New Agent Alert: Emily Forney of BookEnds Literary Agency
New literary agent alerts (with this spotlight featuring Emily Forney of BookEnds Literary Agency) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list.
As a self-proclaimed decent writer and the ultimate fangirl of genre fiction, Emily Forney started her publishing career as an editorial assistant for literary journals in college, freelanced for feminist and pop culture presses, and worked as a fiction editor for a small popular fiction press.
She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Northern Arizona University, where she specialized in YA and speculative fiction. After studying as a publishing and editorial fellow for the LA Review of Books, she joined BookEnds Literary agency as an associate agent.
Emily is currently seeking out kid lit, picture books, MG, YA, and adult fiction. She is especially looking for stories by Black authors that celebrate Black joy and love.
Currently Seeking
In picture books:
- Whimsical and fun adventure stories that allow for the setting and the world around the characters to play just as important of a role.
- Progressive stories about childhood strength, trauma, and identity.
- Something spooky, maybe a little dark humor, and child appropriate fantasy.
In middle grade fiction:
- Historical fiction that turns typical histories on their head and write about "hidden" stories with plenty of humor and whimsy.
- Paranormal and fantasy stories with conventional twists and character driven narratives.
- Contemporary stories by BIPOC that explore culture and life, without focusing on trauma as a single identifier.
In YA fiction:
- Warm romances that capture the magic of teenage summer nights, road trips, and summer camps.
- Paranormal and fantasy stories with solid world building and romantic twists.
- Contemporary romances and contemporary stories that delve into how digital media affects social activism for young people.
- LGBTQI+ stories that don't use identity as a plot twist.
In adult fiction:
- Fantasy stories that flip traditional tropes.
- Historical fiction centered outside of modern and contemporary eras. I like ancient worlds, Renaissance times, and unique story arcs that don't have to do with wars with modern technology.
- Chick-lit made for reading on the beach to escape hot summer days.
How to Submit
Please submit your query letter, synopsis, and optional page samples to my QueryManager account.
You can also check out my calls for submissions and my updated wish list on my Twitter @emilykaitlinnn.
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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
