Elana Roth Parker

My Manuscript Wish List

The big picture: I specialize in children’s and young adult books, and am now expanding my list into adult contemporary, commercial fiction. To that end, I’m looking for commercial-leaning middle-grade, young adult, and adult novels.

GENERAL: My tastes run more commercial than literary, so I’m mainly looking for high-concept or commercial-leaning novels. That means good plots and good twists. I like to say my tastes lie at the intersection of timeless and fresh. For examples, I represent Kiera Cass, Alexa Donne, Gina Chen, and Anna Bright. All write things I would describe as delicious and fun and escapist.

Above all else I’m looking for a strong plot (make me keep turning pages, please) told by a strong voice. I want books that I can come back to over and over again. I read to escape, not to get punched in the face, so take me far away with an irresistible voice, but don’t make me suffer along the way.

Fiction keywords: imagination, escapism, nerdy inspiration, high emotional stakes, diverse, plot-driven, heartfelt.

MIDDLE GRADE: I tend to like the funny, mad-cap-adventure type of middle-grade story. I love stories about kids who find out their worlds have a magic twist they didn’t know about. I love friendship stories. I love family stories. I’m here for a juicy series. I want to come away from a middle-grade novel feeling like I went on a great adventure with kids who learned something about themselves along the way.

YA: I’m always here for romantic tropes (enemies to lovers, love triangles, fake dating, etc.), big sweeping feelings, really well-drawn worlds, and a great twist. A sense of humor (or at least, wit) is a plus. Stories that know how to adapt the well-established literary traditions in a new way.

ADULT: I’m looking to add commercial, contemporary rom-com, romance, and mystery/thriller to my list. Similar to my young adult list (but minus the sci-fi/fantasy), I am looking for fun, gripping, escapist reads with strong hooks. Books I’ve enjoyed lately have been: THE STAND-IN by Lily Chu, DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jessie Sutanto, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood, THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley, SUCH A FUN AGE by Kiley Reid.

**DO NOT SEND ME: Christmas stories, talking animal books, or anything gory/nightmare-inducing.

I started quilting during the pandemic and never stopped!

Submission Guidelines….

Please visit: https://QueryManager.com/queryelana

Vital Info

	@ElanaRoth
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