About this episode
Alia Hanna Habib discusses her journey as a literary agent and offers insights on building a nonfiction writing career.
“I was acutely aware of not feeling part of the club,” says Alia Hanna Habib, now a leading literary agent. “As I started to become an insider, I saw other people feel that same way.” In this episode Habib talks about writing her book, Take It From Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch , and offers ideas for where to start writing your book, how having talented friends might both inspire and intimidate you, how to choose a topic, and why she now finds ways–with her book and her work–to open the door for other creatives. Alia Hanna Habib is a Vice President and literary agent at The Gernert Company, where she represents MacArthur Fellows, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, National Book Award finalists, and numerous New York Times bestselling authors. Her new book, Take It From Me: An agent’s guide to building a nonfiction writing career from scratch, is a guide to nonfiction writing careers for emerging and established writers. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe
People in this episode
Host: Christie Aschwanden
Guest: Alia Hanna Habib
Topics covered
- literary agency
- nonfiction writing
- career advice
- creativity
- book writing
Keywords
- literary agent
- nonfiction
- writing career
- book writing
- creatives
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Gernert Company
Books & works: Take It From Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch
Places: Brooklyn, NY
More episodes of Emerging Form
- Episode 166: Kelli Russell Agodon on Play in Poetry · June 4, 2026 · 32 min
- Episode 165: Ramona Ausubel Will Get You Unstuck · May 21, 2026 · 31 min
- Episode 164: Christie and Rosemerry Interview One Another · May 7, 2026 · 31 min
- Episode 163 James Crews on the Radical Act of Rest · April 23, 2026 · 31 min
- Episode 162: Dimity McDowell on Creative Identities · April 9, 2026 · 30 min
- Episode 161- Mason Currey on Making Art and Making a Living · March 26, 2026 · 31 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Emerging Form podcast page.