Ernie Chiara is a Senior Agent at Fuse Literary, representing bestselling, award-winning, and critically-acclaimed authors. From hands-on editorial to career coaching to rights management, he believes in open communication, positive collaboration, and maintaining a long-term vision to help his clients achieve successful, sustainable writing careers.
Ernie has been featured in Writer’s Digest’s ‘Agent Spotlight’ Q&A column, is a regular faculty member of WDU’s online writing courses, and was selected for their ‘Annual Agent Roundup’ of the “most sought-after and respected literary agents in the business.”
He has previously held roles as an assistant literary agent at Fuse, a mentor and communications director for the Pitch Wars writer mentorship program, a copywriter for a Fortune 500 client, and an editor at Stars & Sabers Publishing.
When his nose isn’t buried in a manuscript, you can find him binge-watching the latest streaming series, browsing the stacks at his local indie bookstore for far too long, and failing miserably to get his kids to laugh at his jokes.
Fiction
Ernie specializes in adult & young adult fantasy, science fiction, and horror, as well as speculative upmarket & literary fiction, and BIPOC mystery, thriller, and crime fiction. He is looking for character-driven stories with richly layered worldbuilding and original settings. Stories with intricate, immersive plotting and propulsive pacing. And he’d love to see more stories that blend genres in ways that might surprise him.
“Strong writing with a distinct voice is a must for me. That’s sometimes hard to pin down, but when I see it, it jumps off the page and makes me want to keep reading. I also look for complex, multi-dimensional characters who feel real to me—I want to care deeply about what happens to them.”
For a more in-depth look at what he represents, check out Ernie’s Manuscript Wishlist page.
Genres Represented
- Adult & YA Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror
- Speculative Upmarket & Literary Fiction
- BIPOC Mystery, Thriller and Crime Fiction
Ernie Does Not Represent
- Women’s Fiction
- Romance
- Middle Grade
- Picture Books
- Poetry
- Novellas or collections of short fiction
