How to Publish Nonfiction: Agent Alia Hanna Habib's Guide (summer encore series)

WRITERS WITH WRINKLES | Encore Episode
Getting Your Nonfiction Book Published with Literary Agent Alia Hanna Habib

Beth and Lisa welcome literary agent and debut author Alia Hanna Habib, whose book Take It From Me is a practical behind-the-scenes guide to getting a nonfiction book published. Alia represents acclaimed writers including Clint Smith and Nicole Hannah-Jones, was named one of New York Magazine's most powerful New Yorkers you've never heard of, and writes the Substack newsletter Delivery and Acceptance.

WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE TO BE A WRITER (WHEN YOU'RE ALSO AN AGENT)

Alia shares what it was like to experience the writer's side of publishing for the first time — the anxiety of waiting for feedback, the obsessive inbox-checking, and the hard-won empathy for her own clients. Her takeaway: before you hit send on that panicked email to your agent, ask yourself — am I sending this because I need an answer, or to soothe my own anxiety? If it's the latter, wait.

HOW THE BOOK CAME TO BE

The idea came during an afternoon nap. Alia was expanding a writing workshop for Stanford academics and realized there was no practical guide specifically about nonfiction publishing. She texted her colleague and friend Meredith Pafel Simonoff two paragraphs — and had a proposal within weeks. Writing the book took two years, complicated by divorce, loss, and the realities of doing it alongside a full-time career.

THE NONFICTION LANDSCAPE RIGHT NOW

We're in an escapist moment. Romantasy, cozy mysteries, and rom-coms are dominating. In nonfiction, what's working is practical books that make your life better or give you hope. Alia also sees a coming wave of tech-critical books skeptical of our online lives. Her agenting philosophy: if something fascinates her, it'll fascinate readers. She doesn't chase headlines — nonfiction timelines are two-plus years, and you can't predict the news.

CRAFT: WRITING A WINNING NONFICTION PROPOSAL

The biggest mistake Alia sees is what she calls "death by PowerPoint" — leading with marketing bullet points instead of writing. Publishers are readers first. Her advice:

• Open with a scene in the voice of the book, not a summary
• Solve the "page 100 problem" — what's the engine that sustains 80,000 words?
• Keep marketing sections grounded in what you actually bring to the table — platform, expertise, existing audience. Publishers decide budgets and tours. Skip the hypotheticals.
• You're being judged on how you tell a story, not how great you are at bullet points

WHAT ALIA IS LOOKING FOR RIGHT NOW

Books that provide guidance or reframe someone's life, historical true crime, and narrative nonfiction with a strong storytelling engine. Current projects include a Regency-era true crime story and My Jane Austen Breakup Album — a literary memoir about a man who lost his partner and his home and spent a year couch-surfing with his collected Jane Austen, reading her for romantic advice while navigating the gay dating scene in Manhattan.

FIND ALIA

Substack: Delivery and Acceptance
Book: Take It From Me — available now wherever books are sold