Layered and/or simply silly stories that speak to kids at their level, that respect their intelligence & capacity for all kinds of emotion, a bit of darkness—or just plain wackiness! Give me high-concept funny read alouds; diverse perspectives and traditionally marginalized voices; kid appeal, & joy

It’s been a minute since I posted a picture book #MSWL ! My taste for PB runs from the quirky, imaginative, & funny like Stalactite & Stalagmite by Drew Beckmeyer to the gorgeously lyrical, emotional, and joyful like Where They Gather by Teresa Rodrigues, illus by Jamiel Law. The common thread? 1/2

#mswl more books that made me feel and think the way these did—books that stay with you long after you read them

MG: Last Cuentista, Girl Who Drank the Moon, Inside Out & Back Again
YA: Strange the Dreamer, Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Super specific #MSWL : survival stories (including post-apocalyptic) w/a fresh spin on the survival genre & BIPOC/queer rep. Emotional MG like Alone or Hatchet or humorous and fun like The Last Kids on Earth. YA like Wilder Girls, The 5th Wave, or a grounded ownvoices Island of the Blue Dolphins

I just finished Emma Donoghue's LEARNED BY HEART and I am once again asking for historical sapphic yearning YA manuscripts, agent friends!! #MSWL

#MSWL for nicolefrailbooks.bsky.social: short fiction (short stories or novellas), essays, collections (short story or essay), multi-POV novels. Previous pub experience not needed, but an active online platform is.

Find out more:
manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/nicole-frail/

What’s the Jewish version of DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS?
Or NARWHAL & JELLY?
Or THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT?
Or AFTER THE FALL?
Or PENGUIN PROBLEMS?
Or I WANT MY HAT BACK?
Or HAVE YOU SEEN GORDON?
I don’t know, but that’s what I’m looking to acquire for Kar-Ben.
#MSWL

Also open to light fantasy and horror if it’s under 208 pages! And fast-paced! With compelling stakes!

Always on the lookout for projects by disabled and chronically ill creators — think GOOD DIFFERENT, ELLEN OUTSIDE THE LINES, and CHRONICALLY DELORES (but for MG).

Give me the next American Girl or Dear America series and you’re golden.

Character-driven, humor-infused stories with a solid hook across formats—picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, and middle grade.

As editorial director at Kar-Ben, my #MSWL is all Jewish kids books. I want stories that feel contemporary, surprising, unpredictable, plot-driven, clever, fun, absurd, and/or whimsical, where the kid has agency and goes after their goals. How to submit:
manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/leila-sales/

I’m always looking for a great voice! Particularly looking for fantasy / romantasy, paranormal, mystery, thriller…and always happy to be surprised! #MSWL

I’m always looking for a great voice! Particularly looking for fantasy / romantasy, paranormal, mystery, thriller…and always happy to be surprised! #MSWL

Happy #MSWL Day! I’m an acquiring editor for Entangled. For both YA and Adult, I’m actively seeking commercial / high-concept stories. I’m open to most genres as long as there’s a strong romantic element.
manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/hoda-agharazi/

And everything in this post is still true! #MSWL

#MSWL And one more thing: at Workshop we have some fun things we can do with shorter novels for both MG and YA, so on the lookout for those as well! Agent friends, please send me all the things! :)

#MSWL A very specific thing I'd like to see: a fantasy or a historical where the main character uses traditionally feminine skills to their advantage (like hiding coded messages in embroidery, for instance) rather than being dismissive of it.

#MSWL A few specific things I'd love to see: lady knights! Time loops! (I loved THE ISLE IN THE SILVER SEA by Tasha Suri) Historical detectives, like Sherlock Holmes or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, but with queer girls. Painterly graphic novels that still have a punchy hook.

#MSWL Even in fantasies/historicals, I need the teenagers to feel like teenagers and not like this could be an adult book. Some examples I've enjoyed recently were LADY'S KNIGHT by Megan Spooner & Amie Kaufman, the FORGE & FRACTURE SAGA by Brittany N. Williams, and AMONG GHOSTS by Rachel Hartman.