Brian Geffen

And for MG contemporary, I'm on the hunt for affecting, voice-y middle grade with a hooky premise, friendship, and emotional depth--coming-of-age books that tow the literary-commercial line like Dan Gemeinhart's and Erin Entrada Kelly's books! #MSWL

Or a dash of speculative in contemporary is great too! For YA fantasy, I love swoony, action-packed stories with fresh magic systems and diverse worldbuilding #MSWL.

I'm usually specific with my wish list and comps, but I'm going to try something more general here, because I love seeing the unexpected in my inbox. For YA contemporary, send me the feels! Love stories! Coming of age stories focused on identity! Quirkiness OR grittiness! #MSWL

Agent friends! Since I was closed to submissions for a while, I want to declare that I am/have been BACK OPEN FOR BUSINESS! Please send your clients' amazing projects my way. I'm particularly eager to find more YA contemporary and fantasy, plus MG contemporary. #MSWL

Agents: We need YA and kidlit and wonderfully distracting creativity more than ever right now! My inbox is wide open. #MSWL contemporary realistic & fantasy MG, YA, and GNs! Let's make some books!

It's #MSWL day so I'm retweeting my #MSWL tweetstorm from the beginning of the year! Agents, my inbox is ready and waiting and excited (yes, inboxes have feelings too)!

I would love to see these books pop up in my inbox, agents. #MSWL

I second this! #MSWL

12/ #MSWL: Agents, authors, librarians, teachers, and booksellers: I look forward to meeting more of you in 2019! Here’s to making more book magic this year.

11/ #MSWL: Finally, I promise I’m not ALL about darker books, as much as I love them. Send me some books with humor too! I’m looking for sarcastic and witty rather than goofy and silly. I promise I’m not uptight, but potty humor just isn’t my thing!

10/ #MSWL: No matter the genre, morally-complex characters and antiheroines/antiheroes always intrigue me!

9/ #MSWL: Middle-grade and YA graphic novels about identity, particularly coming-of-age stories that explore relationships and friendships with emotional depth. Books like This One Summer, Real Friends, and American Born Chinese.

8/ #MSWL: High-stakes MG and YA contemp that feature breakers of tradition and characters who forge their own paths, as well as novels about identity and overcoming adversity. Wonderful books like I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Dear Martin, and The Stars Beneath Our Feet

7/ #MSWL: Deep contemporary YA! The gritty and dark variety as well as quirky and poignant novels. Books that deal with challenging subjects, mental health, and other important questions and ideas that affect teens, but ultimately offer hope. I.e. Jandy Nelson & Nina Lacour.

6/ #MSWL: I'm ALWAYS on the hunt for affecting, beautifully-written middle grade contemporary in the vein of Kate DiCamillo, Jacqueline Woodson, and Katherine Applegate. Stories that feel like coming of age experiences (I refuse to let YA monopolize this term!).

5/ #MSWL: Fast-paced, high-stakes YA fantasy, specifically with unique magic systems and fresh worldbuilding. I'm particularly attracted to lyrical prose, and recent YA favorites include Leigh Bardugo's King of Scars and Laini Taylor's Muse of Nightmares.

4/ #MSWL: I would love to find more MG fantasy that combines commercial, high concept plotting with gorgeous prose. Books packed with action, adventure, heart, & friendship that tow the line between literary and commercial. Wildly original worldbuilding, always!

3/ 2019 #MSWL Agents: 1st and always, I want to curate a list of authors (and books) that accurately reflects the world around me--one that is filled with diverse creators and content--and support them in our shared goal of creating more mirrors (and portals) for kids and teens.

I am proud to be among those editors aching for more GNs, particularly from marginalized cartoonists and WOC! #MSWL

#MSWL Agents: I'd love to see more YA contemporary submissions in my inbox! It would be especially cool to see submissions that comp well to recent favorites, I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER and DEAR MARTIN.