TBA Monthly Wishlist - November 2017

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

'Tis the season, I’m in in the mood for dark dark fantasy or horror - fiction or graphic novel! – Heather Flaherty

Would love to find a really authentic quirky voice such as in The Rosie Project, as well as looking for a high concept crime novel – Sarah Manning

Nonfiction sports books, whether narratives like Friday Night Lights, histories of great teams or moments or biographies of legendary athletes, coaches or teams. Interested in books on major sports like baseball, football and basketball but also other sports if there is a compelling story – Louise Fury**

**Louise is currently closed to queries, but if you have something that matches her wishlist, please send and add #TBAwishlist to your subject header

TBA Monthly Wishlist - October 2017

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

Middle grade fantasy with a strong voice and smart humour like THE VOYAGE TO MAGICAL NORTH by Claire Fayers, and chapter books with a big hook written by marginalized authors – Gemma Cooper

’Tis the season, I’m in in the mood for dark dark fantasy or horror - fiction or graphic novel! – Heather Flaherty

Would love to find a really authentic quirky voice such as in The Rosie Project, as well as looking for a high concept crime novel – Sarah Manning

Nonfiction sports books, whether narratives like Friday Night Lights, histories of great teams or moments or biographies of legendary athletes, coaches or teams. Interested in books on major sports like baseball, football and basketball but also other sports if there is a compelling story – Louise Fury**

**Louise is currently closed to queries, but if you have something that matches her wishlist, please send and add #TBAwishlist to your subject header

TBA Monthly Wishlist - September 2017

It's time again for our Monthly Wishlists! Here's the project that these TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

Middle grade fantasy with a strong voice and smart humour like THE VOYAGE TO MAGICAL NORTH by Claire Fayers, and well written swoony Young Adult romance with a twist like THE SQUARE ROOT OF SUMMER - Gemma Cooper

I’m all about YA contemporary right now. Would love a rom-com starring people of color. I want my gut to hurt from laughing and the kind of feel-good that brings tears of happiness, but also with a hint of heartache. Or maybe a literary contemporary with a mystery threaded throughout - Beth Phelan

I’m really looking to expand my list into non-fiction, so if you have a compelling memoir, narrative non-fiction or true crime project—please send my way! - Victoria Cappello 

TBA Monthly Wishlist - August 2017

It's time again for our Monthly Wishlists! Here's the project that these TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

Middle grade fantasy with a strong voice and smart humour like THE VOYAGE TO MAGICAL NORTH by Claire Fayers, and well written swoony Young Adult romance with a twist like THE SQUARE ROOT OF SUMMER - Gemma Cooper

Some upmarket women’s fiction with a dark, speculative twist, written by and featuring a woman of color - Beth Phelan

Feeling something contemporary YA right now, that’s a bit involved and complex (that will of course make me sob) like a sibling story, or family story, a la I’ll GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson - Heather Flaherty

A smart, literary YA novel with a subtle speculative or surreal twist - Molly Ker Hawn

TBA Monthly Wishlist - July 2017

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!


Middle grade fantasy with a strong voice and smart humour like THE VOYAGE TO MAGICAL NORTH by Claire Fayers, and well written swoony Young Adult romance with a twist like THE SQUARE ROOT OF SUMMER - Gemma Cooper

Some upmarket women’s fiction with a dark, speculative twist, written by and featuring a woman of color - Beth Phelan

A really dark, twisty suspense novel, particularly one with a female narrator - Victoria Cappello 

A new thriller, suspense or crime novel. Two books I have recently fallen in love with are THE FINAL GIRLS and SOMETIMES I LIE. I’d also like to find an issue-led drama with an incredible voice and characters that really draw us in - Sarah Manning

Dark, chill-inducing suspense. I want to be sincerely scared, freaked out and creeped out, in adult or YA - Heather Flaherty

TBA Monthly Wishlist - June 2017

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

Middle grade fantasy with a strong voice and smart humour like THE VOYAGE TO MAGICAL NORTH by Claire Fayers - Gemma Cooper

Adult fiction with a wide, diverse cast of millennial people of color; unflinching, honest, with smart, dark humor and a powerful voice - Beth Phelan

Dark, demented, crumbling, atmospheric, twisted YA fantasy - where the underdog thrives. Think SIX OF CROWS - Heather Flaherty

MG fiction that delves into thorny family relationships with thoughtfulness and authenticity; contemporary and 20th-century historical YA exploring the experience of the South Asian diaspora; and anything funny enough to make me forget for a few minutes what a mess the world is in right now - Molly Ker Hawn

I’d love to find a new thriller, suspense or crime novel. Two books I have recently fallen in love with are THE FINAL GIRLS and SOMETIMES I LIE. I’d also like to find an issue-led drama with an incredible voice and characters that really draw us in - Sarah Manning

I’d love a really dark, twisty suspense novel, particularly one with a female narrator - Victoria Cappello

TBA Monthly Wishlist - May 2017

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

Middle grade fantasy with a strong voice and smart humour like THE VOYAGE TO MAGICAL NORTH by Claire Fayers - Gemma Cooper

I’d love to see YA fantasy with high political stakes and a smart, courageous protagonist (like Kestrel in THE WINNER’S CURSE) or a YA contemporary with a demonstrably strong feminist main character. And I’m always looking for MG contemporary, historical, or fantasy that feels timeless and emotionally powerful - Molly Ker Hawn

I'm feeling something upmarket historical right now, like ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE or THE BOOK THIEF - Heather Flaherty

I would like to see epic family dramas full of textured characters and dense plotting.  Ideally, they would grapple with issues like immigration, otherness, and economic strife but in a way that presents these themes with a broad range of emotion - John Bowers

TBA Monthly Wishlist - March 2017

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

I need some FUN in my inbox. Chapter books and middle grade that will make me laugh, and young adult books that read like a rom-com - Gemma Cooper

I want reading group women’s fiction with lots of heart and preferably set in the UK; a love story that makes me cry, or something a little darker in the vein of Liane Moriarty - Sarah Manning  

I’d love to see YA fantasy with high political stakes and a smart, courageous protagonist (like Kestrel in THE WINNER’S CURSE) or a YA contemporary with a demonstrably strong feminist main character. And I’m always looking for MG contemporary, historical, or fantasy that feels timeless and emotionally powerful - Molly Ker Hawn

YA Dark Epic Fantasy, whether gritty and urban, or sweeping and otherworldly. High stakes and taut emotions please, with strong females I would stand and fight beside! - Heather Flaherty

TBA Monthly Wishlist - Feb 2017

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

A fun YA romance that still has a hooky concept. I want to read about first love and romance; lots of kisses an added bonus. Think LOVE & GELATO, or LOVE, LIES & LEMON PIES - Gemma Cooper

I want reading group women’s fiction with lots of heart and preferably set in the UK; a love story that makes me cry, or something a little darker in the vein of Liane Moriarty - Sarah Manning 

I would love to see some diverse, poignant, young women’s fiction with a magical realism slant - Beth Phelan 

I’d love to see YA fantasy with high political stakes and a smart, courageous protagonist (like Kestrel in THE WINNER’S CURSE) or a YA contemporary with a demonstrably strong feminist main character. And I’m always looking for MG contemporary, historical, or fantasy that feels timeless and emotionally powerful - Molly Ker Hawn

I’m still dying for a literary novel set during the thirteen-day span of the Cuban Missile Crisis in small town USA - Victoria Cappello

Gemma's 2017 Wishlist

2017 is here and I’m opening again to queries. I’m looking for a few wonderful authors and author/illustrators to join my list, and to help me find you, here are some detailed wishlist requests and a bit more about me.

My client list is typified by character-led stories, and voice is the most important thing I look for in submissions. Fun fact I’ve recently realised: Almost all my clients count THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams as one of their favourite books. That shared sense of quirky humour is something we all have in common, and something I look for in all my projects.

In general:

• Funny chapter books aimed at 7+ with series potential
• Any MG with a strong voice will get my attention, whatever the subject matter or setting (historical, fantasy, adventure, sci-fi, contemporary, thriller)
• For young adult fiction, I prefer a contemporary setting and I’d love a standout YA romance
• Author/illustrators writing for any age will get my immediate attention, particularly in the chapter book and MG markets
• I’m looking for diverse voices, illustrators and stories across my list, but particularly for chapter books and MG. #ownvoices 

More specifically, I would like to see:

• Animal POV for fiction
• Romance, romance, romance for YA – I love to fall in love
• Big concept, commercial MG
• Murder She Wrote for YA – a little campy, with great settings and mysteries
• Funny sci-fi – like HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE for MG
• ‘Movie X’ meets ‘Movie Y’ pitches – I love a good one-line pitch
• Gripping psychological thriller for YA that leaves you guessing until the end.
• YA or MG with a unique way of telling your story – nonlinear narrative, novels in verse, multi POVs, letters, illustrated novels, or something else really creative!
• Books that have obvious potential for animation
• Fantasy MG with a strong voice and smart humour like THE VOYAGE TO MAGICAL NORTH by Claire Fayers.
• Graphic novels for young fiction – on a big reading kick of these recently
• A parody on the paranormal trope, with heart and real stakes. Think a Buffy spoof.
• Funny characters, funny concepts, funny storytelling
• Fiction set during WWII or the Chicago World’s Fair (I love most MG historical fiction)
• Contemporary-ish YA – YA with a twist, like THE SQUARE ROOT OF SUMMER by Harriet Reuter Hapgood.
• My own DASH AND LILY’S BOOK OF DARES – I love dual POV
• Meta books — books that break the fourth wall, a book within a book, books with in-jokes, books that reference themselves
• Chapter books that remind me of shows like Phineas & Ferb, Danger Mouse, Ren & Stimpy
• Author-illustrated picture books
• I love living in Chicago, so if your book has a Chicago setting, please send
• Clever twists on fairytales and nursery rhymes
• Children’s non-fiction — I’m interested in history and science, but want very accessible books with an obvious hook

Things that aren’t for me:

• Very high fantasy – but if your fantasy is more romance than revolution, then I’m your gal. I need the epic romance in my epic fantasy!
• I’m not the best person for a very depressed MC, teen suicide books or books involving self-harm
• Historical fiction that is very American – Civil War-era for example.
• American sports books – I don’t really understand baseball, American football or hockey as much as I’d need to enjoy these
• Picture book texts – I’m taking a break from these while I focus on my current picture book authors

Other facts:

• I am a twin, so I love twin or sibling stories
• I currently live in Chicago, but previously have called London, New York and Cambridge home – all these settings make me feel nostalgic
• As a kid, I was obsessed with Egyptian history, and could write in fluent hieroglyphics

Favourite movies

• Hot Fuzz
• Heathers
• Groundhog Day

Favourite TV shows

• Red Dwarf
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Murder She Wrote

Best book I read in 2016

• THE RADIUM GIRLS by Kate Moore - I would love something similar for the YA or MG market. 

Favourite Authors

• Douglas Adams
• Robert Rankin
• Terry Pratchett
• Jasper Fforde
• Neil Gaiman
• Rainbow Rowell
• Erin Jade Lange
• Jenny Valentine
• Rebecca Stead
• Kate DiCamillo
• Katherine Applegate
• Morris Gleitzman

I’m so excited to be open to queries as I’ve found most of my clients in my submissions – I can’t wait to read your work. You can follow me on twitter for more wishlist requests as the year continues @gemma_cooper

Email your query letter and your first 10 pages pasted into the body of the email to cooperqueries@thebentagency.com

Holiday Wishes and Wish Lists from the TBA Agents!

We’ve had a fantastic 2016 here at TBA, and are all very much looking forward to 2017. January is always an exciting time to dive into our submissions inbox and look for that gem that we'll be talking about all year. So, with this in mind, we’ve compiled a wishlist for all the TBA agents, so if you have anything that matches this check out our submission guidelines and send over. We can't wait to read!


Jenny Bent:

• Twisty, creepy, bone-chilling suspense with a female protagonist for an adult or YA audience 
• Quirky, unusual, interesting YA—crazy twists like those in SUICIDE NOTES FROM BEAUTIFUL GIRLS and KILLER INSTINCT, wildly visual worlds like the ones in CARAVAL and SPLINTERED, or outrageously funny like KILL THE BOY BAND
• Emotional book club fiction with a strong hook and/or evocative setting like THE LIFE LIST or GHOST BRIDE or the forthcoming LIGHTKEEPER’S DAUGHTERS by Jean Pendziwol
• Magical MG with a instant classic feel

Gemma Cooper: (Gemma will be opening to submissions on 3rd January)

• Looking for diverse voices, illustrators and stories across my list, but particularly for chapter books and MG. #ownvoices 
• YA or MG with a unique way of telling your story - nonlinear narrative, novels in verse, multi POV’s, letters, illustrated novels, or something else really creative! Be different. Surprise me
• I'm really looking for YA right now and am open to anything but dystopian and angels. Send me your swoony romance, your teen X-Files, your epic fantasy, your re-invented Buffy, your ghosts and anything you can comp to a movie starring Christian Slater. I would go nuts over a voice driven YA with an end of the world feeling romance
• I’d love a new MG epic fantasy, or a MG with a splash of magical realism. If your MG has a strong voice in any genre, I want to read it
• And to be a little specific, can someone send me a MG or YA set during the 1893 Chicago World's Fair? Ideally a mystery

Beth Phelan: (Beth will be opening to submissions on 3rd January)

• Queer POC in MG and YA contemporary, something bright and funny and happy and hopeful. Especially if told in a groundbreaking new way, experimental — I want different storytelling structures and #ownvoices
• Lyrical fantasy in MG and YA that feels cinematic, visual, lush
• Stirring suspense, hair-raising thrillers, with plenty of family secrets and dark histories, #ownvoices

Susan Hawk:

• I’m looking for diverse voices and authors, in just about any category or genre: picture book, chapter book, middle-grade, young adult; contemporary, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, etc.  I’m drawn to heartfelt books rich with emotion and humor, and unique points of view
• I love MG and YA fantasy!  I want to fall in love with your main character, be completely immersed in a world that's surprising and original, and on the edge of my seat, wondering what-will-happen next -- give me high stakes and sneaky twists
• Epistolary novels; a novel-within-a-novel; a journal format; secret letters; found documents – I’d love to see a story for MG or YA readers that centers around these kind of elements
• Calling author-illustrators!  I'm a big fan of Molly Idle, Carson Ellis, Barbara McClintock, Marla Frazee, Christian Robinson, and Sergio Ruzzier.  If your work is as fresh, original and thoughtful as these, please be in touch

Molly Ker Hawn:

• Elegant, emotional literary fiction for young adults like THE SMELL OF OTHER PEOPLE’S HOUSES
• #ownvoices projects for middle-grade and YA readers that invite the reader to get to know a culture or community with which they might not be familiar
• Fast-paced, highly imaginative YA fantasy like REBEL OF THE SANDS 
• YA or MG contemporary fiction that explores sexism in a realistic and relatable way
• Super-smart, super-romantic, feel-good YA fiction like SEVEN DAYS OF YOU 

Louise Fury:

• Heavily illustrated MG or YA graphic novels
• A YA that involves a labyrinth, especially one that includes a mystery or pushes the boundaries of realistic contemporary
• Anything funny, short and uplifting
• A cookbook with a big hook/idea
• Interesting, fun and of-the-moment pop culture and non-fiction projects! 

Heather Flaherty:

• Always always want epic-yet-relatable YA fantasy, with beautiful and sometimes dark worlds, unlikely heroines, and civil unrest. 
• Would love a sibling/family story in contemporary YA, a la I’ll GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson, or a mother-daughter Gilmore Girls-esque story, maybe with a STEM angle!
• Commercial women’s fiction, with strong females in interesting and thought-provoking situations. Females in male roles, females choosing themselves, females making change. Both period and contemporary
• I’d love to find the next GIRL ON THE TRAIN, that isn’t GIRL ON THE TRAIN or anything close to it plot-wise. I want the feeling that book evokes: something creepy, and page-turning, and twisty, and sexy, and disturbing, and… 
• Quirky, funny, heartbreaking, wonderful non-fiction for people who don’t read lots of non-fiction. Pop-culture, humor, Lifestyle, industry-books-for-people-who-don’t-read-industry-books (like Alison Green’s ASK A MANAGER website), heartbreaking books that make you feel less alone (like Emily Trunko’s DEAR MY BLANK and LAST MESSAGE RECEIVED)

Victoria Cappello:

• I’m really looking for of-the-moment literary fiction that engages with important contemporary geopolitical events like the Syrian civil war, for instance, or Cuba in the aftermath of the embargo lift
• I love suspense and mystery novels of all stripes—psychological, super creepy, procedural, etc.
• I’m also always in the market for lyrical and atmospheric historical fiction that’s set in the 20th century

Happy Holidays! 

TBA Monthly Wishlist - Dec 2016

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

Right now I’m feeling dark dark dark, twisted, magical, mystical, eerie, scary, wonderful, heart fluttery - pull me somewhere that both freaks me out and makes me want to stay - Heather Flaherty 

Send me your literary fantasy-horror in the vein of Peadar O’Guilin’s THE CALL — exquisitely written, exquisitely tense - Molly Ker Hawn

My decorations are up, and my desk is overloaded with tinsel - yes, Christmas is my favourite time of the year and I embrace it in a big way! So send me your feel good festive YA or wintery MG adventure - Gemma Cooper**

High concept, emotional MG or YA set in this world, with a fantastic/magical realism element. Think David Levithan’s EVERYDAY or BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver. Definitely want romance (for YA), but other elements too: this could be a friendship or sibling story, or mother-daughter relationships, etc. - Susan Hawk

Send me your ghosts & goblins, your witches & werewolves, your bogeymen, and—yes—even your vampires. Scare me. - Brooks Sherman**

I am hungry for edgy coming-of-age novels, women’s fiction with a great hook, and female-driven, smart suspense that is creepy and atmospheric—especially written by and featuring a marginalized person. - Beth Phelan**


**Gemma, Brooks and Beth are currently closed to queries, but if you have something that matches their wishlists, please send and add #TBAwishlist to your subject header.

TBA Monthly Wishlist - October 2016

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

I want high concept, emotional women’s fiction and exciting, edgy YA in any genre! - Jenny Bent

A fun YA romance that still has a hooky concept. I want to read about first love and romance; lots of kisses an added bonus. Think LOVE & GELATO, or LOVE, LIES & LEMON PIES - Gemma Cooper**

Dreaming about some cool non-fiction! All types. Extra points if it has a pop-culture focus or a unique format – Louise Fury**

Fresh Epic YA Fantasy set in a world I can feel on my skin, a nation who’s plight I would fight for, and an underdog protagonist that I would give my life to help - Heather Flaherty 

I’m still very interested in fantasy novels (for any age) with epic and/or intricate world-building. Think THE BOOK OF THREE by Lloyd Alexander, THE WRATH AND THE DAWN by Renee Adieh, the LOCKWOOD & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud, JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL by Susanna Clarke, SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo, or THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman - Brooks Sherman**

I’m dying for a literary novel set during the thirteen-day span of the Cuban Missile Crisis in small town USA - Victoria Capello 

So many of the mother-daughter relationships that I see in YA are troubled, even toxic.  I’d love to see a YA novel that includes a complex, but ultimately positive, mother-daughter dynamic – Susan Hawk**

**Louise, Gemma, Susan and Brooks are currently closed to queries, but if you have something that matches this wishlist, please send and add #TBAwishlist to your subject header

Susan Hawk will be reopening to queries on 5th October 2016

TBA Monthly Wishlist - September 2016

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the ONE project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

Dreaming about some cool non-fiction! All types. Extra points if it has a pop-culture focus or a unique format – Louise Fury**

A light and fun YA romance that still has a good one line hook. I want to read about first love and romance; lots of kisses an added bonus. Think LOVE & GELATO, or LOVE, LIES & LEMON PIES - Gemma Cooper**

YA Contemporary complicated family drama, with totally captivating voices. Think Jandy Nelson’s I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN - Heather Flaherty 

I’m particularly interested in MG and YA projects that reflect the experience of the South Asian diaspora (#ownvoices alert!) - Molly Ker Hawn

I’m dying for a literary novel set during the thirteen-day span of the Cuban Missile Crisis in small town USA - Victoria Capello 

I’m still very interested in fantasy novels (for any age) with epic and/or intricate world-building. Think THE BOOK OF THREE by Lloyd Alexander, THE WRATH AND THE DAWN by Renee Adieh, the LOCKWOOD & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud, JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL by Susanna Clarke, SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo, or THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman - Brooks Sherman**

**Louise, Gemma and Brooks are currently closed to queries, but if you have something that matches this wishlist, please send and add #TBAwishlist to your subject header

TBA Monthly Wishlist - July 2016

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the ONE project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

Craving some twisted epic YA Fantasy - Heather Flaherty

I want high concept suspense novels like THINK OF A NUMBER or BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP - Jenny Bent

I’m craving female-led domestic suspense. Something creepy and twisted and atmospheric, inspired by true crime and/or with a family full of secrets at its center - Beth Phelan 

A literary collection of love stories like the ones found in the Modern Love podcast. Aziz's MODERN ROMANCE meets Emma Straub's OTHER PEOPLE WE MARRIED - Victoria Cappello

I’m still very interested in fantasy novels (for any age) with epic and/or intricate world-building. Think THE BOOK OF THREE by Lloyd Alexander, THE WRATH AND THE DAWN by Renee Adieh, the LOCKWOOD & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud, JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL by Susanna Clarke, SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo, or THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman - Brooks Sherman**

I'd like a MG or YA novel that deals with scoliosis, main character can be a boy or a girl.  Think Judy Blume's DEENIE, for the 21st Century!  - Susan Hawk**

 

**Brooks and Susan are currently closed to queries, but if you have something that matches this wishlist, please send and add #TBAwishlist to your subject header

TBA Monthly Wishlist - April 2016

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist!  Here's the ONE project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

I would love a MG or YA novel that deals with growing up in an interfaith family -- how comfortably, or not, two different religious traditions co-exist in one family, and what that's like for a child or teenager - Susan Hawk

YA or MG with a unique way of telling your story - nonlinear narrative, novels in verse, multi POV’s, letters, illustrated novels, or something else really creative! Be different - Gemma Cooper

Especially as May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage month, I’m very interested in seeing more YA and MG of any genre with AAPI authors and protagonists. Show me high fantasy inspired by cultural mythology and legends, non-issuey contemporaries, and, of course, anything that feels strange and weird and creepy. Would be extra, extra happy to see more intersectional diversity as well - Beth Phelan 

Any fiction or non-fiction about a nanny/governess/tutor - Louise Fury

A YA or MG novel with a setting few (if any) books have used before. Surprise me! - Molly Ker Hawn

Honest, lovely, possibly sad, Middle-Grade - like PAX, or WOLF HOLLOW - Heather Flaherty 

TBA Monthly Wishlist - February 2016

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist!  Here's the ONE project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

A literary collection of stories like the ones found in the Modern Love podcast; think Aziz Ansari's MODERN ROMANCE meets Emma Straub's OTHER PEOPLE WE MARRIED - Victoria Lowes

YA or MG with a unique way of telling your story - nonlinear narrative, novels in verse, multi POV’s, illustrated novels, or something else really creative! Surprise me - Gemma Cooper

Accessible, literary YA or MG fiction full of emotion and featuring an underrepresented community, in the vein of my client Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock’s THE SMELL OF OTHER PEOPLE’S HOUSES - Molly Ker Hawn

I'd love a pacey, character driven YA or MG novel that has to do with the Cold War in the 1950s or 1960s -- could be set then or later, as long as that period's history is key to the story - Susan Hawk

Really dark, twisted, possibly magical, YA - Heather Flaherty

Rich, intense, female-centric domestic suspense/thriller with marginalized characters in the starring roles - Beth Phelan

TBA Monthly Wishlist - January 2016

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist!  Here's the ONE project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

Crazy, edge-of-your-seat thriller/suspense novel for adult or YA, even though I am closed to queries will still consider, put #thriller in subject line - Jenny Bent

Voice driven YA with an end of the world feeling romance - Gemma Cooper

I'd love, LOVE to find a YA contemporary with female MC, who's passionate about science, math, engineering, i.e. STEM - Susan Hawk

I’d love to see a middle-grade historical fantasy with a literary bent and a modern sensibility - Molly Ker Hawn

I would love, love, love a literary novel set in small town USA during the thirteen day span of the Cuban Missile Crisis - Victoria Lowes

Would love a YA contemporary or magical realism that features a big, strange family and close siblings. Offbeat and fun but also incredibly heartwarming. Could also go very dark with this. Bonus points if lyrical and you play with narrative structure - Beth Phelan

Holiday Wishes and Wish Lists from the TBA Agents!

We’ve had a fantastic 2015 here at TBA, and are all very much looking forward to 2016. January is always an exciting time to dive into our submissions inbox and look for that gem that we'll be talking about all year. So, with this in mind, we’ve compiled a wishlist for all the TBA agents, and included some festive questions to see what the agents will be getting up to over the holidays!

Gemma Cooper:

Wishlist

• I'm really looking for YA right now, especially big swoony romance or an updated Buffy.

• I’d also love animals and anthropomorphic characters for MG or YA.

• And to be a little specific, can someone send me a MG or YA set during one of the 1800s/early 1900s World's Fairs? Ideally a mystery.

Tell us about a fun holiday tradition:

Every year, my family put on our ugly Christmas jumpers and do a giant Christmas jigsaw puzzle. Mum's rule is that you need to do all the edge pieces first, but my husband usually starts building something from the middle, then he gets told off. That's become a tradition in itself!   

Pro-Christmas music or con?

Pro, but only the 50s/60s classics — my playlist is all Perry Como, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, etc. Moving to the US has introduced me to 'Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer', a song that never made it to the UK — and I'm not sure I know how to feel about it…

What was your favorite read this year?

Picture book fave is BUNNIES by Kevan Atteberry; fiction fave is PAX by Sara Pennypacker.

Susan Hawk:

Wishlist

• Moving, layered, thematically rich middle-grade novels that dig deep into the turning points and emotional experiences of the middle-school years.

• Gripping, literary YA with a great hook.  Romance included, though not necessarily the main story line.  I’d especially love something with a historical angle.

• Epistolary novels; a novel-within-a-novel; a journal format; secret letters; found documents – I’d love to see any of those elements in a story for MG or YA readers.

• A story that, in some way, is about memory, writing and the way we tell our stories, again for either YA or MG.

Tell us about a fun holiday tradition:

Every year, I make my grandmother’s Persimmon Pudding for Christmas supper. I grew up having this magical dessert: the persimmons transform from a sour, puckering fruit into the most delicious, slightly gooey cake that tastes of cinnamon, though there’s none added.  YUM.

Pro-Christmas music or con?  

So deeply PRO. I have a cherished Christmas playlist that’s over six hours of every Christmas song you could ever hope to hear, from The Waitresses to Rufus Wainwright to Eartha Kitt to the Pogues. I have to force myself not to start until Dec 1!

What was your favorite read this year?

THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH by Ali Benjamin is beautiful and so close to character; a pretty much perfect read for me. THE PRINCESS AND THE PONY by Kate Beaton is just hysterical.  Every time I read it – and I read it to my seven year old a lot – I can’t help laughing at that pony!

Brooks Sherman:

Wishlist

• Fantasy novels (for any age) with vivid world-building, such as Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain, Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Co. series, Leigh Bardugo’s SHADOW AND BONE, Susanna Clarke’s JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL, Naomi Novik’s HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON, or THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman.

• Fantasy and/or adventure middle grade fiction, a la ARTEMIS FOWL or THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES.

• Funny, voice-driven middle grade stories, like Tim Federle’s BETTER NATE THAN EVER, Tom Angelberger’s THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA, Geoff Rodkey’s THE TAPPER TWINS GO TO WAR, or Gary D. Schmidt’s OKAY FOR NOW.

• Works of adult speculative fiction, thriller, or horror, along the lines of NIGHT FILM by Marisha Pessl, THE ROOK by Daniel O’Malley, THE ALIENIST by Caleb Carr, or just about anything by Joe Hill.

Pro-Christmas music or con?

Definitely pro-Christmas music — from the traditional stuff to Bing Crosby and Mariah Carey. I’m a big fan of old-timer carols sung solemnly, but honestly, to me it doesn’t feel like the holidays unless I can listen to Vince Guaraldi’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Favorite holiday movie?

Probably It’s a Wonderful Life. There have been many others before it, but this one endures. I know it’s cheesy, some might say clichéd, but for me, it’s classic.

What was your favorite read this year?

My favorite read this year was NIGHT FILM by Marisha Pessl, which ran the perfect tightrope act of suspense with a lingering suspicion of the paranormal. It’s been a long time since a story has keep me guessing that much and still left me feeling completely satisfied.

Jenny Bent:

Jenny is currently closed to queries; look for her new wishlist in the new year.

Favorite holiday movie? 

Elf

Pro-Christmas music or con? 

Love it!  

Pie or cake? 

Both, please.

What was your favorite read this year? 

STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel

Molly Ker Hawn:

Wishlist

In 2016, I’m crossing my fingers for…

• A sweeping literary novel (YA or MG) that tackles big diversity issues — written by someone with experience of those issues.

• A YA fantasy that’s set in a brilliantly-realized world we’ve never seen before.

• A witty middle-grade contemporary novel with a classic feel.

• The Great British YA Contemporary Novel. Big voice, big themes.

• Something I don’t know I’m waiting for that sweeps me off my feet!

Tell us about a fun holiday tradition:

When I was a little girl, I was given this Norwegian nisse, and every Christmas he makes his appearance in my house. Inexplicably, my family are never as happy to see him as I am. His name is Vams.

Pro-Christmas music or con?

Pro! Bach’s Christmas Oratorio while I’m baking cookies, Ella Fitzgerald and Harry Connick, Jr. while I'm wrapping presents, and Run-DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis” when both of those chores are done. But every year I do the Little Drummer Boy Challenge, so I have to be careful to not to get knocked out by careless radio listening.

What was your favorite read this year?

Aside from my clients’ books? I’d say THE WINNER’S CRIME by Marie Rutkoski. She writes some of the best YA fantasy going.

Beth Phelan:

Wishlist:

• Above all, DIVERSE VOICES AND AUTHORS. As a diverse agent, I'm looking to represent and promote stories of diverse experiences, backgrounds and people, straight from their own mouths.

• Contemporary YA or MG, written by and featuring diverse voices. In particular, I’d love to see more Muslim protagonists, and deftly told stories of the immigrant or first-generation experience. Bonus if the writing is also lyrical.

• Really funny, strong female friendship stories. Something super irreverent. Bring me young women dealing with very present feminist issues like insane dress codes. YA or MG.

• Fresh vampire YA with a completely new and unexpected twist. 

Favorite holiday movie?

Toss-up between Home Alone and Home Alone 2. 

Pro-Christmas music or con?

I always think I’m pro until I listen to it.

Pie or cake?

Cake! Always cake.

Heather Flaherty

Wishlist:

• Still searching for a deep, dark, twisted YA horror, could be contemporary or could be period — as long as my skin crawls! 

• Would love a solid YA romance, not bubble-gum and not angsty-just-cause, but a high-stakes, romance that makes me hug the book every time I have to leave it go do something else.

• YA and MG fairy-tale retellings, period, contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, all sub-genres welcome!

• Female-centric thrillers with unreliable narrators and twists that make my head happily ache.

Tell us about a fun holiday tradition:

Conventionally stiff dinner at one nana’s house… boozy Uno-playing after-party at other nana’s house.

Tell us about a favorite holiday memory from your childhood.

I wanted this mouse figurine. I was about seven, and I wanted this stupid, expensive, inch-tall mouse figurine. But my father went out and got me a handmade Irish wool hat with a matching scarf instead. (He never bought presents, my mom did… but this particular year he picked something out for me). I threw a fit saying Santa wasn’t real and didn’t hear me and didn’t care! Next Christmas, under the tree, was the mouse figurine wrapped in a different paper than the rest of the presents, with my name written in a different handwriting - all to help me believe in Santa Claus. To this day, I still wear the hat and scarf (I treasure them, actually) — don’t know where the mouse is.

Pie or cake?

PIE, in like an obsessive, righteous, preachy sort of way. PIE.

Victoria Lowes

Wishlist:

• A well-written and unsettling psychological domestic suspense novel.

• I would love a literary novel (not a thriller) set in the contemporary Middle East.

• I’m always, always on the look out for smart contemporary romances that have a strong hook.

Tell us about a fun holiday tradition.

Every year we go the Old Bethpage Village Restoration Candlelight Evening. OBVR is a restored 19th-century village on Long Island and, during the holidays, the entire village is lit up with candles lining the streets and homes and the more prepared guests are equipped with flashlights. There’s smores-making and caroling and it’s all very quaint and adorable.

Favorite holiday movie?

Miracle on 34th Street

Pro-Christmas music or con?

Pro! 

Louise Fury

Wishlist:

• A quirky high concept cookbook

• MG or YA take on a biblical heroine, like a kids’ version of THE RED TENT  

• Interesting, fun and of-the-moment pop culture and non-fiction projects! 

• Heavily illustrated MG or YA graphic novels

• A YA that has interesting family dynamics, is deeply emotional, compelling and thought-provoking, with a touch of mystery that pushes the boundaries of realistic contemporary

A favorite holiday memory from your childhood? 

Christmas has always been a summer holiday for me. Nothing better than Christmas at the beach.  So trifle and ice-cream, not hot cocoa and gingerbread.

Pie or cake? 

Ice-cream cake

What was your favorite read this year? 

YEAR OF YES by Shondra Rhimes

If you have any of our wishlist books, or want to submit to a TBA agent, please click here for our submission details. 

Happy holidays!