Manuscript Wishlist

Nonfiction

• Memoir/narrative nonfiction that explores the nuances and quirky characters of a niche world through the author’s personal journey. (Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Private Equity, Uncanny Valley, H is for Hawk, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Liar’s Poker)

  • Particularly looking for a project in the digital space that takes you down an internet wormhole into a thriving subculture you didn’t know existed–a reddit group, nouveau digital art frenzy, cult fandom, social media trend, etc.

  • A sports or outdoor adventure narrative, particularly from a writer who is not the traditional group who gets to tell these kind of stories. (Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World; Into Thin Air; Wild; Alive; Turn to Stone)

• Memoir/narrative nonfiction of a struggle for justice/against the casual injustice of the world. (Know My Name, Three Women, I’m Glad My Mom Died)

• Serious reported nonfiction delving into the history, causes, and current repercussions of a problem we should know more about. (Empire of Pain, Hidden Valley Road)

• Pop science that is surprising, fascinating, and weird. (An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us; Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers; The Computer Always Wins)

• Evidence-based self-help with a strong voice and defined vision. (Never Split the Difference, How to Change Your Mind, Atomic Habits, The Power of Habit)

• Cookbooks with a unique voice and eye to teach beyond the recipes, ie. new skills, how to shop, how to intuit what ingredients work together, about culture or history… (Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat; Big Night)

Fiction

• Literary fiction that’s eerie or uncanny—explores some type of repressed trauma that bubbles to the surface/is quietly present in day-to-day life. (Liar, Dreamer, Thief; The School for Good Mothers; Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow; I Have Some Questions for You; Trust Exercise; Never Let Me Go).

• Literary and upmarket fiction that’s witty, sharply observed, and captures some truth about love/life. (The First Bad Man, All Fours, Vladimir, Big Swiss, Lessons in Chemistry, I Capture the Castle, The Idiot)

• Literary fiction with a speculative twist or engages with mythology. (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Pisces, Such a Fun Age, Station Eleven, Circe)

• Upmarket crime, thriller, horror, cozy mystery. (The Writing Retreat; In a Dark, Dark Wood; The House Across the Lake; Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers; The Final Girl Support Group)

• Romcom that’s a playful and smart take on established tropes. (Book Lovers, Every Summer After, Better Than the Movies).

• Fantasy—adventure, romantasy with brisk pacing and exciting world building. (A Court of Thorns and Roses, Six of Crows)

• New adult/campus novel—YA themes and pacing set at college or soon following. Self-discovery & social climbing. Fun, with horror or fantasy elements. (Iron Widow, Ninth House, Yolk, Fourth Wing, The Atlas Six)

Young Adult

• Low fantasy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, magical creatures invade the real world, horror elements (The Art of Exile, Legendborn, Cemetery Boys, Vampire Academy, The Nature of Witches)

• Rom-com exploring deeper issues. Fun, but changes your worldview.

• Young detectives – Sammy Keys, Nancy Drew, Veronica Mars, Encyclopedia Brown, Hardy Boys for the current day.

Genres I Don’t Represent

• Picture book

• Young reader

• Middle grade