Daniele Hunter

-Grief – hopeful but not saccharine; honest about the heavy parts. (THE HOLE by Lindsay Bonilla)

-LGBTQIA+ – Anything from celebratory, to informative, to issue-based (WHAT ARE YOUR WORDS? by Katherine Locke)

Picture book: As I work on so many great ones with my boss @ChristaHeschke, this is likely to be the smallest area of my solo acquisitions! Topics I’m interested in:

Anthology pitches: The industry remains divided on them, so my consideration may be a bit narrower than novels, but I’m interested, for both fiction and nonfiction. (THIS IS OUR RAINBOW was a favorite!)

Thriller/mystery/suspense: Murder mysteries, especially with dual timelines (WHERE SECRETS LIE by Eva V. Gibson). I like more focus on character than is typical for these areas (Maureen Johnson’s TRULY DEVIOUS series) and very literary writing (I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU again).

Historical: I prefer stories set in the nearer-past, and stories set in lesser-told times in history that have a human-interest element alongside the education (HER REBEL HIGHNESS by Diana Ma).

In YA and MG, I’m sparingly open to other genres, too:

I would LOVE to see ghost stories (I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU by Kara A. Kennedy)! Note, though, that I’m not a fit for other paranormal characters, such as werewolves, vampires, zombies, faeries, etc.

Open to near-future dystopian (but not post-apocalyptic) with social critique, magic, or both (BLOOD LIKE MAGIC by Liselle Sambury, INTERNMENT by Samira Ahmed.).

Sparingly open to higher fantasy if very detailed, atmospheric, accessible (A FORGERY OF ROSES by Jessica S. Olson).

YA and MG contemporary fantasy: My second love! I’m interested in the same topics, and will look foremost for lyrical writing and character focus, with unique but very grounded magic systems. Example: THE NATURE OF WITCHES by Rachel Griffin.

Comps: TOGETHER WE CAUGHT FIRE; THANKS A LOT, UNIVERSE; YOU OWE ME ONE, UNIVERSE; FANS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE LIFE, THE UNBEATABLE LILY HONG, THE TRUTH PROJECT; ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS; WHEN YOU WERE EVERYTHING; ALAN COLE IS NOT A COWARD; THE BEST LIARS IN RIVERVIEW; GOOD DIFFERENT

I also love stories featuring relationships—the good, the bad, and everything in between: friendship and found family, “friend break-up”, complicated family dynamics. And I adore romance (especially LGBTQIA+!), but prefer it as a subplot.

YA and MG contemporary will be my first priority! Lyrical prose, novels-in-verse, “dark and gritty,” “issue-driven,” character-driven, voicey. I want to feature LGBTQIA+ voices, BIPOC voices, disability and chronic illness, mental health and neurodivergence, grief.

I’m also extremely hands-on editorially!

And though publishing is a business, I know that writing (especially the dark, raw books I fall for) is an intimate endeavor, so I strive to connect with my clients not just on a professional level, but a personal one.

As an agent, I’ll be my authors’ biggest cheerleader, and value open communication above all. I strive to be a safe space for marginalized identities/experiences, but don’t force authors to disclose those to me. I’m always open to any accommodations authors need.

I have a BA in English with concentrations in literary criticism, creative writing, and poetry! I’m also an AALA member and on their DEI committee.

First, a bit about me: I’m a queer, chronically ill, disabled junior agent at McIntosh & Otis. I’m acquiring (in order of priority) YA, MG, and PB.

So excited to share my first-ever MSWL!

For more detail and to query me:

Visit my website: dhunteragent.com
Query Manager: querymanager.com/ddhunter/

Super verbose thread incoming!