Erica Bauman

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

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

🎵It’s TIIIIIIIME! 🎶
I saw a lot of incredible queries in 2024, and my experiment of opening my inbox one week a month worked out well. I was able to stay on top of my inbox and meet my personal goal of getting my response times waaaaaay down. That said, I’m still going through Sept-Dec queries…

#MSWL:
MG Genres I’m looking for: fantasy, contemporary, mystery, historical, horror, light/near-future sci-fi

YA: fantasy, contemporary, mystery, historical, horror, light sci-fi, romcom

Adult: light SFF, upmarket, horror, romcom

#MSWL CONT:
-eerie & haunting atmospheric horror where the source of the fear reflects something deeper. No gratuitous violence/gore—I want to be creeped out, not grossed out.
-swoony, sharply funny romcoms w/ chemistry that sizzles

I want to read romcom versions of all of these because they’re too cute! 😍 #MSWL

Adult Rom-Coms. Something fun and funny would make me really ridiculously happy. #MSWL

14) Romcoms about athletes competing at the Olympic level. I want the next Cutting Edge! #MSWL

13) Cute, funny contemporary YA romcoms that are driven by dynamic characters. #MSWL

Been on a bit of a romcom kick for the past several months, and I’d love to see something cute, funny, smart, and sexy. #mswl

Over all, I’d love to see more:
-high concept MG and YA
-commercial adult fiction
-#ownvoices stories
-MCs with strong, distinct voices
-comedy across the board
-stories that break my heart and then put it back together
#mswl