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About

Our Services

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Worldwide Representation

Over the years we have established a solid network of hundreds of co-agents, publishers, and scouts around the world. We’ve arranged the translation rights sales of thousands of books to leading publishers to our client’s benefit in international markets.

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Scouting Services

We work as our clients’ eyes and ears—we evaluate potential bestselling frontlist titles that are ready to enter new markets and alert our clients of exciting projects from overseas they may have otherwise missed. We assist publishers and agents acquire content with proven success records that best fit their reach.

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Consulting

We help our clients navigate the ins and outs of the international publishing industry. We mentor and consult on content acquisition and program structure, national and international book marketing, and team assembly.

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Genres

We represent titles across many genres, including fiction, nonfiction, health, multicultural stories, nature, parenting, and body, mind & spirit. We also license kid’s nonfiction and picture books, as well as YA fiction and nonfiction.

Who We Are

Sylvia got her start in the US publishing industry as the marketing director and foreign rights manager at Beyond Words Publishing, Inc., which is a partner of Atria Books and an imprint of Simon & Schuster. She also taught Book Marketing and Promotion classes at Portland State University.
In the past, she was a successful business owner of a bookstore and web agency, an experienced event manager, publicist, librarian. In 2004, she formed the Sylvia Hayse Literary Agency, located in Bandon, Oregon USA.

My Story

As a little girl, I loved to read. I read everywhere—with the flashlight under the covers, under the table at dinner, at school under the desk, on the trains, in the car, at the bus stop—wherever and whenever there was an opportunity. In those days we didn’t have electronic gadgets and books were the media that opened the world for us kids. They allowed us to escape into fantasy land, live out adventures, and make the impossible real. Books taught us that we could change the world.
It felt natural that my first job was as a librarian at the Bavarian State University Library. I was surrounded by books and by people who cherished books, who lived with them and from them. After 8 years as a law librarian at one of the most prestigious attorney associations in Munich, Germany (which gave me a glimpse into the world of arts and antiquities as well), I decided it was time to focus on raising my son. Together we read hundreds of picture books; we frequented libraries around the city and enjoyed reading beautiful books together.
After running my bookshop for 15 years, I decided to sell my business and move to America with my husband. I started working for Beyond Words Publishing in Portland, and to this day I represent their books internationally. As a rights agent, I specialize in the licensing of international translation rights of books and DVDs. I provide scouting services and I advise publishers and authors on international licensing. I helped acquire the English translation rights of New York Times bestsellers such as The Hidden Messages of Water by Masaru Emoto (Japan, Sunmark), The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Australia, Atria Books), The Microbe Factor, and Rejuvenation Enzyme by Hiromi Shinya (Japan, Sunmark), and many more.

Meet the Team

Frances (she/her): Born and raised in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. In 2018, she received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras and a master’s degree in Book Publishing from Portland State University. At Sylvia Hayse Literary Agency, Frances designs catalogs and promotional materials.
Rosina (they/them): Graduated with a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley in 2017. They worked as a publisher’s assistant at Regent Press in Berkeley, California before enrolling in the Book Publishing master’s program at Portland State University. At Sylvia Hayse Literary Agency, they write copy, send newsletters, research publishers and authors, and work in a general editorial capacity.
Devyn (she/her): Raised in Portland, OR, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 2019 and a master’s degree in Book Publishing in 2022 from Portland State University. She does freelance work in website design and editing. At Sylvia Hayse Literary Agency, she developed and manages the website. Check out her website for freelance services: devynyanradke.com
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(212) 862-3680