Sam B. Farkas
Literary Agent
Jill Grinberg Literary Management
Foreign Rights & Agent at Jill Grinberg Literary. History dork. Gritty fanatic. Licorice connoisseur. She/her. Writer rep’d by @patricianels
Literary Agent
I've asked for this before, but I'll ask again. I would LOVE an MG that could comp to The Iron Giant.
I don't necessarily mean big robots from space; I mean sophisticated and emotionally taut MG that uses fantastical elements to take on gun violence/the military.
#mswl
Literary Agent
This is a hyper-specific Horror ask but I would die (and be reborn as a ghost) for an Adult or YA novel that takes inspiration from "The Green Ribbon." #mswl
Literary Agent
Competitions! I looooove books with competitions, especially when they're speculative: The Hunger Games, A Gathering of Shadows, Caraval, The Selection. I'm a big fan. #mswl
Literary Agent
I see so many things comped to Naomi Novik that those comps have kind of lost meaning for me, but nevertheless I love romantic and literary fantasy that draws from folklore, especially if it's interrogating heavier topics, as SPINNING SILVER interrogates antisemitism. #mswl
Literary Agent
Horror! Things that keep me awake at night! If it can comp to MEXICAN GOTHIC or Hill House/Bly Manor (or Pan's Labyrinth, my perennial fave), I want to see it! #mswl
Literary Agent
Historical with fabulist elements. Think Alice Hoffman — literary prose, a sharply defined setting, just a hint of magic. #MSWL
Literary Agent
Sam B. Farkas @SamBFarkas
I think it's time to start a 2021 #MSWL thread. I'll add to this as I think of things, but for now, here is what I would love to see in my inbox.Picture books! I've had a blast working on picture book texts recently and I'd love to see more of them.
I like fresh concepts with strong illustration potential and language that pops. #MSWL
Literary Agent
Sam B. Farkas @SamBFarkas
While everyone fights for Three Houses, give me Radiant Dawn.I will write the Micaiah and Sothe story we all need in our lives.
Also, may I suggest Roller Coaster Tycoon and/or Zoo Tycoon, but make it horror. twitter.com/gildedspine/st…
You know, I don't really want to write Roller Coaster Tycoon Horror, but I want to read it, so if you have MG or YA amusement park horror, please send it to me. #mswl.
Literary Agent
Thinking about how I really want an MG that could comp to THE IRON GIANT.
And I especially want a character like Dean. #mswl
Literary Agent
My #MSWL page is live! Here is what I would love to see in my inbox:
manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/sam-…
Literary Agent
I am steadily catching up on queries, but as a general note, I would love to see more Adult Contemporary Romance and more Middle Grade in my inbox. #MSWL
Literary Agent
In MG I'm really drawn to books that include deeply flawed adult characters who influence the narrative beyond the standard parent/teacher roles. Examples: SEE YOU IN THE COSMOS by Jack Cheng; THE BOOK OF BOY by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. #MSWL
Literary Agent
My SFF feelings apply to YA, too -- although in YA I am more open to Contemporary Fantasy/Paranormal than I am in Adult.
In YA and MG, I'm really looking for everything and anything, but lately my tastes have skewed more Contemporary. #MSWL
Literary Agent
On to SFF! I am here for light SFF. I have trouble with space operas and anything with elves, orcs, etc.
I like my sci-fi techy and plausible (i.e. RECURSION by Blake Crouch) and my fantasy grounded in history/folktale (think SPINNING SILVER, CITY OF BRASS, THE POPPY WAR). #MSWL
Literary Agent
I would also commit crimes for a novel from the PoV of Marie-Anne Lavoisier. CRIMES, I TELL YOU.
Swoony romance. Scientific partnership. The conservation of mass. A weird milk diet. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. * bangs pots and pans * #MSWL
Literary Agent
And just throwing this out there: I would commit crimes for a novel from the PoV of Chaja Bielski (with the caveat that it's coming from a Jewish author) #MSWL
Literary Agent
In a similar vein, I love biographical novels, and I would love to read about some lesser-known people.
Favorites: THE SECRET HISTORY by Stephanie Thornton; LOVE & RUIN by Paula McLain; UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKY by Nancy Horan #MSWL
Literary Agent
Sam B. Farkas @SamBFarkas
Hi! Since I am now open to queries, I'm going to do a #MSWL thread. I'm open to most categories and genres (see our website for details), but I'm especially eager for the following:Adult Historical Fiction.
Think Kate Quinn or Alice Hoffman -- upmarket book club fiction that brings history to life.
Favorites: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen; THE HUNTRESS by Kate Quinn; THE DOVEKEEPERS by Alice Hoffman; I SHALL BE NEAR TO YOU by Erin Lindsay McCabe #MSWL