CEO, Founder & Principal Literary Agent, Mangus Literary Group
10x #1 Amazon Bestselling Author | Author, Blues Lessons
mangusliterarygroup.com | mangusliterary@gmail.com
PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Jeffrey A. Mangus is the CEO, Founder, and Principal Literary Agent of Mangus Literary Group (MLG), a boutique literary agency representing authors, subject-matter experts, and public figures to the traditional publishing marketplace. MLG’s mission is to identify exceptional books, prepare them to professional acquisition standards, and place them with publishers, imprints, and audio partners suited to each author’s platform and story.
Jeffrey brings a rare vantage point to representation: more than a decade guiding books to publication across the Big Five and leading independent houses, including HarperCollins, HarperCollins Leadership, Blackstone Publishing, Rowman & Littlefield, Tantor Media, Highbridge Audio, and Audible. Having sat inside the development of 47 published titles and 10 #1 Amazon bestsellers, he evaluates manuscripts and proposals the way an acquiring editor does — assessing market position, structural integrity, and platform strength before a project ever reaches a publisher’s desk.
That editorial fluency is grounded in an unconventional first career. Jeffrey spent 12 years as a cardiovascular perfusionist in open-heart surgery, and it is there — not in publishing — that his instincts for high-stakes precision, technical clarity, and working closely with people in vulnerable moments took shape. He carries the same rigor into agenting: a diagnostic read of a manuscript’s strengths and gaps, and a direct, patient-centered relationship with the authors he represents.
Jeffrey is himself a published author and memoirist. His memoir, Blues Lessons, draws on his years performing on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles with his band Steel Rose, at venues including Gazzarri’s, the Whisky, and the Roxy. He is also the author of AMPossible: Real-World Solutions for Amputees to Accomplish the Impossible (Rowman & Littlefield / Highbridge Audio), written from his own experience surviving sepsis and a below-the-knee amputation. He is a West Virginia native, and his Appalachian roots inform both his personal writing and his broader interest in stories of resilience.
AGENCY FOCUS
Mangus Literary Group represents nonfiction and memoir projects from leaders, clinicians, executives, and public figures with a compelling story and an existing or emerging platform. MLG’s services to represented authors include:
- Manuscript and proposal evaluation against current market and acquisition standards
- Editorial guidance to bring a manuscript to submission-ready condition
- Strategic submission planning and direct relationships with acquiring editors at Big Five and major independent publishers
- Contract review and deal negotiation on behalf of the author
- Positioning and platform strategy to strengthen an author’s standing with publishers
- Specialized fluency in healthcare, clinical, and executive nonfiction, alongside memoir and narrative nonfiction
PUBLISHER RELATIONSHIPS
Jeffrey’s placement history and professional relationships span the following publishers and audio partners, among others:
- HarperCollins • HarperCollins Leadership • HarperCollins Focus
- Blackstone Publishing
- Rowman & Littlefield
- Tantor Media • Highbridge Audio • Audible
- Jenkins Group
SELECTED CAREER PLACEMENTS
A sample of titles Jeffrey has helped bring to publication across his career, spanning business, memoir, healthcare, and leadership categories:
- Inventor Confidential: The Honest Guide to Profitable Inventing — Warren Tuttle | HarperCollins Leadership, 2021 — #1 New Release, Engineering Patents & Inventions
- Behind the Frets: The Untold Story of Guitar Virtuoso Al Di Meola — Al Di Meola | Blackstone Publishing, 2022 — #1 Global Bestseller
- AMPossible: Real-World Solutions for Amputees to Accomplish the Impossible — Jeffrey A. Mangus | Rowman & Littlefield / Highbridge Audio — #1 New Release, Physical Impairments
- Million Dollar Passion: How to Turn Your Idea into a Successful Business — Victoria Wieck | Rowman & Littlefield, 2023 — Foreword by Ken Hicks, CEO of Academy Sports + Outdoors
- Strategies for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare — Dr. Frank Papay & Dr. Piyush Mathur | Major Medical Publisher — #1 Top New Release, Medical Informatics
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- Nonfiction Authors Association
- Editorial Freelance Association
- The Authors Guild of America
- Memoir and Life Writing Association
- International Association of Professional Writers & Editors
- Association of Ghostwriters
REPRESENTATION INQUIRIES
Mangus Literary Group considers submissions from authors and subject-matter experts with a distinctive story, platform, or expertise suited to traditional publication.