Morgan Ryan is the author of stories born from a lifelong love of magic, a fixation on historical minutiae that borders on the obsessive, and a tendency to fall down rabbit-holes. She was raised in a family of writers in upstate New York, and received her degree in theatre performance from Northeastern University. She now lives in Chicago with her husband.

Here’s Morgan’s query to agent Jenny Bent:

Dear Ms. Bent,

I’m excited to share with you the first ten pages of Arcane Objects, a grounded, YA/adult crossover fantasy novel set during World War II, with a length of approximately 117,500 words. Arcane Objects follows Lydia Polk, apprentice to the Grand Mistress of the Royal Academy of Witches, who must venture into occupied France after the assassination of her mentor by a Nazi coven. I believe this book would best be described as The Once and Future Witches meets Indiana Jones.

Lydia Polk never expected to be chosen as apprentice to Isadora Goode, Grand Mistress of the Royal Academy of Witches. Stubborn, plain-spoken, and from an unimpressive family, Lydia was as surprised as anyone to have been selected. Now, three years into her apprenticeship, and with Hitler’s army rampaging across Europe, The Witches of Britain have joined the war effort—although not without some resistance from within. As Lydia’s power grows she too joins the cause, tracking magical relics in order to keep them out of Nazi hands. Lydia’s newest and most urgent target is the Grimorium Bellum, an ancient book with the power to wipe out entire civilizations.

When a Nazi witch infiltrates the Academy, Lydia must leave London, embarking on a desperate mission to find the Grimorium Bellum and avenge her murdered friend and mentor. Dropped into the heart of occupied France, Lydia finds allies in Rebecca Gagne, a French Resistance fighter with a secret, and Henry Boudreaux, a Haitian-American art historian with a little magic of his own. But soon Lydia discovers that finding the book is only half the battle, as the Grimorium Bellum seems to have its own dark agenda.

I am a Chicago-based writer who quit her day job as a corporate recruiter in the middle of a global pandemic to chase my dream. I appreciate you taking the time to read my work, and I would be very happy to send you the completed manuscript upon request. I look forward to hearing your reply. 

Sincerely,

Morgan Ryan
(She/Her)

Check out Morgan Ryan’s A Resistance of Witches here:

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What editor Nidhi Pugalia thought of Morgan’s pitch:

I did receive a slightly different pitch letter, as Morgan and her agent Jenny Bent worked together on what would be the most impactful submission letter before sending it my way. This echoes every step of the publishing process: a melding of vision, with vision, with vision—tweaking the pitch, reimagining it, remaining responsive to the market—all the way down to the copy that a consumer sees. For example, the title of the book now—A RESISTANCE OF WITCHES—is different not only from the title I received in Jenny’s letter, but also from what Morgan queried with!

Still, what stood out for me in the pitch I received remains the same here: Historical fiction set in WWII is a crowded market, but bring in some fantasy—some witches—and the entire category was revitalized for me. I did some searching, and to my utter shock, it hadn’t been done before—and to have a feeling of a question being answered, of finding exactly what you were looking for, even when you didn’t know that you were asking the question or hadn’t named that search: That is a brilliant editorial connection. It also, like so much of WWII fiction, felt timeless, in that battle between the good of humanity and the bad is always relevant. I’m also a huge fan of a stubborn heroine going rogue, so Lydia embarking on her own with confidence but little knowledge was a character I knew I wanted to follow.

The comps here speak to me as well: I’m a huge fan of Alix E. Harrow, and I loved the Indiana Jones tie-in. That combined with the pitch gave me a sense of powerful stakes and propulsive adventure, while offering a new spin that made it stand-out in an otherwise well-explored space in fiction. I could immediately see the readership, and how we might speak to them—and that clarity of vision, especially from a query alone, is what makes me utterly confident about a book’s fit on my list. I already knew the pitch was there before I dived into the read—and then the writing was so assured and pacey and depthful, it cinched it: I was in love.

Morgan’s thoughts on the submission process:

A Resistance of Witches was originally queried under the title Arcane Objects. The title would eventually be changed before submission to editors, and then again for publication. At the time I was also pitching the book as a YA/Adult crossover—since the story deals with darker, more adult themes, but also features a 19-year-old protagonist, I wanted to stay open minded about how the book might eventually be shelved. In the end, my agent and I determined that this story made more sense as an adult fantasy, which feels like the correct placement for this particular book.

This version of my query letter was the result of many iterations over my 15 months of querying. While my request rate was fairly consistent throughout the process, I never wanted to get too comfortable, and so I experimented, shortening the letter itself, sometimes starting by jumping right into the summary, other times leading with the stats and comp titles. What’s been especially interesting about watching this book go from the querying stage all the way to publication is seeing how much of the original summary actually made it into the back cover copy. My advice to any querying author struggling to write a punchy summary—imagine how it would read on the back of a finished book…because it might just end up there!

*****

Nidhi Pugalia is an editor at Viking Penguin focused primarily on genre fiction, ranging from grounded SFF to horror, romance, thrillers, and everything in between. She has edited such books as the Book of the Month club pick A Thousand Times Before by Asha Thanki, New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan, and the Sunday Times bestselling series Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson. 

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K.A. Merson is a graduate of the selective-entry Curtis Brown Creative six-month novel-writing course. As a former engineer married to an artist, he has a particular love for the nexus of art and science, which is tightly woven into the fabric of his book. He lives in northern California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the area’s rich history (gold mining, boomtowns and ghost towns) provides the spectacular backdrop to his novel.

Here’s the query from Oli Munson:

Dear Julian,

It’s been an absolute age so hope all is very well with you and yours. I’m hoping to get to New York early next year and it would be great to catch up in person.

Meanwhile, I’m very excited to be sending you THE LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS by debut author K.A. Merson. This is a contemporary thriller featuring an ingenious, young female lead set against the beautifully realised, stunning backdrop of the American West. Think the brilliant but damaged protagonist of THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT, the puzzles/mystery of THE TWYFORD CODE, and the wilderness backdrop of MY ABSOLUTE DARLING.

Arizona is seventeen, gifted, and an outsider. Homeschooled, with social anxiety and trust issues made worse by bullying, she travels the American West with her parents and her dog Mojo in an Airstream trailer. But her small world crumbles when her father dies and then, just weeks later, her mother is kidnapped. When the ransom note demands classified information (that the kidnappers claim her father possessed) and is accompanied by a cryptic puzzle, Arizona doesn’t know who to trust. Fearing foster care for herself and the pound for Mojo, she flees with the trailer to pursue her mother’s safe return on her own terms.

While following a trail of cryptic clues across the remote West, Arizona meets Lily, a twenty-year-old spending a gap year in her van. Isolated, lonely, and intrigued by Lily’s extroversion, Arizona is torn between the pull of companionship and her fears of further rejection. Racing against time, over desolate terrain, Arizona must use her unique skills and confront her greatest fears, all the while staying one step ahead of those working against her.

I can’t remember the last time I received a manuscript that was so ingenious. If you are anything like me or other people here who have read the ms, you will find yourself going down a Google rabbit hole, asking yourself the question “is this fiction or is it fact”? It’s a very smart book.

K.A. Merson is a graduate of the selective-entry Curtis Brown Creative six-month novel-writing course. As a former engineer married to an artist, he has a particular love for the nexus of art and science, which is tightly woven into the fabric of his book. He lives in northern California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the area’s rich history (gold mining, boomtowns and ghost towns) provides the spectacular backdrop to his novel.

I’m offering US and Canadian rights and look forward to hearing what you think. And of course just get in touch if you have any questions.

Best, Oli

Check out K.A. Merson’s The Language of the Birds here:

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What Julian Pavia liked about the query:

Several things about this letter grabbed me, I think. To start with, seeing the agent Oli Munson’s name in my inbox probably perked up my ears. We’ve had one or two near misses on projects over the years, and he seems pretty selective in what he tries me out on. I probably hear from him a couple times a year, max.

But really, for me it’s that first paragraph of plot synopsis. It’s managing to introduce Arizona in a way that immediately makes her feel specific and intriguing, while hooking me with stakes (the kidnapped mother), and intrigue (the dead father’s secret). And then there’s the reference to the “cryptic puzzle,” which, in combination with the Twyford Code comp at top, tells me this is going to be about puzzles and codes and problem-solving. So it’s giving me a clear, compelling, fresh-feeling starting point for a mystery—plus promising interesting mechanics in the form of the puzzles. And a dog too!

The rest of the plot synopsis hits good notes, but Oli’s “fact or fiction” allusion at the end is probably the other bit that really got my attention. That’s something else that jumps out as unusual and specific, and I love novels with strong “nonfiction” elements. And it has me wondering how that’s all going to be interacting with the puzzle elements.

All that said—as well as this pitch pushed my buttons, I was definitely skeptical when I started reading. The elements that make it intriguing also make for something difficult to pull off on the page, and potentially tricky for a publisher to position. Needless to say, it won me over!

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Ariel Courage is a graduate of the Brooklyn College MFA program, where she was editor-in-chief of the Brooklyn Review. She’s currently an assistant fiction editor at Agni. Her short work has appeared in Guernica, New Limestone Review, and The End. She was also a 2019 Kimmel Harding Nelson resident.

Here’s Ariel’s query:

Dear Ms. Shea, 

I believe Josh Henkin reached out to you about me earlier. Beyond his connection, I also admire writers you work with, including Jenny Zhang and Willa C. Richards. My project also offers an unusual voice and an engaging plot that I think you might enjoy. 

HESTER is an approximately 99,800-word novel about a lonely attorney who decides amidst a cancer scare that life is short and she must kill her father to avenge her dead mother.

As Hester travels across the country to hunt her father down, she meets a variety of people, including figures from her past. She also picks up a drifter named John. More than just a hitchhiker, John’s also a nonviolent eco-activist. As the deeply moral John undermines her cynicism, Hester finds herself torn between her original plan and an alternative vision of the future John presents. Unable to escape her memories of the past, Hester ultimately seeks vengeance, but with unexpected consequences.

Written in the first person, HESTER is about the futility of violence, moral ambivalence, and the eternal possibility of redemption. It combines the tragic intensity of Lisa Taddeo’s Animal with the dark humor and bittersweetness of Patrick Cottrell’s Sorry to Disrupt the Peace. 

I’m a graduate of the Brooklyn College MFA program, where I was editor-in-chief of The Brooklyn Review. I’m currently an assistant fiction editor at AGNI Magazine. My short work has appeared in Guernica, The New Limestone Review, and Works Progress, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. I was also a 2019 Kimmel Harding Nelson resident. 

Please let me know if you’d like me to send an excerpt your way. I appreciate your time and consideration. 

Best,

Ariel Courage

Check out Ariel Courage’s Bad Nature here:

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What agent Samantha Shea liked about the query:

I first heard about Ariel from Josh Henkin at the Brooklyn College MFA program, who wrote to me about Ariel in October of 2022. Josh raved about Ariel’s talents, and I made sure to keep an eye out for her query. It arrived a day or two later, and I knew after reading only the first sentence that I wanted to read her book.

She wrote, “HESTER is an approximately 99,800-word novel about a lonely attorney who decides amidst a cancer scare that life is short and she must kill her father to avenge her dead mother.” What an elevator pitch, what a hook! I had to know more.

Ariel’s thoughts on the query process:

I don’t think there’s a single writer in the world who enjoys asking for help, but I’m so glad I did—Josh’s wisdom invaluable. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback specific to your pitch before sending it out, particularly from someone who’s familiar with the industry. (And there are lots of ways to get to know people in the industry, even without getting an MFA.)

*****

After graduating from Colgate University, Samantha Shea joined Georges Borchardt, Inc. in 2010 and was made a Vice President in 2016. Her list includes upmarket and literary fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, journalism, cultural criticism, and history. Samantha’s authors are regularly named for numerous awards and honors, including the “5 Under 35” honor from the National Book Foundation, the “Best of Young American Novelists” honor from Granta Magazine, the Kirkus Prize, the Whiting Award, the National Book Critics Circle Awards, the PEN/ Robert W. Bingham Prize, and others.

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London Sperry is a New York based author of romantic comedies full of heart, humor, and hope. A lover of storytelling, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from The Pennsylvania State University before finding her true passion for writing. Passion Project is her first novel.

Here’s London’s query:

PASSION PROJECT is an adult rom-com complete at 79,000 words. It combines the nuanced portrayals of grief in FLOAT PLAN with the tight banter and big soulmate energy of PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION.

If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet is failing miserably…with a big emphasis on the miserable. She’s a part time temp worker in NYC with no career goals and an addiction to binging Criminal Minds and eating potato chips in bed. Also, her ex-boyfriend is dead and it was all her fault. But when the human embodiment of “fuck it” shows up in the form of an annoyingly handsome stranger, Bennet is forced to do the last thing she’d ever imagine…to open up. 

Henry is a fish out of water NYC transplant, an incurable extrovert, and a fool drawn to Bennet’s odd sense of humor and hardened sadness. When their disaster date turns into an after-hours wine and pizza night, Bennet confesses that she never decided what she wanted to be when she grew up—and Henry immediately jumps at the opportunity for adventure: Bennet needs to find a passion for life again, and Henry needs a friend…especially the kind that tugs his heartstrings like her. Fueled by cheap wine and loneliness, the strangers concoct a plan to try a new job or hobby every Saturday until Bennet finds her passion—as friends, of course. As they tackle everything from carpentry to skydiving, Bennet realizes she hasn’t felt this alive since before Sam’s death. But when she starts to fall head over ass for Henry, her fear and anxiety grow. For Bennet, love and loss are synonymous. Letting someone new into her heart is the biggest risk she can take—and Henry won’t wait forever.

Check out London Sperry’s Passion Project here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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What agent Lily Dolin liked about the query:

It’s always a thrill when I receive a query so well-written that it makes me want to clap my hands and shout “no notes!” From the first few lines of London’s query, I knew exactly what the book was, who would read it, and what made it different from other novels in the genre. I was really impressed by London’s ability to not only convey the plot and hook of the novel in a tight and direct pitch, but to do so with voice and humor. I often approach query letters as if I were browsing the shelves at a bookstore—if this were the copy on the back flap of a book, would it make me want to read more? Would it make me want to buy the book? In London’s case, the answer was a resounding yes.

She starts off with great comp titles, which always help me to contextualize a submission. The first paragraphs of the query gave me a wonderful sense of both Bennet and Henry as characters —relatable and loveable in their own ways. And then London establishes the hook, the “passion project dates,” which I absolutely adored as an idea and framework for the novel. 

I am always looking for novels that not only tell a great story but ask readers to consider larger questions and uncomfortable topics. Yes, this is a rom-com about two people finding their passion, but it’s also a story about grief, loss, and learning to love oneself in the face of doubt and anxiety. That’s what really stood out to me about London’s query letter. She did a good job of establishing the fun and whimsy of the book, while also showing how PASSION PROJECT would explore deeper themes. For me, the best queries are the ones that not only explain the plot and stakes, but also the larger themes the author hopes to examine.

*****

Lily Dolin joined Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. in 2025, after five years in the publishing department at United Talent Agency. She represents authors in both fiction and nonfiction, including YA, with books ranging from commercial to literary and everything in between. Her list includes New York Times bestsellers, Barnes & Noble book club picks, Book of the Month picks, and Indie Next picks, among others. She loves finding and championing debut voices, especially from underrepresented communities, and is especially passionate about building careers from the ground up. Originally from coastal New England, Lily graduated from NYU and still lives in New York City, but tries to surround herself with nature as often as possible.

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Alexandra Kennington (she/her) writes adult and young adult fantasy and science fiction novels. She lives in Utah with her spouse and child. When she’s not knee-deep in a world of her own creation or reading a book with the enemies-to-lovers trope, you’ll find her obsessing over Star Wars or sharing writing advice on TikTok.

Here’s Alexandra’s query:

Dear [AGENT],

Win, and take the crown.

The Bloodshed Trials are fast approaching. Without magic, eighteen-year-old Revna is banned from participating. But when her father sentences her two best friends to certain death, she presents him with an ultimatum he can’t ignore: she will refuse her arranged marriage and the war alliance that comes with it unless she is permitted to compete for the crown.

Lose, and have your throat slit by your own brother.

Revna stands no chance against older brothers with magical abilities. But she will not back down, even if it means her martyrdom. When she is kidnapped by a masked soldier on the other side of the war, she thinks her conquest is over before it began—until he reveals that he wants to help her take the throne. Despite her best efforts, she begins to fall for him. And to her surprise, she discovers there are others who want her on the throne for their own furtive reasons. As the Trials draw closer and her enemies appear to be her only remaining confidants, Revna must decide who is truly her ally. One misstep means brutal death for her and everyone she loves.

BLOOD BENEATH THE SNOW is a YA fantasy novel complete at 86,000 words. It will appeal to fans of the complicated family dynamics and political intrigue in THREE DARK CROWNS by Kendare Blake and the powerful friendships and forbidden romance of BONE CRIER’S MOON by Kathryn Purdie. This novel has series potential and features a cast diverse in race, sexuality, and gender identity.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I strive to include accurate representation of sexuality and gender in every book I write, regardless of whether or not identity is a main theme of the text. I have a B.A. in English with a minor in creative writing. I worked on editing this novel with #1 NYT Bestselling Author Kathryn Purdie at the 2020 Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Alex Kennington (she/her)

Check out Alexandra Kennington’s Blood Beneath the Snow here:

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Alexandra’s thoughts on querying:

Blood Beneath the Snow ultimately ended up selling after I’d converted it to a new adult book. When I queried, it was young adult, and this is the query letter I used. It seems to be a common sentiment that most authors don’t love writing query letters—but I genuinely love writing query-style pitches for my work! My day job is in marketing, which has honed my ability to take a step back and view my manuscripts as both projects of my heart and products—a skill I believe every writer can benefit from.

I wanted to keep the query short and concise, within the bounds of traditional query letter formatting rules. I also wanted it to communicate the same high-level stakes and emotion I hoped readers of the manuscript would feel. Ultimately, I feel I was able to convey the main character’s heart and fire while also pitching the book in a way that showed its marketability and left the reader wanting more.

Romantasy was on the rise when I queried (2021-2022), making fantasy a tough genre to break into. My querying journey involved very few requests, and I was about to move on to my next manuscript when I received an offer from my agent. While the nine-month journey was full of rejection, I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t persevered through it.

Editor Gabrielle Pachon’s commentary:

I received a slightly different pitch letter, since Alex’s original manuscript was YA and we acquired Blood Beneath the Snow as a new adult fantasy. But some of the things that really stood out to me is how the letter called out why it was special: “a diverse cast in race, sexuality, and gender identity.” Whenever I read a pitch letter, I ask myself:

1. Who is the audience and is it for the Berkley/Ace reader? And,
2. What will make this standout in the marketplace?

I think the call out to how this book would bring a diverse perspective to the fantasy/romantasy genre was key in getting my attention. Then Alex’s incredible knack for pacing took it from there. I think I read the entire book within 24 hours. When I couldn’t put it down, I knew others wouldn’t be able to either.

*****

Gabrielle Pachon is an editor with Berkley/Ace.

___________

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Jeanette Horn holds an MFA from The University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she received a Maytag Fellowship. Her poetry has appeared in MARGIE, POETRY INTERNATIONAL, STAND, and other literary journals. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and dogs. Play, With Knives is her first novel.

Here’s Jeanette’s query:

Dear Ms. Royal and team:

Please consider my 88,000-word literary novel, PLAY, WITH KNIVES, for Regal House Publishing. The manuscript, which reads as a work of magical realism, takes readers on a dreamlike train journey through romance, strangeness, silliness, and tragedy to a final twist that reveals the story as metafiction. Its magic is that of the written word, and it asks questions about the nature of identity, reality, truth, and art.

Emotionally volatile, Edgar Cosentino can’t tolerate lies. It was a lie that made him leave Rome and take up work as the set designer/stage manager for an acting troupe traveling by train to perform across the American Midwest. Within this eccentric cast of characters, Edgar finds happiness in his budding relationship with the lead actress of the troupe, Ava Vale. Ava is enamored with Edgar, but worries about his temper. And too late, she realizes Edgar’s revulsion for lying has trapped her with a secret—Ava is technically married.

All the while, the playwright and owner of the troupe, Fallon Finn-Dorset, watches this drama unfold. She incorporates pieces of it into her scripts and suspects that, on the train, other elements of her plays are mysteriously becoming real. New train cars inexplicably appear, along with a partly tame fox and a barman resembling Abraham Lincoln. Lies soon blend with truth, and fiction populates reality in ways that have dangerous consequences for Edgar, Ava, and others. But can reality be rewritten in a way that will save Edgar and Ava’s relationship as well as the future of the troupe?

I hold an MFA from The University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where I received a Maytag Fellowship and was a finalist for POETRY’s Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship. My work has appeared in RIVER STYX, WASHINGTON SQUARE, MARGIE, POETRY INTERNATIONAL, STAND, and other journals. In my free time, I enjoy dressage. You can learn more at jeanettehorn.com.

I would be happy to provide the full manuscript for your review. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Jeanette Horn

Check out Jeanette Horn’s Play, With Knives here:

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Publisher Jaynie Royal’s commentary:

There is much about this query that I love. The title of the work, Play, With Knives, is immediately engaging, suggestive of the wordplay that threads through the novel. And as for the query itself, Jeanette’s literary prowess is on full display. At the outset she establishes the core theme of the work—the power of the written word and the manner in which her narrative examines, and manipulates, the nature of identity, reality, truth, and art. Then, brilliantly, she loops back to that theme in closing (once we have been introduced to the primary characters), establishing both the danger presented by that fluidity of reality/fiction and the possibility of salvation. With enough in between to really pique my interest—a tame fox and an Abraham Lincoln lookalike? What is clear, too, in these opening paragraphs is that this ms is refreshingly original and the author is, indeed, a master of her pen.

But to break it down further: Jeanette’s query is concise, to the point, yet contains all the critical information that our acquisitions team wishes to know (including word count and a brief summary). In the opening paragraph, I can deduce immediately that she understands the market placement for her novel, which is, predominantly, a literary work, one imbued with a speculative, magical element. It is also evident that she is familiar with the books that we publish and has done her research to ensure that her ms would be a good fit for our House. Her opening paragraph is intriguing and serves as a brilliant summary of the overarching work; this, then, entices one to read further.

The subsequent paragraphs introduce us to the characters who populate Jeanette’s novel as well as artfully layering in the central themes that formulate the respective plot arcs. She ends, then, with a brief background as to her credentials, mentioning fellowships and literary journals that have published her work—all of which attests to her professionalism as a writer and her ongoing dedication to engaging an audience for her work. She conveniently provides a link to her author website, with links to recent literary events and social media platforms, which are, of course, a critical component of digital marketing today.

All in all, this query received a universal thumbs-up among our acquisition editors, and we were delighted to invite Jeanette to proceed to the next stage of our acquisitions process.

Jeanette’s thoughts on querying:

During the decade it took me to write Play, With Knives, people sometimes asked if I was going to try to get it published. I’d tell them that the book likely wouldn’t appeal to a large publisher but could hopefully find a home with an independent house or small press.

But when it came time to start submitting, I felt I had to at least see how literary agents would respond (and through them, the Big Five). In January 2022, I signed on with a firm to help me query. They were excited about my manuscript but, because it was magical realism, were adamant that I should only be reaching out to agents who represented fantasy. I felt from the start that, due to the writing style of the book, we should be contacting those representing literary fiction, but I bowed to their expertise for a few months until it was clear that their tactic wasn’t driving any interest.

In May, I broke ties with the firm and started querying agents who represented literary fiction. At the same time, I decided to hedge my bets by simultaneously submitting to independent publishers and small presses, since that was where I still envisioned the book ultimately ending up. Much of the middle part of that year was spent responding to requests for my full manuscript and then anxiously checking my email for news. Several agents ended up really loving my voice as well as aspects of the book, but they ultimately weren’t sure they could sell it. I had several close calls with small presses as well.

When I clicked Submit on the Regal House Publishing website that July, I remember being extremely impressed with the beauty and quality of their books and really hoping things would somehow work out. I was thrilled to get a manuscript request from them soon after, and for the rest of the year, I navigated their very organized and well communicated submission process, excited to make it through to each next step. When I’d reached the final stage, they let me know that a decision would be made on Jan. 6, 2023—Epiphany.

And what an epiphany it was. I was driving home from a dressage lesson, sweaty and covered in dirt and horsehair, when my phone buzzed at a red light. I didn’t have enough time before the light turned green to read Jaynie’s full email, but I scanned just enough of the first paragraph to see that she had accepted my novel!

It’s been absolutely wonderful working with Regal House Publishing to bring Play, With Knives into the world. Jaynie runs the house with such courage, and she’s been extraordinarily professional, an insightful editor, and an amazing cheerleader throughout the entire process. I feel incredibly lucky to be working with her and her team, and I still can’t quite believe that, at the end of a year-long submission process, my novel ended up finding the perfect home.

*****

Born in New Zealand, Jaynie Royal spent much of her early life in Singapore and Malaysia with her family. After the completion of her undergraduate degree at Auckland University, she attended Texas A&M in the US for graduate studies. Jaynie met her husband while in the US where she has lived and worked ever since. Determined to found a traditional independent press that elevated finely crafted literature while serving as a true partner to authors, she established Regal House Publishing in 2014. Jaynie has resided in North Carolina with her husband and children for over a decade.

___________

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Elyse Durham is a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. Her work has appeared or is upcoming in The Cincinnati Review, Wigleaf, Image, and elsewhere, and she has received support from The Elizabeth George Foundation, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Glen Arbor Arts Center. She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with her husband, who is a Greek Orthodox priest.

Here’s Elyse’s query:

Dear Dear Agent,

To be born at the Siege of Leningrad is unlucky. To be abandoned at birth unluckier still. When the Soviet state rescues twin sisters Maya and Natasha from starvation, their luck appears to improve. It will be years before they learn the state expects repayment.

Now seniors at the prestigious Vaganova Academy of Ballet, Maya and Natasha dream of joining the Kirov Ballet on its upcoming tour to America. Both sisters have sacrificed everything–their childhoods, their bodies, and more than a little sanity–for this opportunity. Natasha longs for the material comforts of Western life. Maya just wants to dance by her sister’s side–after all, Natasha is the only family she has.

Then a new law from the Kremlin upends their lives: family members may no longer travel abroad together. The Kirov can only accept one of them.

As graduation looms, Maya learns that Natasha plans to defect if accepted by the Kirov. Maya must decide where her loyalty lies: with her sister, or with her dreams, and the state that saved her life. As both girls are swept up in the cultural Cold War, they’ll realize the state has loyalties of its own.

Set in the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, MOTHERLAND, a historical novel, is complete at 118,000 words. Told with the omniscient sweep and wit of Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, MOTHERLAND is a story about sisterhood, female ambition, and betrayal in the vein of Yiyun Li’s The Book of Goose.

I am a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College and an Elizabeth George grantee. My fiction has appeared or is upcoming in the Cimarron Review, Image Journal, and the Cincinnati Review, who in 2019 nominated me for the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. I am married to a Greek Orthodox priest who is not Greek, which is as delightfully bizarre as it sounds.

Thank you for your consideration.

Elyse Durham

Check out Elyse Durham’s Maya & Natasha here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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Agent Allison Hunter’s commentary:

I first read Elyse’s query as part of AWP’s 2023 Writer to Agent program, which meant it was one of hundreds of queries I read, one after another, in a short span of time. I hate to say it, but when you read so many queries in a row, they can really start to blur together, but Elyse’s jumped right out to me as something special.

I have always been fascinated by stories about siblings, probably because I grew up as an only child. I find the dynamic between sisters especially compelling. My former boss, the late, great Mort Janklow, once told me that the secrets to good fiction were “mothers and daughters, and sisters.” I’ve never forgotten that. I’m also an incredibly competitive person – I’m an agent after all! – so I was immediately hooked by this premise: that these two twin sisters are pitted against each other, and only one can succeed. I loved that Elyse wrote that the book was “a story about sisterhood, female ambition and betrayal” – those are all buzzwords for me.

I was also very interested in the setting of the novel, in Soviet Russia during the Cold War, which provided clear and serious stakes for the story. I was immediately intrigued by one of the first lines of the query, about how the Soviet state “rescued” Maya and Natasha. Right away that tipped me off that this wouldn’t be the typical black and white, good-versus-evil book about Soviet Russia, that this would present a more nuanced take on that period, which turned out to be true, and is one of the things I love most about the book.

Finally, I loved Elyse’s bio, which mentioned that she attended an MFA Program whose fellow graduates I’ve long admired, and that her husband is a “Greek Orthodox priest who is not Greek,” which I thought might offer her a unique perspective.

Out of the hundreds and hundreds of queries I read for the Writer to Agent program, Elyse’s ended up being one of only two that I pursued. I feel so lucky to have connected with her, and to get to help share this fantastic book with the world.

Elyse’s thoughts on querying:

Querying was the step in the writing process that mystified me the most—even more so than writing the novel itself! At first, it felt so outside of my experience that I didn’t know how to begin, and my questions overwhelmed me. How did you decide who to query? How much of the plot should you reveal in your letter? How in the world do you choose comps?

Thankfully, friends pointed me to Jane Friedman’s website and QueryShark, and both of these resources were a lifeline. As I read more example letters, and heard writers detail their process, I realized that querying wasn’t so different from pitching, a skill I’d honed over years of working as a freelance journalist. Both had similar requirements: being courteous and professional, demonstrating competence and expertise, and—most importantly—hooking your reader with just enough information to leave them wanting more.

I set out to write a letter that would both highlight my novel’s hooks and demonstrate the voice of its narrator, which I felt was one of my book’s primary features. In the fall of 2022, I didn’t feel ready to query in full—I wanted to keep working on my manuscript for a while—but submitted my letter and a five-page excerpt to AWP’s Writer to Agent, just for practice. I planned to start querying in full in the fall of 2023.

Well, lo and behold, in February 2023, I had multiple emails from agents, asking to meet with me at AWP. One of these was Allison Hunter of Trellis Literary, and we instantly connected: I was so struck by her confidence in and enthusiasm for my book. Allison asked me to send her my full manuscript when it was ready. I was stunned—I’d thought I was months away from beginning to query. I sent her the manuscript that spring, and though I also queried widely, no one came close to matching Allison’s enthusiasm. She had brilliant ideas for edits that perfectly matched my vision for the book. I knew we’d collaborate well, and I was right. I still can’t believe I get to work with her.

(Oh, and by the way—Allison later told me, ever so gently, that my query letter’s comps were terrible! I made the mistake of focusing on voice instead of finding books with similar plots/themes. You’ll notice we later changed the title, too—it’s all a work in progress.)

*****

Allison Hunter was an agent at InkWell Management, the Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, and Janklow & Nesbit before co-founding Trellis Literary Management in the fall of 2021. She is actively acquiring literary and commercial adult fiction, especially focusing on upmarket book club and women’s fiction, romance, and domestic suspense. She is always looking for female friendship stories, campus novels, great love stories, family epics, and books about class and cultural identity. In the nonfiction space, Allison is acquiring select memoir, narrative nonfiction, and the occasional prescriptive project. She is always looking for pop culture and women’s issues. After over a decade in New York City, Allison now lives in Austin, Texas.

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Shara Moon is a historical fiction author dedicated to spotlighting little-known heroines who have shaped and influenced pivotal moments in American history. Let Us March On, published by William Morrow/Harper Collins, is her debut historical fiction novel, and marks the culmination of years of research into the extraordinary life of Elizabeth “Lizzie” McDuffie. To learn more about her and her upcoming projects, visit www.sharamoon.com.

Here’s Shara’s query:

Dear Ms. Lyon,

I hope this email finds you well. Your client, Kaia Alderson, referred me to you and your agency. I understand you are looking for more historical fiction submissions and presently I’m looking to publish more historical women’s fiction, particularly women of color. Since writing and publishing my last historical in 2016, I have been fascinated with telling the story of Cathay Williams, the first and only known black female Buffalo Soldier.

Williams, who enlisted in the United States Army in 1866 under the pseudonym “William Cathay,” went on to serve in the military posing as a man for several years. Although there were hundreds of women posing as men who served during the Civil War, Williams was the first African American woman to enlist and the only documented woman to serve in the US Regular Army. In my opinion, she is an “unsung hero” and her story needs to be told.

Under my own pseudonym, Lena Hart, I have independently published a total of 16 contemporary, historical, and romantic suspense novels and novellas to date. Several of my titles have landed on both the Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s top 100 list. I was part of the historical romance anthologies, THE BRIGHTEST DAY and DAUGHTERS OF A NATION, with Alyssa Cole, Kianna Alexander, and Piper Huguley, which both garnered critical acclaim, including starred reviews from Library Journal and features in the Washington Post and Shondaland.

Additionally, I have presented at several reader and writer conferences, including RT, RWA, and Writer’s Digest, while remaining strongly committed to growing my writing career and bringing readers my very best stories. I hold a bachelor’s in Advertising/Public Relations, with a minor in Marketing, and a master’s in English Language & Literacy, with a background in teaching English Composition and Creative Writing.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss my works further, specifically my desired historical fiction projects.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Best,

Shara Moon

Check out Shara Moon’s Let Us March On here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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Agent Kevan Lyon’s commentary:

Shara’s story of pivoting from one genre to something all new, is a phenomenon I am seeing a lot more with my clients and other authors I speak to. As publishing trends shift and change, it can feel overwhelming to writers, trying to understand why it feels like the market for the book they started a year ago now seems to have shifted in new directions. 

Often this calls for a “pivot” by an author, to try something all new, and maybe write the story that has been nudging at them for a while. It can be creatively refreshing and exciting, freeing authors to work outside their comfort zone. In Shara’s case, she was interested in writing stories the market was looking for at that time, stories about women of color in our history, an area long underrepresented in publishing. 

Her pitch immediately captured my attention because she was describing a type of story that I was on the hunt for—stories of under-represented voices in historical fiction, about women specifically. I also represented a friend of hers who was writing in this genre, who referred her to me. After reading her sample pages, I knew that she was an author I wanted to work with. Her writing was strong and immediately captivating. 

We worked together to develop the story idea, and she got to work on the research and pages for a novel that we went on submission with. We quickly found an interested partner with her editor at Morrow Publishing.

Shara’s thoughts on the submission process:

In the summer of 2020, I approached Kevan Lyon about my desire to write historical fiction. I had spent years cultivating my craft and positioning myself as an accomplished indie author. However, as my personal and professional goals began to evolve, I found myself eager for a change. It didn’t help that the romance industry was also going through its own challenges and setbacks. Having grown disenchanted with writing and publishing romance, I realized a pivot was necessary if I wanted to continue doing what I loved.

History, particularly Black women in history, have always been a passion of mine yet these “hidden figures” remain wholly underrepresented and undiscovered in publishing. Inspired by Black historical fiction authors like Piper Huguley and Vanessa Riley, I was motivated to share my own story ideas with the right agent or editor who could turn my thoughtful gems into literary gold.

Kevan Lyon happened to be that agent…

*****

Kevan Lyon is a founding partner of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. With over 25 years in the publishing business, including over 15 years as a literary agent and many years on the wholesale, retail and distribution side of the business, Kevan brings an informed and unique perspective to her work with clients. Her background on the buying and retail side of publishing affords her helpful insight into what types of books will sell and how to market them. Kevan holds an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.

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Ava Robinson is the assistant director of Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute and an alum of the New School’s MFA program. Previously, she wrote and hosted the podcast Trace Material, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, for Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design. She has had her short fiction published in Soundings East, Santa Fe Writers Project Quarterly, Little Patuxent Review, and elsewhere. Definitely Better Now is her first novel.

Here’s Ava’s query:

Happy new year!

I’m writing to query my novel, Definitely Better Now. I’m writing to you because I saw that you represent a wide range of authors in the upmarket and women’s fiction space, and I’d love to be included among them.

Set in the New York AA scene, Definitely Better Now is a 100,000-word romantic comedy that follows Emma, a recovering alcoholic celebrating a milestone she never thought she’d reach: one year sober. After not dating for the first year of her sobriety, Emma falls for her coworker Ben. But just being sober doesn’t mean Emma’s fixed, and as this novel flirts with the tropes of romantic comedy, it also ventures into deeper waters.

Ben asks Emma out the very night of her AA celebration for being one year sober, and instead of being honest about why she can’t go out for a drink with him, she makes up an excuse. Throughout the novel, Emma continues to struggle with honesty and letting people see the parts of herself she wishes weren’t there. This is a journey mirrored in her relationship with her father, whose cancer diagnosis brings him back into her life. Just as her relationship grows with Ben, her father’s life comes to an end. After a year of hiding in her apartment to make sure she stays sober, the best and worst parts of life—love and death—knock at her door and force her to figure out how to really live again.

Definitely Better Now blends the intimate voice of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, the romantic pull of Emily Henry’s Beach Read and the lush, singular descriptions of New York life that you’d find in an Emma Straub novel.

I was interested in exploring a sober character whose story arc doesn’t center around whether or not they’ll relapse. Often, sobriety narratives are either about getting sober and characters are represented as a phoenix rising from the ashes, or if the character starts sober, the story’s tension comes from whether or not they’re going to drink again. As someone who’s spent most of the past decade sober––and with plenty of other problems––I wanted to see a character that represented that on the page.

There is a narrative in AA that being sober means you’re fixed, or that the steps will heal all of your personality defects. I haven’t personally found that to be true, and in the novel, Emma is struggling against that expectation. She thought she’d no longer feel afraid or jealous or angry, and she still does. She has to accept that she’s just a normal person who’s made some mistakes and is trying to make less of them.

I graduated from The New School’s MFA program last spring, and I’ve just started a position as the Assistant Director of the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. Previously, I wrote and hosted the National Endowment for the Humanities-funded podcast Trace Material for Parsons Healthy Materials Lab, where we investigated the lives of the materials (think anything from plastic to mycelium) that surround us. I’ve had my short fiction published in Soundings East, Santa Fe Writers Project, Little Patuxent Review and elsewhere.

Thank you so much for your consideration,

Ava

Check out Ava Robinson’s Definitely Better Now here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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Agent Jamie Carr’s commentary:

Ava’s query letter was a standout. Besides having excellent humor and voice, she nailed articulating the inciting incident in a way that was simple and clear—our main hero Emma has just hit her one year anniversary of being sober and thus can date again, when she meets co-worker cutie Ben—and also the bigger themes that the book reckons with: What happens when you think you’ve finally “made it” to realize there’s still growing to be done. 

Her comp titles were recent and accurately reflected the genre and tone of the book, and I loved how she posed that the novel flirts with romantic comedy while also venturing into deeper waters. Exactly my kind of read!

Ava’s thoughts on the submission process:

I was lucky enough to be in an MFA program just before I started the querying process. We had a class where we workshopped our letters, so I got a lot of feedback on my query before an agent ever saw it. Earlier versions contained a lot more detail on the plot. 

When writing a novel, it’s very hard to sum it up in one paragraph when every detail feels so essential! If you’re querying and have a trusted reader, ask them how they would summarize the plot in a few short sentences. Often, readers can see the bird’s eye view agents are looking for better than the writer can.

*****

A senior agent at The Book Group, Jamie Carr champions award-winning debuts, commercial book club fiction, and expert-driven nonfiction at the forefront of culture. Her titles have been chosen as Indie Next, Target Book Club, and Book of the Month picks. She’s also had books featured on NPR’s Best Books of the Year list, GMA (Buzzworthy segment), USA TODAY’s Bestseller List, and nominated for the Lambda Literary Awards, to name just a few. Previous to TBG, she was at William Morris Endeavor for almost six years. Born and raised in Lower Manhattan, she has an MFA in fiction writing and began her publishing journey in the books department of Tin House.

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By day, Rebecca Robinson works as an administrator at her alumni high school. By night, she’s an avid reader, writer, and consumer of all things art. When she’s not writing, Rebecca loves to cook, spend time with her husband and son, and go hiking with her two huskies.

Here’s Fabien’s query to Hoshijo:

I’m delighted to be in your inbox with Rebecca Robinson’s debut adult fantasy romance, THE SERPENT AND THE WOLF. Deftly balancing swoons and political intrigue, this novel will appeal to the ravenous readers of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Danielle L. Jensen, and Sarah J. Maas.

Sharpened into a blade by her cunning father and ruthless brother, Vaasalisa Kozár trusts no one. Especially when her parents pass and her brother, Dominik, trades her for marriage in a foreign land. Vaasa knows what this really is… a death sentence. A swift and vicious one, if she doesn’t rid herself of the dark and consuming magic that’s taken root since her mother’s death.

If Vaasa dies, Dominik gets all he desires: his own kingdom and another one, weakened and ripe for the taking. But even with proverbial and literal knives to his throat, Vaasa’s new husband Reid does not back down. Instead, he offers her a deal: the illusion of a loving marriage to ensure his election as Headman. In exchange, he’ll grant answers to her questions about the Veragi magic consuming her, and provide the one thing she truly wants: freedom, when all is said and done.

As Reid and Vaasa scheme for the headmanship, they realize they are two halves of an incredibly formidable pair. Vaasa is the cunning political operator, and Reid—the honest, handsome, warrior—can soothe the chaotic magic growing inside her. Somewhere along the way, Vaasa stops acting. And perhaps, Reid was never acting at all. But Dominik’s political machinations are aggressively underway, and with the election looming, stakes couldn’t be higher. Her brother is prepared to take her new kingdom and finish what the fatal magic started, and Vaasa must choose: save Reid’s life, save her own, or do the unthinkable… live the life she’s been trying to escape since this all began.

THE SERPENT AND THE WOLF is a masterclass in writing high-stakes, steamy fantasy romance with captivating world-building and emotionally resonant character arcs. With as much edge-of-your-seat action as there is romantic tension, this story is a whirlwind, ignore-your-responsibilities read overflowing with one-liners Booktok is sure to obsess over.

Check out Rebecca Robinson’s The Serpent and the Wolf here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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Editor Amara Hoshijo’s commentary:

There’s no denying that romantasy has become a crowded space. For editors, who generally acquire 1-2 years before publication, our inboxes have been overflowing with it from long ago! So for me, a romantasy submission really has to stand apart, even in the pitch alone, for me to get excited about the read.

The comp author that called out to me most in Samantha’s pitch was Danielle L. Jensen. As someone who loves an equal balance of romance and political intrigue, along with rich magic world-building, I was pulled in right away by the promise of this in the second line. And the read certainly did not disappoint, because Vaasa and Reid’s relationship not only exist against the backdrop of a brewing war, but is inextricably intertwined with those political machinations.

The second thing that jumped out at me from this letter is the protagonist Vaasa herself: She knows she’s being used by her conniving, murderous brother as a pawn, and her main goal is freedom. She also wields—and sometimes hides—a dangerous dark magic. The undertones here sidestep the stereotypes of both the helpless maiden and gifted “chosen one,” with hints at a woman stepping into her power through her own prowess.

Finally, a fake political marriage? Sign me up! I don’t think I could’ve run away from this pitch if I tried, with the combined fake-relationship and enemies-to-lovers tropes stopping me in my tracks. Add in those vivid political, magical, and feminist elements, and I knew that The Serpent and the Wolf was a debut I couldn’t wait to read.

*****

Samantha Fabien (she/her) is a literary agent at Root Literary, representing award-winning and bestselling authors. She’s interested in high-concept, commercial, and upmarket fiction with all-or-nothing stakes for adult, young adult, and middle-grade readers. With a background in PR, Journalism, and International Rights, Samantha has a deep-held passion for stories that feature, highlight, and uplift marginalized and underrepresented voices across the globe. For more information, visit samanthafabien.com

Amara Hoshijo is a senior editor at Saga Press. Her authors include #1 New York Times bestseller Chloe Gong, USA TODAY bestseller Kemi Ashing-Giwa, Katrina Kwan, Chana Porter, and Sascha Stronach. She loves immersive science fiction and fantasy with a unique cultural lens. Originally from Honolulu, she lived in New York City for over a decade and now lives in Los Angeles. She is also a former Frankfurt Fellow.

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