about us

Alan Nevins started his book career working for the famed super agent Irving "Swifty" Lazar. In 1993, Nevins founded Renaissance Literary & Talent with two Hollywood based literary agents and the agency thrived.

In 1995, Renaissance acquired the Irving Paul Lazar Agency and its extensive backlist after a year of negotiations, beating several eager bidders, including one of the majors. This acquisition, and that of the previously acquired H.N. Swanson Agency, gave the infant Renaissance the enviable legacy of two of Hollywood's most colorful literary agents and solidified its place as a powerhouse boutique literary firm supplying material to the New York publishers as well as the film/television community.

After Renaissance completed a three year stint associated with Michael Ovitz’s Artists Management Group, Renaissance was quietly placed in the background and Nevins cut a deal with music and film management company, The Firm, to create a literary division that would come with longstanding and impressive relationships in Hollywood, London and New York.

After six years with The Firm, Nevins departed in late 2008 and re-established Renaissance Literary & Talent. 

Berta Treitl is an attorney and literary agent. Before joining Renaissance Literary & Talent, she worked at Grosvenor Literary Agency in DC and previously in private legal practice. She is a member of the New York Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and the Author’s Guild. She’s selectively building her list in nonfiction in the areas of science and technology; current events; law and politics; memoir; business and marketing; and art, design, food, and lifestyle. 

Jacklyn Saferstein-Hansen is originally from Omaha, Nebraska and studied English, Classical Civilization, and Screenwriting at Boston University.

She represents character-driven commercial and upmarket fiction with strong emotional stakes and narrative urgency. She is particularly drawn to women’s fiction, historical fiction, romance, mystery, and thriller/suspense centered on complex relationships and layered moral tension. She seeks novels with a distinctive voice and a fresh, market-aware premise. Her sweet spot is fiction that balances heart and propulsion.

She also represents cookbooks, lifestyle books, and narrative nonfiction focused on culture, history, politics, and Jewish issues. She’s drawn to projects that uncover hidden stories or reframe familiar subjects in surprising, illuminating ways. Across categories, she looks for work anchored by a strong, authentic voice and a clear point of view.