Erin Clyburn
Literary Agent
Howland Literary
Literary Agent @HowlandLit // Copy Editor @foodandwine // Southerner // hiking & horror movies // she/her

Literary Agent
Anything you could comp to NEVER LET ME GO. So, character-driven sci-fi ~based in our world~ that will absolutely destroy my soul like Ishiguro always does.

Literary Agent
Erin Clyburn @erin_clyburn
Sci-fi & fantasy authors, tomorrow is #SFFpit, & I’ll be dipping into the feed looking for emotional, character-driven soft sci-fi, spec fic, & low fantasy grounded in our world. Looking forward to seeing your pitches! (Or hey, just query me if you like!) twitter.com/dankoboldt/sta…
Literary Agent
I receive the next most horror and literary fiction submissions. Keep these coming, please. I receive a ton of sci-fi submissions, but I am looking for no hard sci-fi, & I get so. many. hard sci-fi queries.

Literary Agent
Oh, hello! At long last, my #MSWL page is up! I will try to keep this as up to date as possible. (I also regularly tweet things I'm looking for here.) Check it out:
manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/erin…
#amagenting #amquerying #WritingCommunity

Literary Agent
Good morning, y'all! I have updated my #MSWL on my agency page to include more specific language about what kind of horror & sci-fi I am looking for as well as what I'm not looking for at this time. Check it out!
jdlit.com/erin-clyburn

Literary Agent
There are other great examples but I'll leave it at that for now; you get the idea. I'd love to see any mashups like these, where you could almost fit it into a variety of genres. This goes for YA & adult, btw.

Literary Agent
Or THE AGE OF MIRACLES by Karen Thompson Walker. It's about the Earth's rotation slowing & the massive aftereffects—but also it's a bildungsroman, just one girl dealing with becoming a teen as the world falls apart around her.

Literary Agent
I am looking for light sci-fi with personal stakes. I've mentioned these before but these are the big examples I keep coming back to: NEVER LET ME GO by Ishiguro. It's about interpersonal relationships/coming of age—but also it's about cloning.

Literary Agent
Erin Clyburn @erin_clyburn
In light of #SFFpit today (& because I'll have an updated #MSWL on my agency page soon), I feel like it's a good time for a little thread to reiterate what kind of sci-fi queries I'd love to see in my inbox.I am not the right person for hard sci-fi or sci-fi with world-ending stakes. Generally I don't connect with stories set in space, war stories, kingdoms pitted against each other, etc.

Literary Agent
My @WritersDigest New Agent Alert is up! Check it out to see my #MSWL & how to sub to me.
writersdigest.com/publishing-ins…

Literary Agent
-Character-driven sci-fi, always (YA/adult), & sci-fi grounded in the earth/plant life/climate change issues (like ANNIHILATION, WILDER GIRLS)

Literary Agent
Erin Clyburn ~closed to queries until 1/1/20~ @erin_clyburn
I think my favorite read of 2019 (so far) was THE DREAMERS by @KThompsonWalker. The lyrical way she writes sci-fi makes her writing feel like a song, or a dream. I haven’t stopped thinking about this hypnotic book all year.What was your favorite book you read this year?
Her other book, THE AGE OF MIRACLES, is similarly dazzling.
This is top of the list for things I’d love to see in my inbox for ‘20: sci-fi that puts the SFF elements as the backdrop for telling stories about humanity. #MSWL
For instance...

Literary Agent
Erin Clyburn @erin_clyburn
As the holidays approach, some news:I'll be closing to queries Dec. 1 - 31. I have a pile of queries & subs to catch up on, so please add yours to it before Dec. 1 if you wish!
#amquerying #amagenting #WritingCommunity
While I'm at it, a quick #MSWL of things I would love to see right now:
- Big-hearted contemporary MG
- MG horror
- A domestic thriller
- YA thriller/horror
- YA/A speculative/light sci-fi (think Black Mirror)
- MG/YA/A with a culinary theme

Literary Agent
Erin Clyburn @erin_clyburn
Here's a specific list of the kind of darker lit I want to see. (I really, really love darker lit. It's my favorite.) If your MS fits this list, please query me! #MSWL #PitDarkFor adult & YA, I gravitate more toward character-driven horror/fantasy/sci-fi than plot-driven. I prefer dark lit to reflect truths about humanity through relationships & setting over tangible monsters. I don't really get excited about werewolves, vampires, zombies, demons, etc.