Agent Manuscript Wishlist
Within Fiction, I'm Looking For:
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Speculative Stories that are fearlessly imaginative in their use of Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Magical Realism elements while laying bare real-world issues like Chain-Gang Allstars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah; Books that build on the Southern Gothic tradition while bringing something fresh + exciting to the table like Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (no slave narratives, please).
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Mythological or Historical retellings that are smart, original, grounded in thorough research, and brought to life with an electric voice such as Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller.
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Book Club Fiction with a deliciously entertaining core premise and flawed characters we can’t help but root for, but still maintains sharp, incisive prose on a line-level like Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid and Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez.
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Within Nonfiction, I'm Looking For:
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Narrative Histories that are compelling, well-researched stories about forgotten / willfully overlooked historical figures or historical moments, and the ripple effects they have on our modern-day life like Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly.
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Deeply reported narrative nonfiction that gets to the root of today’s biggest issues in technology, finance, health, or culture in a compelling, accessible, and even funny, way while mapping a path forward. I love working with journalists who have a personal connection to their beat and can write compelling nonfiction that reads like a novel. I'm also a fan of a high-brow approach to a low-brow topic (or vice-versa!) like Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke and Tacky by Rax King.
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Platform-driven Memoirs with stunning prose that can take me inside a previously inaccessible community, a niche sub-culture, or a unique way of life like Uncanney Valley by Anna Weir.
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Practical Nonfiction that is playful yet expert-driven, taping into gen-z’s changing attitudes around work, money, and mental health.
Within Graphic Novels, I'm Looking For:
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Hard to say! I’m typically drawn to graphic novels that align with my tastes listed above, but I love to be surprised and have to fall in love with the artwork first and foremost.
I love discovering diverse and fresh new perspectives across adult literary + upmarket fiction and adult nonfiction. I'm particularly a fan of authors with singular voices that masterfully straddle the line between story-telling and teaching readers something new (about themselves, their communities, or the world we live in).
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If you are interested in querying me, please follow Ayesha Pande Literary's submission guidelines and use our query form. All submissions sent via the contact page will be promptly deleted.