & Operations Director

Margaret holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Temple University, where she studied under best-selling authors of fiction and nonfiction, and received her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing, Archaeology and Anthropology from Oberlin College. She began her career as the Editor & Managing Editor of Temple University’s literary publication, TINGE Magazine, and worked as an author coach, developmental editor, and agency administrator before joining the Paper Over Board team full-time.

Margaret is passionate about empowering authors to find the voice and the story that will engage and inspire each and every person who picks up their book and seeks projects in both fiction and nonfiction that encourage readers to view themselves and the world around them in a new light. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two cats, working fastidiously in her free time to keep her plants alive and her cupboards full of tea.

What to Submit to Margaret:

Margaret is actively looking for nonfiction in the areas of humor, lifestyle, new age and general spirituality, popular science especially in environmental and human sciences, mental health/wellness, politics and true crime that challenge established conventions, and select cooking projects with an emphasis on new takes on tradition, especially within the Latine diaspora.

Margaret is currently closed to unsolicited submissions.

Amanda Bernardi

Literary Agent

Amanda Bernardi comes to publishing after twelve years in publicity and branding. She did her graduate work in Social Science at the University of Colorado and a BA in English Creative Writing from Texas A&M University, where she was a lead reporter for The Battalion and founded a literary journal vandal with Angie Cruz and Daniel Pena. She then began communications work for purpose-driven organizations focused on environmental, fair labor, and health care initiatives.

Her first book, The Modern Bohemian Table, came out in 2020 and was distributed by PRH. Her book and work has been featured in Martha Stewart Living, SAVUER, bon appetit, BARRON’S, and Food and Wine. With a start in publishing at Tin House, Guernica Magazine, and Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents, she began her career with Paper Over Board in 2022.

Amanda has worked on a variety of projects ranging from cookbooks, design, art, wellness, lifestyle and narrative non-fiction. Her studies and experiences continue to influence her reading tastes and she treats each project with great care.  She lives outside Boulder, Colorado with her husband and three young children. When she’s not working or momming, you can find her reading towards her 200-a-year book goal or sweating it out on her Peloton.

What to submit:

Amanda is actively building her client list and works exclusively with non-fiction. She is interested in platform- or expertise-driven cookbooks, home & design, art, investigative journalism, social justice, pop science, wellness, social science, sports, health, pop history, parenting, nature, environmentalism, pop culture and anything that advances our community dialogue towards a better tomorrow. She is looking for projects that are thoughtful, actionable, and engaging for a general audience. You can submit directly to Amanda at: amanda@paperoverboard.com