Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

YA cont.
• Mackenzi Lee's Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
• Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
• Justina Ireland's Dread Nation
• Dashka Slater's The 57 Bus
• A.S. King's Ask the Passengers
• Sandhya Menon's When Dimple Met Rishi
#MSWL 22/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

Again, I am ONLY open to graphic novel submissions. But I'd love to see comics that read like the following prose books:
YA
• Yamile Saied Méndez's Furia
• Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After
• Kristin Cashore's Graceling Realm series
• Courtney Summers's Sadie
#MSWL 21/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

Adult
• Brennan Lee Mulligan & Molly Ostertag's Strong Female Protagonist
• George Takei's They Called Us Enemy
• Emily McGovern's Bloodlust & Bonnets
• Gengoroh Tagame's My Brother's Husband
• Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples's Saga series
#MSWL 20/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

MG
• Grace Ellis & Noelle Stevenson's Lumberjanes series
• Dav Pilkey's Dog Man series
• Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl
• Cece Bell's El Deafo
• Jerry Craft's New Kid
• Jen Wang's Stargazing
• Mike Curato's Flamer

Chapter Book
• Luke Pearson's Hilda series
#MSWL 19/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

Some books I think exemplify what I'm looking for in comics!
YA
• Jen Wang's The Prince and the Dressmaker
• Noelle Stevenson's Nimona
• Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks's Pumpkinheads
• Gene Luen Yang's Dragon Hoops
• Emily Carroll's Through the Woods
#MSWL 18/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

I enthusiastically seek BIPOC, LGBTQAI+, disabled, neurodiverse, religious minority & otherwise underrepresented authors for my list & my goal is to publish books that prioritize making underrepped readers feel seen over making readers outside those groups comfortable
#MSWL 17/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

• Stories about (non-anthropomorphic) animals, human-animal bonds, nature & high-stakes survival
• Select author-driven nonfiction, primarily with a radical, social justice–oriented focus—think prison abolition, open borders, union organizing, anarchy, socialism
#MSWL 16/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

• Horror and supernatural fiction that radically represents and explores queer, female, and BIPOC rage
• Books that slide adeptly between humor and poignancy—if a book can make me laugh on one page and cry on the next, it wins my whole heart!
#MSWL 15/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

• Queer friendship, love, and adventure stories, especially featuring the less-represented members of the queer family: trans, non-binary, asexual, intersex, queer, and bisexual characters
#MSWL 14/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

• Nuanced stories about rebellion against unjust systems, building solidarity and mutual support, and/or imagining a world better and more equitable than our own
#MSWL 13/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

• Unique family structures depicted in a positive and nuanced light—think found families of friends, guardians other than parents, or loving and supportive separated families
#MSWL 12/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

• Sharp and original humor that shows a deep understanding of its readers—whether goofy and over-the-top humor for middle graders or well-observed sarcasm for teens
#MSWL 11/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

• Zany middle grade humor with a big heart, in the vein of Dog Man—I’d particularly like to explore careers outside of policing that nonetheless lend themselves to multiple adventures over the course of a series
#MSWL 10/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

• Fantasy and other speculative fiction that uses the conventions of its genre to critique, subvert, or illuminate a truth about our world
#MSWL 9/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

• Authentic, #ownvoices representations of characters with marginalized and intersectional identities, particularly in stories of adventure, romance, friendship, joy, and personal growth
#MSWL 8/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

Rachel Stark @syntactics

Specifically, I'm looking for . . . #MSWL 6/?

• Original, unforgettable characters with the potential to become universally beloved household names
• Expansive, unique & cinematic worlds—whether fantastical or a part of the real world that’s been underrepresented or that feels fresh through the creator’s eyes
#MSWL 7/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

My taste skews toward upmarket and unforgettable voices and art—which HAS to be paired with a strong sales hook that can be summed up in an intriguing line or two. #MSWL 5/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

Broadly, I and my colleagues at Disney are looking for big bets with high-concept commercial hooks, expert plotting and pacing, and the potential to become lead titles. #MSWL 4/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

I'm primarily focused on MG & YA comics, but I'd love to find some early reader/chapter book-level comics that feel in line with these interests, and I selectively acquire graphic novels for adults, as well, for Disney's new adult imprint, Hyperion Avenue. #MSWL 3/?

Rachel Stark
@syntactics
Editor
Editor of graphic novels, novels & IP @DisneyBooks ▫️ House Stark; more of an Arya than a Tony ▫️ Opinions my own; pic @JarrettWilliams 's ▫️ gender’s a lie🤷‍♀️
147 MSWL
6 Tips

Rachel Stark @syntactics

Agents! It's been a loooong time since I've done an #MSWL on here, but what I'm acquiring has changed a lot since my last one, so I think it's about time to put a new one out there! Here we go . . . 1/?

First off, I'm @DisneyBooks's resident graphic novel expert! We're looking to grow that list fast, so for the time being I am ONLY open to graphic novel submissions.

(Sorry, prose & picture book writers—but I'll see you with my IP pitches!) #MSWL 2/?