Michelle Witte

Literary Agent

Mansion Street Literary Management

Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

Recovering EM doc @xolohuman.bsky.social

Isn’t that The Secret of N.I.M.H?

bsky.app/profile/xolohuman.bsky.social/post/3lhz6w2hovk2r

It has been ages since I read or watched this so I can’t remember. What I do remember is how much I loved it as a kid so absolutely I would love something of a similar vein for mg. #MSWL

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

Totally random, but an MG with bird or animal characters having to perform a banishment or exorcism ritual would be a total #MSWL for me. Wind in the Willows but horror? How amazing would that be. That’s the kinda thing I wanna see for real.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

#MSWL If you think I’d be a good fit for your work, add me to your query list for when I reopen in March. Please don’t pitch me here or ask me about your manuscript.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

These are some of my perennial #MSWL wishes. You can see a fuller list on my website, though this obviously isn't everything: michellewitteliterary.com/query-guidel...

I'll try to think of specific things tomorrow to give you an idea of the kinds of books I like. But I also love to be surprised.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

I love to get queries for books that fit any of these descriptors: weird, strange, odd, quirky, creepy, bizarre, peculiar.

I would kill to find the next Edward Gorey. Like seriously, an author and/or illustrator with the same twisted, quirky vibe is my dream. Or the next Roald Dahl.
#MSWL

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

A few more #MSWL a bit early: I would love to find some chapter books and early readers (even better if you're also an illustrator).

I love board books as well, but those I want to see from author-illustrators.

For picture books, I'm willing to see text only, but I do prefer author-illustrators.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

Oh, and I should note I’ll be re-opening to queries on March 1, so please do keep me in mind as you prepare your query lists for pb, mg, ya, and everything in between (as long as it’s for children). Once I reopen, my query guidelines will be live at QueryTracker.net/query/michel... #MSWL

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

#MSWL I only represent children’s books, but I work with everything from board books through YA, both fiction and nonfiction. In board and picture books I prefer seeing submissions from author-illustrators.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

#MSWL First off, let me be clear that I actively look for authors and illustrators from marginalized groups (from all races, cultures, ethnicities, genders, LGBTQIA+, etc.).

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

I’ll be at the LTUE sci-fi/fantasy conference this weekend, so I might end up posting more than usual since books will be on the brain. Or maybe less, if I run into a lot of friends I haven’t seen in years. But I will try to throw out some #MSWL posts since I’m opening to queries in March.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

I desperately want to find the equivalent of the picture book author in the Korean drama It's Okay Not to Be Okay. (If you've seen the show, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.) Maybe just a little less stabby. #MSWL

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

Please, I beg of you, once I reopen to queries in like a month, send me every children's manuscript (PB through YA) that someone told you was too strange to let out into the daylight. I must discover the next Roald Dahl or Edward Gorey. #MSWL

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

I'm working on my new website and currently updating my #MSWL there. My biggest ask, always and forever: anything weird, strange, odd, quirky, or don't fit neatly into a box. Send me all your weird little darlings, because I will treasure them.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

Oh, and I have a soft spot for Southern Gothic. Especially from/about POC. And I don’t mean just tossing a side character who practices hoodoo/voodoo into a mostly white story. *side eyes Hollywood* #MSWL YA/MG

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

Cimone Watson @bachbunny

Reminder on #mswl day: Almost no one's MSWL is 100% comprehensive, so don't be discouraged if agents or editors don't say they're looking for your exact premise. Just because they want A, B, C, and D, doesn't mean they DON'T want E (unless they say "I don't want E.").

The purpose of #MSWL is to give writers an idea of the *kinds* of books we’re looking for. If your ms has a similar tone, theme, genre, etc., then that agent/editor might love your story too. #MSWL tweets are examples, not the only things we want.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

Dark fantasy or magical realism à la Pan’s Labryinth is another love of mine. I’ve been reading the novelization by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke, and it has that creepy, ethereal feel of magical realism and folklore mixed with a dash of horror. #MSWL Again YA/MG ONLY.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips

But not just ghost stories, but anything dark and creepy. I just watched We Have Always Lived in the Castle (which is fantastic, btw), so creepy/gothic with an unreliable narrator is a plus. #MSWL YA/MG only.

Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips
Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips
Michelle Witte
@michellewitte
Literary Agent
Publishing professional and mental health advocate. I write craptastic books. Some people think I'm funny. You should probably be worried about those people.
184 MSWL
18 Tips