I was drawn into the world of literature by default when my sister’s growing collection of books in our tiny room began to overflow onto my bed. Born to Pakistani immigrants in Sri Lanka, and knowing how to express myself only in English for the first fifteen years of my life, I found comfort in reading about other culturally displaced people, unable to communicate in their native tongues, and hesitant to assert themselves in environments where there were few examples of people like them. Moving to Pakistan and absorbing what it meant to be an educated and empowered girl coming of age in a traditional Islamic society contributed greatly to my desire to seek similar narratives, especially from other women. I took the next step in my immigrant journey by moving to the United States to study Economics and Middle Eastern Studies at Wellesley College. I then studied modern Persian Literature at the University of Chicago, where I helped edit our department’s academic journal. After a stint at Sourcebooks as an Editorial Intern, I joined the team at Talcott Notch Literary, and the rest is history.

Being an author today is an entrepreneurial endeavor, and I see my role as my clients’ primary advocate as they navigate each and every stage of the publishing process – from digging deep into developing their craft, to representing their interests zealously even after they find homes for their books. I am also committed to highlighting marginalized voices with bright careers ahead of them and compelling stories to tell; stories that demonstrate the true range of perspectives that exist in this world, and address urgent and often underexplored issues with veracity and heart. For a complete list of the genres I work in, visit my website and check out my #MSWL.

I’m also proud to be on the steering committee for People of Color in Publishing, a grassroots organization working to serve the interests of publishing professionals of color.

When I’m not reading, you’ll probably find me running after my two small children, secretly learning another foreign language, playing Scrabble, watching a Bollywood movie, or singing in the bathroom (the acoustics, am I right?)

I’m currently closed to queries, but when I open, it will be for the following genres:

Adult: up-market literary and commercial fiction, romance (all subgenres except paranormal), character-driven psychological thrillers, cozy mysteries, and memoirs.

Young Adult: all subgenres except paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi. I’m particularly interested in contemporary realistic YA — anything with heart, humor, and personality. But if you’ve got a fast-paced, chilling mystery, I’m all ears.

Middle Grade: anything that’s smart, accessible and written with flair. Whether it’s quirky and funny, or just plain sweet and heartwarming — it’s no big secret that this is my favorite category. Also, I’d love anything Roald Dahl-esque.

Non-fiction: humor.

I’m looking for strong voices and unconventional narratives that really make me sit up, pay attention, and move me. Introduce me to unforgettable characters with complex, deep relationships, and show me worlds where things aren’t necessarily as they seem. Intelligent, sharp writing with soul is my biggest weakness, and if you can offer a fresh perspective on top of that, I’ll probably be sold.

Also — and this deserves its own paragraph — I’m all about diversity, in all its various forms. Bonus points if your book contains multicultural perspectives, and themes of immigration, displacement, and cultural adjustment.

Saba’s Latest Deals

August 25, 2022

Newbery Award Honoree, National Book Award finalist, and two-time Stonewall Award-winning author Kyle Lukoff’s THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS VEGETABLES, a humorous informational picture book about a bunch of snarky produce that schools a young gardener about social constructs and how categories shape our understanding of the world, illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi, to Mark Podesta at Holt Children’s, for publication in winter 2024, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Stephen Barr at Writers House for the illustrator (world).

August 11, 2022

Charlotte Huck Award Honoree Shelly Anand’s IN THIS FAMILY, a narrative about multicultural families and how they look and feel about how they look and feel, pitched as inspired by the author’s own multiracial, multiethnic, and multi-religious family, illustrated by Meenal Patel, to Kendra Levin at Simon & Schuster Children’s, for publication in summer 2024, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Lilly Ghahremani at Full Circle Literary for the illustrator (world).

 

July 29, 2022

Newbery Award Honoree, National Book Award finalist, and two-time Stonewall Award-winning author Kyle Lukoff’s THE GOLEM OF REFUSE, about a Jewish trans youth fighting evil—human and otherwise—with his friends and community; and an untitled middle grade novel, to Ellen Cormier at Dial, in a good deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services (world).

April 11, 2022

Newbery Award Honoree, National Book Award finalist, and two-time Stonewall Award-winning author Kyle Lukoff’s DEAR ZOE, an epistolary picture book text written as discarded drafts of an apology, illustrated by Julie Kwon, and JUST WHAT TO DO, about how there’s no one way to console someone experiencing grief, illustrated by Hala Tahboub, to Ellen Cormier at Dial, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in 2024, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Hannah Mann at Writers House for Kwon and Rebecca Sherman at Writers House for Tahboub (world).

March 17, 2022

Newbery Award Honoree, National Book Award finalist, and Stonewall Award winning author Kyle Lukoff’s AWAKE ASLEEP, a rhythmic read-aloud exploring the extraordinary in a baby’s everyday world, illustrated by Nadia Alam, to Celia Lee at Scholastic, with Rachel Matson editing, for publication in summer 2023, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties for the illustrator (world).

March 9, 2022

NAACP Image Award nominee Janet Costa Bates’s LLAMAS, IGUANAS, AND MY VERY BEST FRIEND; SHENANIGANS, HIGH JINKS, AND A LITTLE BIT OF MISCHIEF; and THE BOX OF POSSIBILITIES, three books in the Rica Baptista series, about a Cape Verdean American girl navigating friend and family relationships, illustrated by Gladys Jose, to Andrea Tompa at Candlewick, in a three-book deal, for publication in fall 2022, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Christy Tugeau Ewers at the CAT Agency for the illustrator (world).

November 17, 2021

Author of MUSLIM GIRLS RISE Saira Mir’s ALWAYS SISTERS, about a child whose family experiences a pregnancy loss and must learn how to both grieve and heal, illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani, to Kendra Levin at Simon & Schuster Children’s, for publication in summer 2023, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions for the illustrator (world).

September 21, 2021

National Book Award nominee and Stonewall Award-winning author Kyle Lukoff’s MERMAID DAYS, a fully-illustrated early reader series about a friendly mermaid and a new-to-town octo-kid and their adventures in Tidal Grove, illustrated by Kat Uno, to Rachel Matson at Scholastic Acorn, in a three-book deal, for publication in summer 2022, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Kayla Cichello at Upstart Crow Literary for the illustrator (world).

August 16, 2021

Cowriters of the viral McSweeney’s piece “Jokes I’ve Told That My Male Colleagues Didn’t Like” Kate Herzlin, Ali Kelley, Danielle Kraese, and Ysabel Yates’s JOKES TO OFFEND MEN, a feminist, satirical joke book that readers can rely on for laughter and catharsis after a long day of being told to “lighten up, it’s just a joke,” to Allison Adler at Andrews McMeel, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services (world English).

July 30, 2021

Shirin Shamsi’s THE MOON FROM DEHRADUN, about a girl who leaves her beloved doll behind as her family migrates to Pakistan in the aftermath of the partitioning of British India in 1947, illustrated by Tarun Lak, to Alyza Liu at Atheneum, for publication in fall 2022, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services (world).

June 2, 2021

Sharon Morse’s debut VIP: DOLORES HUERTA, the next installment in the VIP series of middle grade biographies, about the life of Dolores Huerta, the influential Latinx activist and labor leader, illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda, to Stephanie Guerdan at Harper Children’s, for publication in fall 2022, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Aurora Barlam at Astound US for the illustrator (world).

March 19, 2021

Shirin Shamsi’s ZAHRA’S BLESSING: A RAMADAN STORY, in which a girl wishes for a sister, but never dreams that volunteering with her mom at a refugee center during Ramadan might help her wish come true, illustrated by Manal Mirza, to Lisa Rosinsky at Barefoot Books, for publication in spring 2022, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services (world).

March 15, 2021

Yael Mermelstein’s CAMP MAH TOVU, part of the American Horse Tales series, set at a Jewish summer camp in modern-day North Carolina, in which a young girl struggles to make friends and ends up finding comfort in a mysterious horse she meets in the nearby woods, illustrated by Kelley McMorris, to Anuoluwapo Ohioma at Penguin Workshop, for publication in fall 2021, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Jodie Perry at Shannon Associates for the illustrator (world).

February 3, 2021

Author of LAXMI’S MOOCH Shelly Anand and Nomi Ellenson’s I LOVE MY BODY BECAUSE, a celebration of the beauty, versatility, and resilience of the human body in all its various shapes and sizes, illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina, to Kendra Levin at Simon & Schuster Children’s, for publication in summer 2022, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for the author, and by Claire Easton at Painted Words for the illustrator (world).