Erica Bauman

One last #MSWL : romcoms, heavy on the “com.” I’m especially on the lookout for books starring or written by people who have not often been depicted as the romantic lead.

Excited to see more submissions when my inbox reopens in April!

I also love horror that makes you think, or has surprising emotional depth, in addition to the spookiness. And I have yet to find a really delicious gothic horror. #MSWL

Some hyper-specific #MSWL items:

I love a retelling, and would especially love one of Peter Pan or Jane Eyre. But I also love something unexpected, like an overlooked side character, genre blending, or a new lens on a familiar story

For clarity, I only represent age categories MG and up. For MG & YA I’m open to all genres fiction and nonfiction. On the adult side I only work on genre-adjacent or genre-lite fiction (no straight contemporary or anything that wades too deeply into the genre space). #MSWL

Anti mswl

Hi Bluesky, and happy #MSWL Day!
My up-to-date #MSWL can always be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/p/DS2tRNrjmx...), but here are some specifics…

I also have a more detailed list on manuscriptwishlist.com, and update my instagram #mswl highlight reel with things that pop up throughout the year.

As always, I’m looking for projects in the MG, YA, and Adult fiction space. #mswl

Hello 2026! As we get closer to the new year—and my query inbox reopening—it’s time for me to update what I’m looking for. I saw a lot of fabulous projects in 2025 (but more on that later), and I’m excited about what I might find in 2026. #mswl

I update my #MSWL regularly, and you can find it all here:
www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/erica-bauman/

Overall, I’d say that my taste is high concept with a commercial, hooky conceit, but with beautiful, lush, heady prose that you can burrow into. #MSWL

I love romance, but I need a strong secondary plot that’s not romance to balance out the story. If you’re enemies to lovers, also be rivals for the last spot on the Olympic gymnastics team. If you need a fake date for a gala, it’s because they’re also your patsy/alibi while you pull a heist. #MSWL

I’d also love to see more mysteries/adventures that involve puzzles/riddles/games. I’ve seen National Treasure and Jumani too many times, and love that sort of propulsive plot device. #MSWL

I love retellings, but I believe that 1) they shouldn’t be too precious with the original, but bring something new to the telling, and 2) need to stand on their own. I’d also really love to see a retelling with an unexpected genre mashup, like mythology x sci-fi, or Peter Pan x horror (😍) #MSWL

Right now, the largest % of queries I receive are for the fantasy genre. Which is great, I love fantasy, but I also want my list to be balanced. So I would *really* love to see more queries in other genres: romcom, horror, mystery, historical, magical realism, graphic novel, etc. #MSWL

Happy #MSWL Day! I’m looking to work with some great new authors this year! General MSWL is linked below, but here are some specifics I’d really love to see…
bsky.app/profile/ericabauman.bsky.social/post/3ldlrgu36zs2p

…and (even with the QM shutdown) I’m hoping to get back to everyone by the end of the year. So, if you haven’t heard from me yet, thank you for your patience!

As for 2025, here’s an updated #MSWL of what I’d love to see in the inbox. Looking forward to some exciting projects next year!

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