Staff

SAM HIYATE is keen to discover new voices and help writers prepare their works for market, and to help them build lasting careers. In the past two decades with THE RIGHTS FACTORY his hundreds of book deals have resulted in several bestsellers such as MORE, the memoir by Molly Roden Winter, THIS ONE SUMMER, the graphic novel by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, non-fiction such as HEALTHY AF (DITCH THE DIET) by Oonagh Duncan and THE MYTH of CAPITALISM by Jonathan Tepper and Denise Hearn, and fiction such as GIRLS IN WHITE DRESSES by Jennifer Close and THE ADULT by Bronwyn Fischer.

Nikki is a Social Media Manager who brings a background in publishing, event planning, marketing, social media marketing, and education. Driven by her love for the written word, Nikki has shifted careers to make books her entire personality. She has previously held positions as a social media coach, personal assistant to various authors, and social media manager at a publishing house. Nikki is also an assistant agent at The Rights Factory.

Phoebe is a Toronto-based publishing professional with a background in visual arts and administration. She holds a BFA from Queen’s University and recently completed the Publishing Certificate at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she developed an interest in rights management and international publishing. She is a lifelong reader who is passionate about books and storytelling and dedicated to supporting diverse voices. 

Krista is an Agency Assistant who brings to this role a background as a competitive figure skater, a Level One coaching certification and a sales career culminating as the co-owner of a small executive recruitment firm. As a writer, her short stories have appeared in the Agape Review and her novella, The Birdcage, is published by The Bombay Circle Press. She’s a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, having served as Manager of Volunteer Recruitment, Special Projects Director and Vice President of Membership. She lives north of Toronto in a quiet hamlet, where she obsessively reads everything from creative non-fiction to book club romance to Giller prize winners amidst the chirp of birdsong and flush of farmland breeze.

Alex Morrison is drawn to stories that showcase strange worlds and psychological realism. A reader of all genres, she especially loves memoir, non-fiction, and fantasy for teens and adults. Her work in substance use treatment and crisis response has shaped her eye for authentic, sensitive portrayals of mental health in literature. A former intern at 5 Otter Literary, she holds a BSc from the University of Toronto and is completing the Publishing Certificate at Toronto Metropolitan University. You can find her working on her fantasy novel or at her yoga studio.

Diana DeVault is an editorial assistant with a background as a writer, editor, and author's aide. Calling the American East Coast home, she lives in New Jersey with her partner, their nine cats, and enough books to qualify as her own library. She has a bachelor's degree in English from Randolph College and a master’s degree in creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University. Diana’s hobbies include reading, writing, playing video games, learning everything she can, and pretty much any activity that falls under the “cozy” umbrella. With an interest in working with authors who write young adult, middle grade, science fiction, fantasy, and anything with a touch of magic, she is especially captivated by LGBTQIA+ content and underrepresented voices.

Selena Mercuri is a writer, publicist, editor, book reviewer, and social media manager based in Toronto. She holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto and studied Publishing at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she received the Marsh Jeanneret Publishing Award. Her work has appeared in The Fiddlehead, The Literary Review of Canada, Room, Prairie Fire, The Ampersand Review, and The Seaboard Review. She is the recipient of the 2023 Norma Epstein Foundation Award for Creative Writing and was a finalist in the 2024 Hart House Poetry Contest. Selena is an MFA candidate in Creative Writing at the University of Guelph.

Alina Khawaja is a Canadian-Pakistani author. A graduate from the University of Toronto with a BA in English, History and Creative Writing, Toronto Metropolitan University with an MA in the Literatures of Modernity, and Centennial College’s Publishing program, it’s been clear from day one that the only thing Alina could be is a storyteller. Her work has been featured in The LA Times and on The Today Show. She is passionate about uplifting diverse voices in publishing. Alina lives in Ontario, where she spends the summer at theme parks and the winter cozying up inside with a ridiculously expensive coffee. When she’s not writing, she’s either reading or trying to keep up with her endless list of k-dramas.

Tapo Chimbganda PhD is a Zimbabwean-Canadian writer, researcher, and founder of Future Black Female. Her interests span academic, trade nonfiction, and fiction, focusing on gender, power, and the social systems that shape identity and relationships. She has lived on three continents in five countries and fifteen cities/towns/villages. 

She is published in the academic fields of psychoanalysis, education, and social justice.  Tapo is completing formal training in book and magazine publishing at Centennial College and is building a portfolio across literary and commercial projects.

Based in beautiful rural Niagara, she grows roses and peonies in the summer and hibernates during the winter. 

Esther Fisher is a graduate of York University with a BA in English and Creative Writing and is completing her Certificate in Publication at Centennial College. She loves escaping both through books and travelling to as many countries as she can. Esther is an avid reader and writer with many pieces on the go, and enjoys sitting in the sunshine with the written word. She has been published with Forget-Me-not Press, Poetry Undressed, Humana Obscura, and Firefly Magazine. Her short story Wild Girl, Uncaged has been long listed in The Hemlock Journal’s Fiction Writing Contest. She lives in Toronto.

Leila Kazeminejad (she/they) is a Toronto-based writer and an Editorial Assistant at The Rights Factory. With her M.A in English Literature from Toronto Metropolitan University, Leila has a critical eye for form, function, and building connections between ideas and writing.

Unsurprisingly, and quite typically for an academic, she is interested in creative non-fiction,

literary fiction, memoir, poetry, short-essay collections, philosophy, and horror. Untypically, Leila is big on comics/graphic novels and cooking.

Claudia Kondracki is an editorial assistant with a passion for stories that immerse readers, stories that evoke emotion, inspire, and offer a sense of escape. With an Honours BA in Psychology and English Literature & Language from Western University, she brings a strong foundation in literary analysis and a wide-ranging interest in novels across genres. She is a current student at Centennial College, completing a graduate certificate in publishing.

Alina Malik is a writer and recent philosophy graduate based in England. With a background in fashion, editorial work, and creative community building, she is interested in the intersections of style and cultural thought. She has experience managing social media for an independent art shop, developing visual content and brand voice, and has cultivated an engaged creative community through her independent magazine project, I’d Peel a Pomegranate. She brings both analytical depth and creative instinct to her work.