David Black
Literary Agency
335 Adams Street, St. 2707
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Mark Tavani
LITERARY AGENT & VP OF BUSINESS STRATEGY
Mark Tavani joined the David Black Agency in 2023. He started his publishing career in 2000 as an editor with Ballantine Books and spent over 23 years at imprints across Penguin Random House. He edited bestsellers and award-winners including books by Jim Abbott, Steve Berry, C.J. Box, Robert Crais, Justin Cronin, Clive and Dirk Cussler, Jeffery Deaver, George Dohrmann, Lisa Gardner, Jack McCallum, Lisa Scottoline, Bill Simmons, and R.L. Stine.
Mark has a degree in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He circumnavigated the globe as a student on Semester at Sea and later worked as a forestry aid in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. He lives with his wife, his daughters, and a headstrong dog in Rutherford, New Jersey.
He represents:
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a range of literary and commercial fiction that entertains and enriches the lives of readers, from book club novels to thrillers, mysteries, and speculative fiction
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nonfiction that illuminates or inspires, including narrative nonfiction, memoir, big ideas, wellness, history, and sports
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collaborative writers who partner with authors
Mark is not accepting unsolicited queries at this time.
Recent sales include:
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LOWDOWN IN THE HIGH DESERT by Rob Shafer (Minotaur Books)
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THE SECOND SON by Simon Gervais and Ryan Steck (Thomas & Mercer)
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THE EVERYTHING YEARS: NAVIGATING THE PROMISE AND PRESSURE OF YOUR THIRTIES by Annie Wright (Norton)
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BEYOND THE LOOKING GLASS: ADOLESCENT GIRLS’ BODY IMAGE AND SENSE OF SELF IN THE ERA OF SOCIAL MEDIA by Dr. Sophia Choukas-Bradley (Flatiron)
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LEARNER: SCIENCE-BACKED TOOLS TO HELP ANYONE REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL by Trevor Ragan (Norton)
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DEEP COVER: A SECRET HISTORY by Zach Dorfman (Crown)
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THIS STORY OF FOREVER: UNCOVERING MY INDIAN GRAMDOTHER’S SECRET PAST by Marianne Jacobbi (Pegasus)
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THE MOVIE STAR AND THE MOUNTAIN: ROBERT REDFORD AND THE SOUL OF THE AMERICAN WEST by David Gessner (Torrey House Press)
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IMPOSSIBLE ODDS by Harry Levant and Ian Thomsen (Harmony)






