A riveting YA or adult adventure novel featuring outdoor sports - a hiker, a climber, an ultramarathoner? A YA about teens hiking the Appalachian Trail or the PCT?!

#MSWL

#MSWL Fandom books and other illustrated, geeky/pop culture non-fiction for YA and MG (maybe even PB?) readers.

#MSWL Middle grade takes on video games (fiction and non-fiction) that go beyond the "fell into the game" trope.

#MSWL Queer rom coms that represent not just the L and the G in LGBTQQIP2SAA.

#MSWL this YA rom-com these four sound hilarious

And TBH these are all tipping points when I'm reading a manuscript that hits squarely in my #MSWL Yesses.

Ready to query? Contact info here!
dystel.com/sharon-pelleti…

And don't forget to check out the Submissions tab for query guidelines and FAQs

…your project has its best shot at being my next big Nah-to-Yes surprise if it: has strong crossover appeal beyond its genre; hits that upmarket sweetspot where craft, plot, and character meet; evocative (but not purple) setting-as-character; has a grabby pitchable hook #MSWL

#MSWL DISCLAIMER probably most of the Nahs here, you could point to a book I already represent that fits them. One fun thing as an agent is to fall in love with something you never thought you were looking for, even when it makes you look like an idiot in your #MSWL! Sooooo…

#MSWL: SF/F is not my thing. Open to grounded speculative with strong crossover appeal—ordinary with one small or bizarre twist vs. magical/fabulist. NOTHING TO SEE HERE more than NIGHT CIRCUS, THE CITY WE BECAME more than BLACK LEOPARD RED WOLF. No dystopian or time travel.

#MSWL Suspense Nah: crabby alcoholic detectives, LE or PI. Military or political thrillers mimicking current/recent events. Ghosts, dreams, mental institutions don’t work for me. Feeling ODed on Karens with shady husbands and vice versa

#MSWL Suspense YES: setting-as-character in a location we haven’t seen before. A civilian in a career with an intriguing vantage point on people’s habits and motivations. Light grounded horror. Surprise me with something wild like SA Cosby, Rachel Harrison

#MSWL suspense: I'm extra good at this and have a list full of rockstars, so you really gotta knock it out of the park. Upmarket: big on voice/setting, starting a conversation about issues of justice, equality, class, etc., character-driven storytelling, a truly FRESH twist

#MSWL I'd love to see a MG or YA spin doctor. Think the energy of #ShirleyandJamilaSaveTheirSummer meets the Good Wife's Eli Gold.

#MSWL Book club fiction aka women's fiction aka upmarket fiction Nahs: mother-daughter stories, unhappy marriages, white person travels for personal growth, discovered letters/journals. Historical is usually not my thing (especially WWII).

#MSWL: SUPER thirsty for juicy, smart, book club fiction like ASK AGAIN YES, THE VANISHING HALF, SUCH A FUN AGE

YES elements: multi-generation, sibling stories, career-oriented women, sense of humor, reinterpreting classic or myth through an unsung character’s POV

“Platform-driven non fiction with unique hooks (platform meaning: social media/YouTube followers, TV appearances, email newsletter numbers etc).” @carlywatters #MSWL psliterary.com/submissions/

I would *squeal* if I came across an MC as rich, complex, voice-y, and fabulous as Lafayette! #mswl

if you have a YA manuscript that could be comped to Wynonna Earp, I would very much like to read it!! (yes I DID watch the mid-season finale last night and no I do NOT know how I'm going to survive until 2021 now.) #mswl

Here's something I haven't seen in my submissions: a frothy, compulsively readable YA that is enthusiastically & unapologetically socialist. Like, what would RED WHITE & ROYAL BLUE or THE PRINCESS DIARIES look like if they glamorized equality/working class interests? HMU, #MSWL