Paula Weiman

A couple of my evergreen wishlist items are heists, labor rights, trans joy, and thoughtful fairy tale adaptations. I'm also open to being surprised by something that's not listed above! Check out ashliterary.com#submissions for more information about the kinds of projects I represent.

#mswl
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I'd really love to work on a YA suspense novel this year! I'm looking for stories that aren't murder mysteries, but instead follow a teenager trying to tackle an unjust system in their local community.
#mswl
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I want to read a YA contemporary novel that dives deep into teenage bisexual angst. Something like The Last True Poets of the Sea, or Don't Let It Break Your Heart (though now that I think of it, I'm not sure if any of those characters are bi... that's the vibe, though).
#mswl
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I'd love to read some YA or adult horror stories from indigenous voices, and more broadly, horror stories that use a speculative lens to examine topics of racial identity.
#mswl
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Bonus points for YA rom-coms:
-butch love interest
-autistic protagonists
-former athletes rediscovering their identity after an injury or health crisis that ends their career within the sport
-protagonist thinks they're nemeses and love interest thinks they've been flirting for years
#mswl
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I haven't received as many YA rom-coms as I'd like yet. I want stories that are heavy on the com, and have subplots with a lot of depth that inform the development of the rom. #mswl
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I'm on the hunt for an exciting anti-colonialist YA or adult fantasy. Something along the lines of Skin of the Sea, So Let Them Burn, or Babel. #mswl
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I'd love a middle grade mystery that reminds me of The Westing Game, Blue Balliet, Lemony Snicket, or Varian Johnson #mswl
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Reminder that I'll be closing to queries in two weeks! There are a lot of exciting projects already in my inbox that I'm looking forward to reviewing, but there's still time for #amquerying authors to send me a few more.

Non-comprehensive thread below of some concepts I'd really like to see. 🧵/

If anyone is writing a novel with a similar premise... #mswl

Over time, space will open up in my client submission schedule as different publication timelines are finalized for different projects. When that happens I'll reopen to fantasy and middle grade fiction. For now, I look forward to reading your queries in the categories listed in this thread.
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In the past year, I signed 5 clients who are actively working on YA or Adult fantasy projects, and 3 who are writing in middle grade. There are a limited number of editors acquiring those types of books, which limits the number of projects I can take on submission at a time.
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I'm not reopening to YA fantasy, adult fantasy, or middle grade fiction at the moment. I thought it might be interesting to explain to authors why that is (hint: it's not because I no longer like fantasy or middle grade books, or that they're not selling).
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Looking for the same things as usual: YA rom-coms that combine shenanigans with some deeper social issue, YA suspense focusing on local injustice, YA heists (please send me your lesbian heist novels!). Still on the lookout for a story about child labor rights.
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I also love graphic novels as a medium for memoirs. It's such a cool way to see inside the creator's head -- how they view themselves, how they view the world, how they fit themselves within that world.
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Newly opening to: Graphic Novels!

I'm looking for tightly plotted adventures with a strong hook and an elevated art style. I'm interested in similar themes as in prose: children or teenagers tackling unjust systems, an intense first emotional experience connected to a larger social topic.
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I have a deep and abiding love for "spooky" picture books that are really cozy stories with supernatural characters. A ghost gets over it's fear of public speaking? A skeleton and a zombie become friends? That's my jam.
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Newly opening to: Picture Books!

I'm looking for dry humor that's accessible enough for children to understand but still clever enough for an adult to enjoy while reading it over and over. I like cozy, warm, gentle, soft art styles, but I'm also willing to be surprised.
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I've been hearing about "genre-bending horror" a lot, particularly horror-romance and horror-comedy. I'm curious to see some novels in those categories! I'm looking for both YA and Adult horror novels.
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I'm open to new genres and categories! First up: Horror.

I love literary, psychological horror. I've described my taste as "Is the magic a metaphor? Oh no, it's real and she's literally eating her abusive ex." Huge fan of folk horror and speculative explorations of structural marginalization.
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