In general, my #MSWL includes big emotions, multi-level plots, female friendships, sweeping urban fantasy, clever fairytale retellings, reimagined classics, unique story structures, locked-room YA thrillers, MG with magical creatures, heists & spies & assassins, rivals to lovers, and diverse voices.

🕸 We are open to queries 🕸

querytracker.net/query/weaverliteraryagency/

#MSWL #writingcommunity

I would LOVE to find an irreverent and messy contemporary upper MG or young YA in the vein of "Never Have I Ever." #MSWL

I'm always open to YA or MG in verse! I prefer blank verse, and I'm looking for a cohesive story with a strong point of view. #MSWL

Some specifics I'm looking for in MG:
-kids who aren't good students
-kids reckoning with their own unkindness (like Jennifer Chan is Not Alone)
-boy characters & friendships, including fun books
-books with strong voices and series potential (bring me the next Animorphs & Princess Diaries!)

#MSWL

MIDDLE GRADE: This is such a tough market right now, but it's still so important! We have to build readers from the beginning. These are some of my recent favorites! #MSWL

Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
New from Here by Kelly Yang

I'm seeking more horror in 2025! Adult, YA, or MG, send me your spooky stories.

I also love social commentary in the vein of YELLOWFACE.

#MSWL

Bonus: In YA and MG, I would love to see more homeschool rep and foster care/adoption storylines.

For YA and MG, I am open to all genres but horror and high fantasy, though I have been drawn to contemporaries lately. Looking for great pacing, characters I would have loved to be friends with growing up, and storylines that move me or make me think.

What's at the top of my #MSWL in 2025? Women's Driven Fiction, Book Club Fiction, sweet adult rom-coms, YA, and MG. 🧵#writingcommunity #authorcommunity

I’m going to post a #MSWL list in the new year, but I’m actively looking for MG 🧵
-diverse friendships like STRANGER THINGS or THE SKELETON CREW
-True Crime mystery feel
-Magical Realism with a dystopian twist like SWEET TOOTH
-Jurassic Park
-Space Jam (sports with a speculative twist)

🎵It’s TIIIIIIIME! 🎶
I saw a lot of incredible queries in 2024, and my experiment of opening my inbox one week a month worked out well. I was able to stay on top of my inbox and meet my personal goal of getting my response times waaaaaay down. That said, I’m still going through Sept-Dec queries…

#mswl

#mswl

To ring in the new year, SteelWorks Literary will open to unsolicited queries Jan 1-5, 2025! Scroll through to learn more about what Lori is hoping to find. QM link in bio above.
#amquerying #amagenting #kidlit #picturebooks #PB #MG #YA #GN #illustrators #kidlit illustration #kidlit art #mswl

Also #MSWL If anyone is querying an Adult feminist dystopian or a MG that feels like a true crime documentary, please comment so I can drop you a direct query link. As always— queer and marginalized voices welcome

The formally interesting too - Benjamin Zephaniah, Ursula LeGuin or David Almond-esque.
I published MG & YA for 10 years and it will always have my heart - the market’s tough but the readers are still there!

I don’t tend to rep picture books or fiction younger than 7+

I feel very strongly that we need to focus on literary quality as well as accessibility in our books for children. Anything YA or MG that does any of the above, ideally with hook & humour, I’d love to see.

Sophisticated MG, by which I mean MG that tackles big things, that plays with form. Think HOLES, THE INQUISITOR’S TALE, or for a film comp, THE IRON GIANT.

#mswl

I’m always down for folk religion, cults, and religious deconstruction.

And if you have a book (esp for MG) about swimming/swim team, please send it my way!