Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
Literary Agent
Westwood Creative Artists
📚 lit agent @WCA_LitAgency 📖 advisor @TheFOLD_ ✍ faculty @MSWLMA 🐕🦺 recovering PhD 🌈 they/them; Sal: Dr. ♿ clients #SpineSquad 📘
Literary Agent
Can we get more domestic thrillers with broader definitions of "domestic"? I love reading a good suburban, white, het, middle class, nuclear family takedown as much as the next person, but there's nothing reflecting my life or experiences in there at all. #MSWL
Literary Agent
Eric Smith @ericsmithrocks
I still want more joyful stories from neurodivergent authors, in fiction and non-fiction, kid-lit and adult. I started pitching out a project this month to editors that I'm so wildly proud of.So keep those queries coming.
Have questions? DM me. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying.
(As a ND agent, hard) SAME! (Query us both, or whichever of us seems like the better fit!) #MSWL
Literary Agent
Just a reminder that KPop books by women with industry experience (especially trainee life) are on the TOP of my #MSWL at all times. Yall can keep TSwift, I'll stan these absolute sensations any day. 🖤
guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2021/10/b…
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
emmy, purveyor of spines @emmy_of_spines
1/ Pals, I was raised on late 90's/early 00's crime dramas. So many of these stories are how-the-mighty-fall type stories... marginalized victims getting justice or vengeance while privileged oppressive folks get their come uppance. BUT2/...they are also big time copaganda. If you are writing crime stories that will appeal to my sense of nostalgia AND have progressive politics, I want to see them Very Much! #MSWL
Literary Agent
emmy, purveyor of spines @emmy_of_spines
A friend of mine pitched me a book idea tonight, and if anyone has written/is writing this book, I WANT: a book about the friendship and rivalry between the young skateboarders at the Olympics, the 12-20 year olds that are super skilled and just go out in competition looking......like it's just a big game! The 12 year old Japanese skater and the 13 year old British skater would be epic characters. #MSWL
Literary Agent
If you are a scientist or journalist with expertise in genetic genealogy and crime, hmu! I would love to talk with you about books and multimedia rep! #MSWL #SciTwitter
Literary Agent
emmy, purveyor of spines @emmy_of_spines
@HannahM_Writes No this is a GREAT question! When I say romcom, I'm using it as shorthand for a single-title romance novel, and I'm particularly interested in high-concept. I'm looking for three things: love story (platonic or romantic) central to the plot, HEA (can be traditional or not, but...Fantastic question from @HannahM_Writes: What do I mean when I say "romcom"? #AmAgenting #WritingCommunity #MSWL
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
I should note here - I would LOVE to see more PB queries from authors whose experiences are underrepresented in publishing. That's permanently on my #MSWL!
Literary Agent
AND AGAIN...
You can find my weirdly specific asks and all my long-winded details on my MSWL page! Please follow my agency's submission guidelines when you query me!
manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/emmy…
Literary Agent
emmy, purveyor of spines @emmy_of_spines
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: A crime novel that’s set in a community or about a group of people who see crime differently than privileged white folks usually do. Would like something by an author who has unique insight, or a perspective......we don’t usually see in publishing. Think: S.A. Cosby, the Netflix series Making a Murderer.
Literary Agent
emmy, purveyor of spines @emmy_of_spines
8: I really, really want a western with a horse-girl-esque twist. Westerns are having a moment, I grew up riding and surrounded by equestrian culture, and I would love to see something fresh and progressive......by a rural author with something interesting and new to say. Think: Heresy, by Melissa Lenhardt; Outlawed, by Anna North.
Literary Agent
7: A cultural commentary on cancel culture, by an author with an established platform and some expertise in online life, technology, anthropology, research, something. Think: The You’re Wrong About podcast episode on the subject.
Literary Agent
6: Wholesome but quirky. This has been in my wheelhouse a LONG time, and I want more of it. You know slice of life anime? You know @_wholesomegames? That. In book form, or graphic novel. Adult only, please. Bonus for cottagecore aesthetics.
Literary Agent
emmy, purveyor of spines @emmy_of_spines
5: Something SO WEIRD that I could never predict it. Speculative elements, accessible worldbuilding, whatever. But I want you to send me things in my inbox that make me go, what the ACTUAL fuck is this. I want the writing to be SO GOOD and the themes so universally appealing......that I can’t walk away from it. Think: SATELLITE LOVE, by Genki Ferguson; LAKEWOOD, by Megan Giddings; ESCAPING EXODUS, by Nicky Drayden; Cassandra Khaw.
Literary Agent
emmy, purveyor of spines @emmy_of_spines
4: High-concept, feminist suspense and/or thriller, with lots of glamour and intrigue. Think unique settings, lavish parties, beautiful wardrobes, gossip, and murder. Fairly formulaic, but fresh and twisty......No law enforcement themes. Think: THE BALLERINAS, by Rachel Kapelke-Dale; MALIBU RISING, by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Literary Agent
emmy, purveyor of spines @emmy_of_spines
3: Commercial, high-concept romcom. I want it to hit all the most satisfying beats, I want it voicey as heck, and I want it to be something that I’m not already seeing on shelves. Give it to me in a new way or give me a really satisfying twist on a trope, and I......will be all over it. Would love to see non-idealized depictions of polyamory and t4t romance. Think: Talia Hibbert; DIAL A FOR AUNTIES, by Jesse Q. Sutano, the Heartstopper books by Alice Oseman (for adults).
Literary Agent
2: An evergreen desire: Books by Newfoundland authors that engage our culture, from ALL I ASK to FEBRUARY to OUR HOMESICK SONGS to NEW GIRL IN LITTLE COVE. Giv’er here, b’y!
Literary Agent
emmy, purveyor of spines @emmy_of_spines
1: I am still, since the beginning of my lit agent career, looking for the perfect YA thriller. I am beginning to think I am doomed never to sign one! Think: I KNOW YOU REMEMBER, by Jennifer Donaldson. This is really the only YA I’m actively seeking right now. The lists......for kids are upsetting as all get out. Almost exclusively established authors and IP. I’m sorry, but I hate it.