Kirby McCauley (September 11, 1941 – August 30, 2014) was a Minnesota-born American fan of the macabre who went on to a career as a major literary agent and editor professionally based in New York City, becoming influential in Modern Horror.
He met the Arkham House authors in and around his native Minneapolis, including Carl Jacobi, Donald Wandrei, and August Derleth.
[citation needed] When he decided to move to New York City in the 1970s to become a literary agent, writer and friend Richard L. Tierney helped drive him there to set up.
McCauley soon had a successful agency representing authors such as Stephen King, Roger Zelazny, and George R. R. Martin, who credits him with helping to launch his writing career.
The success of King convinced publishers that a market existed for this sort of fiction and a host of contracts were signed by McCauley, who represented many horror writers with his agency.