The Rights Factory

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Toronto, ON
The Rights Factory

Literary agency representing fiction, nonfiction, children's and YA books since 2004. Learn more abo

Sam Hiyate - President and CEO
Stacey Kondla - Literary Agent
Natalie Kimber - Literary Agent
Lindsay Leggett - Associate Agent
Haskell Nussbaum - Associate Agent
Kathryn Willms - Associate Agent
Tim Moore - Associate Agent
Wayne Arthurson - Associate Agent
Trisha Telep - Associate Agent
Tasneem Motala - Assistant Agent
Jennifer Chevais - Assistant Agent
Kaitlin Sooklal - Assistant Agent
Natasha M

ihell - Assistant Agent

Milly Ruggiero - Foreign Rights Manager
Karmen Wells - Associate Agent, Film & TV

Diane Terrana - Executive Editor
Tamanna Bhasin - Associate Editor
Talya Pardo - Editorial Assistant

Anne Sampson - Brand Manager

12/10/2025

JUST IN CASE: SAVING SEEDS IN THE SVALBARD GLOBAL SEED VAULT, written by Megan Clendenan and illustrated by Brittany Cicchese, has been named an Outstanding Science Trade Book by the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council! ✨

This deeply researched and beautifully told picture book highlights the quiet, vital work of global seed preservation, and we’re so proud to see it recognized on this prestigious list. 📚

Explore the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/779671/just-in-case-by-megan-clendenan-author-brittany-cicchese-illustrator/

Congratulations to Megan, Brittany, and the entire team behind this powerful book!

12/09/2025

Grant Kempster’s DEAD ON TIME—a gripping dual-timeline thriller in which a disgraced ex-cop in 1950s New York and a present-day Met detective in London use their strange bond across decades to bring criminals to justice… until that bond puts them both in danger—has been acquired by Sphere UK! ✨

Represented by Natalie Kimber, publication is slated for January 2027.

Congratulations, Grant! 🔥

12/08/2025

We are thrilled to see TRF client Greg Rhyno featured in All Lit Up’s Gift Guide Week, sharing his holiday book recommendations. Among his picks is RIP SCOOT by fellow TRF client Sara Flemington, published by Nightwood Editions.

Explore Greg’s full list here: https://alllitup.ca/gift-guide-week-with-greg-rhyno/

12/05/2025

Did you hear about the upcoming event from TRF author Denise Da Costa and Diaspora Dialogues?

Writing Home: The Literature of the Diaspora & Connection will occur on December 13th at 2:30 pm at Heliconian Hall in Toronto.

Panelists Yolanda T. Marshall and Rabindranath Maharaj, moderated by Denise Da Costa, will reflect on what “home” means through story. The conversation will explore identity, belonging, and the ways writing connects us across distance and generations.

Reserve a free spot today: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/writing-home-the-literature-of-diaspora-connection-panel-discussion-tickets-1967147502133

12/03/2025

Don't miss this upcoming event curated by TRF client Hillary Leftwich! ✨

Writers on Resistance and Open Mic takes place on January 29, 2026 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, curated by Hillary Leftwich and hosted at East Window.

Featured readers Julie Carr, Hillary Leftwich, and Crisosto Apache will share short pieces that explore resistance, care, and truth telling. An optional open mic will follow, offering space for attendees to share work connected to resistance, creativity, or community. 🎤

This evening is meant to bring people together through literature, reflection, and shared presence.

For more information: https://www.eastwindow.org/events/resistance-01

We hope you'll join us!

12/01/2025

We are excited to share that TRF client Emily A. Weedon will be reading at the Angel Reading Series on December 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. ✨

Emily joins an incredible lineup of authors including Farah Heron, Stan Rogal, Lindsay Zier Vogel, Shane Peacock, and Mindy Hung for an evening of readings and celebration of new work. 📚

Event details:
📍 Arts and Letters Club of Toronto
📫 14 Elm Street, Toronto
📅 December 5, 2025
⏰ 7:00 p.m.

For more information: https://writersunion.ca/community-board/angel-reading-series-december-5-2025

We hope to see you there!

11/28/2025

Maurice Vellekoop will be joining the By the Lake Book Club to read from I’M SO GLAD WE HAD THIS TIME TOGETHER on December 9th at 7:00 p.m. EST at Assembly Hall. ✨

You won't want to miss this evening of art, stories, and conversation with one of Canada’s most beloved cartoonists and illustrators. 📚

Info and tickets: https://tinyurl.com/MauriceVellekoopReading

11/26/2025

LIVE READING ALERT!

Join TRF author Heather Grace Stewart for a YouTube Live reading on December 2 at 7:30 p.m. EST. The event will feature the narrators of THE LOVE LEAP and THE LOVE QUEST, Jacci Prior and Gary Furlong, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and The Writers’ Union of Canada.

Tune in here: https://m.youtube.com//streams

11/24/2025

We are thrilled to see two TRF titles featured in All Lit Up’s Holiday Book Recommendations for Young Adult readers! ✨

Coltrane Seesequasis’s THE THREADS OF TIME and Leslie Shimotakahara’s SISTERS OF THE SPRUCE appear on this year’s list, celebrating standout young adult books from across Canada. 📚

Explore the full list here: alllitup.ca/gift-their-next/

11/21/2025

We're thrilled to see Nancy Goulet, illustrator of VROOM, BABY DRIVER, ZOOM, featured in this week’s Publishers Weekly Children’s Bookshelf newsletter! 📚✨

The photo highlights Nancy and her art director Cat Schaad at a recent Boston kidlit event hosted by Charlesbridge Publishing and Nosy Crow Books, celebrating community building in children’s literature.

Get your copy of VROOM, BABY DRIVER, ZOOM here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/798166/vroom-baby-driver-zoom-by-lori-alexander-author-nancy-goulet-illustrator/9781623546625

11/19/2025

Author and TRF client Coltrane Seesequasis will be signing copies of his fantasy novels SECRETS OF STONE and THE THREADS OF TIME at Indigo Pinecrest (2735 Iris Street, Ottawa) on Saturday, November 22, from 11 AM to 1 PM. 📚

Both books are part of A Wolf in the Sun, a series inspired by nature, myth, and folklore, blending adventure with themes of creativity and imagination.

We hope to see you there!

Can't make it? Order your copies here: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Coltrane-Seesequasis/author/B0DF6PMJ9M?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

11/17/2025

Big congratulations to Molly Roden Winter! 💫 Her memoir MORE has been featured by Book Riot in “Altar or Alter: Six Memoirs at the Intersection of Marriage, Divorce, Gender, and Sexuality.”

An unputdownable story of love, desire, and self-discovery, MORE follows a happily married mother’s journey exploring s*x and relationships outside of her marriage—a fearless, deeply honest look at modern intimacy.

Read the full feature here: https://bookriot.com/memoirs-at-the-intersection-of-marriage-divorce-gender-and-s*xuality/

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Toronto, ON

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http://therightsfactory.com/

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Our Agents

Sam Hiyate - President and CEO Ali McDonald - Agent Cassandra Rodgers - Agent Olga Filina - Associate Agent Haskell Nussbaum - Associate Agent Natalie Kimber - Agent Lindsay Leggett - Associate Agent Stacey Kondla - Agent Cecilia Lyra - Assistant Agent