What kind of novels are publishers looking for

Among her many favorite genres, Kat gravitates towards science fiction that reads like a nightmarish reality. Confessional memoirs and non-fiction. Their agency, Ladderbird, hosted them for a new agent interview that further explains their interests. Trevor currently calls Manhattan home. Though working in publishing for companies such as Graywolf Press, Catapult, Slice Magazine, and many others over the years has allowed them to travel near and far.

Cross-cultural fiction and non-fiction. A Georgia native, Kayla finds herself drawn to stories of the South and tribal mythology. The use of satire is always welcome here, darling. Now she is happy to be working with Liza Dawson Associates. Nuanced stories between literary and genre.

Chad Luibl loves to read rapid-fire narratives with haunting prose. Bonus points awarded for graphic works. Silk punk stories with cross-cultural vibes. In short, Em Lysaght is looking for magical heroes and heroines battling for the fate of the world, humorous sidekicks, and romance that would make even the gods jealous!

For the whole story, check out her interview with her agency, Ladderbird. Em always knew she wanted to be a part of the book-building process, but her path to publishing was less than straight-forward. She attended multiple art schools, worked as a comic artist, and received an MLitt in ancient Greek monsters from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland! Interracial romance without the cliches.

Leah Pierre is looking for fresh perspectives that challenge cliches and the stories we tell ourselves, especially when it comes to family and relationships. Contemporary fiction set in major U. Steven Salpeter is firmly anti-slush pile. Now at Curtis Brown LTD, he loves getting to work hands-on with writers to bright their stories to life!

He has a wide variety of interests and a live email address, he just needs the perfect book. Magical and terrifying beasts. An OwnVoice and Sheros advocate, Britt Siess is looking for empowering stories with complex characters. She is looking for literature for readers of all ages MG and up. Her interview with Krystal Gavis provides more details.

Britt has cultivated her love of books as a reader, bookseller, and an agent. She now has her own agency. She feels that her unique background helps her negotiate the best contacts for her authors and strengthen their brands. In an interview with Kite Tales , Jennifer Tran lists her favorite qualities in books and authors. Neo-noir worlds and character-driven works. If writers are tortured artists, then agents must be insatiable noir fanatics. Bleach the bloodstains from the rug and burn the rough drafts.

Maximillian Ximenez from L. Perkins Agency is looking for something terrifying, shocking, and gutsy. His interests also branch into heist narrative non-fiction and popular trends.

Maximillian worked with Blizzard Entertainment for years before joining the publishing scene. The Twittersphere is buzzing, and The Manuscript Wishlist is continually updating!

Agents want to connect with you about your wonderful stories. You never know who could help make your book a success! My name is Grace Giska. I am an undergraduate student studying Creative Writing and the author of three novels, one of which I like a lot.

During my free time, I like to walk my dog and imagine what she thinks of me. Good website. Clean, clear, and friendly. I have six novel ready for publication and am still or I continue to seek lit agents. Highly interesting and useful to an author, formerly taught and published in academia, and NIH on Building Design for the Handicapped and Aged. Now retired, I have become a Certified hat maker and written a collection of short stories, some published, Diary of a Mad Hatter.

The latter is a trilogy beginning with a romance set in Jerusalem and D. Both are divorced, or so he says. Unknown to her, her ravishing lover is an Arab. I am seeking an agent interested in international,multicultural and Jewish Creative Nonfiction.

All real, names changed my work reads as fiction. Thanks for suggestions and list of literary agents. Great website. Also appreciate getting to know something about them and their favorite books. Pleased to see some of my own favorite books on their lists.

I like the agents presented. My manuscript is a character-driven mainstream literary saga with a paranormal atmosphere. My novel has a wide appeal. Elders to children. I would recommend checking out Manuscript Wish List, either the website or the Twitter feed, to find agents who are specifically looking for paranormal books.

A true, chilling story. Hi Rob, Write up a great query letter and submit it to a few of the agents on this list looking for that type of book. Good luck! I am an older adult. Although it might seem off beat, but older Americans have love stories to tell and encounters.

I am looking for an agent who consider the possibilities that this happens. Older people have sex although it might be a turn off to the younger foe.

Some older American still have their youth in a sort of unorthodox way. I recently wrote a short story about a woman who became a cougar in her golden years. So, is there an agent for this genre? I am sure you know that the young generation invented sex. How they think they got here I have no idea.

Great site with great people,great backgrounds and great appetites for great writes. Have published my first novel,looking for an agent and have a second one ready. Also a screenwriter with seven completed screenplays. Ultimately, agents are looking for quality work. Your age is not especially relevant in the marketplace. Just write the best story or stories you can, and see if anyone is willing to take a look at them.

Dear Thank you. I have self published so far 11 books 3 autobiographies and 8 literary novels. Princeton Architectural Press Princeton Architectural Press is a small press that focuses on publishing books on architecture, design, photography, landscape, and visual culture.

They are based in New York. In they were bought by McEvoy Group. They are now a sister company to Chronicle Books. They currently have over books in print. They have good distributor and are starting to break into the eBook publishing world.

They publish literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They originally started out publishing a literary magazine, and now they are responsible for a number of publications, online and off, as well as podcasts, and books.

They are based out of San Fransisco. Learn more here. They publish most of their work through a number of niche imprints, each with their own focus. All of their US imprints are distributed by Hachette.

Their imprints are all nonfiction. They publish a lot of cookbooks and gift books. Holiday House has been around for over 75 years. They publish picture books as well as books aimed at children grades , grades , and grades 7 and up. They are based out of New York City. They have published many well known books and authors, including Kenneth Grahame. The books that they have published have won numerous respected awards and honors.

To read our full review go here. It is a newer company but they seem off to a good start with interviews in various established publications. Of course, this is the best-case scenario. Most writers find themselves querying multiple agents. Additional resource: How to Write a Query Letter guide and checklist. Bear in mind that most agents get a mountain of queries every month. The good news is that most of the queries they get are terrible, boilerplate messages that are copied-and-pasted indiscriminately for each agent.

Make sure you:. Additional resource: Personalizing Your Query Letter webinar and transcript. You can expect to work with your agent to further develop your manuscript.

Ideally, you will discuss how to make your book more sellable before signing with them. Now, some writers might not love this idea. Why did they sign my book if all they want to do is change it? But these cases are pretty rare. Most of the time, if your book has already been on the market, industry folks will wonder if it's already exhausted its market. All of these publishers have been around for decades, and getting your book published by one of them is a golden ticket to prestige and recognition.

However, keep in mind that these publishers are pretty selective, especially when it comes to novels. As you can probably surmise from the current market, the biggest genre trends in fiction lately are:.

You have to truly make the story your own. And there you have it. Remember: if you have a strong manuscript and a desire to put in the work, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to secure a publishing deal of your very own. We can't wait to see your name on the shelves! Want to know all the details of what really goes on behind the scenes at a big publishing house?

Check out our free course: Inside a Traditional "Big 5" Publisher! I wish, just one time, articles that tout traditional publishing would warn authors that most traditional publishers today will acquire ownership of your copyright for the life of the copyright. When you go traditional in this day and age, you truly are "selling" your work outright for whatever pittance of an advance you get, if any.

Today building their portfolio of IP is more valueable to publishers than publishing books. Please stop sending young writers to tradpub without warning them to very carefully read the contract.

I think you're right there, Harvey — when they're looking at trad. We're working on a few pieces that should help authors understand their publishing rights — especially when it comes to rights reversion. Readers want a fresh take, a new approach, or even a completely original idea.

We will discuss identifying your competitors and setting yourself apart later in this white paper, but it is important to note that the most significant way to differentiate yourself is in the content you provide. Do you disagree with any of the particular methods or opinions on the topic?

Do you have a new or improved way of approaching this topic? Do you present it in a more interesting or engaging way? All of those things can help you develop content that is fresh and unique. In fiction, the flow of a book is referred to as its narrative arc. But nonfiction books need arcs, too. You may be conveying a mass of complex information. The elements of your message must be organized in a logical fashion, allowing the reader to build on one concept and then another, until they understand the greater message know how to achieve their goal.

Typically, you can approach your message from two ways:. One method is not necessarily better than the other, and which approach you decide to take largely depends on your topic, personal preference, style, and audience. For more resources on developing content for nonfiction, see the list of resources in the appendix.

Content requirements for fiction vary greatly, and compared to nonfiction, there is more room for breaking the rules. Still, every good story needs the following elements. Strong characters are what create the emotional bond between the reader and the story.

A good character is memorable, dynamic, and drives the plot forward through his or her actions and reactions to what the other characters do.

The plot is the sequence of events that lead up to an end point, either in terms of achieving an emotional goal or following a narrative thread to its conclusion. The plot is often compared to a three-act play.

In Act 1 the audience is introduced to the characters and the main conflict or problem the characters must solve. The majority of the play happens in Act 2 and follows the characters as they address the main conflict. Act 3 is the climax and the resulting falling action and resolution, tying up the many issues and subplots explored throughout the play.

Just as in nonfiction, the narrative voice must carry the reader through the story in an engaging way. Here is the difference:. Showing: Suzie inched her chair further to the right, putting as much space as possible between her and Tom. His cheap drug store cologne choked what little fresh air remained in the tight cubicle, further agitating her sensitive allergies. She shifted her computer screen away from his roving eyes and did her best to focus on the report and not on the fact that it was his fault she had to stay late and rewrite the whole damn thing.

Setting includes the time and place in which a story occurs. Setting affects both plot and character. The depth at which setting affects those elements varies depending on the what the setting is and how it relates to the characters ability to move and interact within it as they address the plot.