Allison Weintraub

Hi! My name is Allison, and I’m an associate editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books.

My favorite books to work on reflect readers’ complexities—both directly and through a genre lens—and center historically marginalized perspectives. I’m looking to acquire compulsively readable genre fiction (from swords to screams to swoons); stories that explore the challenges of our modern world; captivating, high-concept reads; and novels with innovative formats. I come to the world of children’s books from being an educator, and I’ve always wanted to work on the kinds of evergreen books that my students were drawn to—the silly, the serious, and the ones they would bring to class week after week.

I’m happy to consider projects across all categories for middle grade and teen audiences, but am particularly drawn to:

Novels:

• Fantasy
• Mystery
• Romance
• Romantasy
• Horror
• Paranormal
• Thriller
• Dark academia
• Retellings
• Stories rooted in folklore

Graphic Novels:

• Genre projects, specifically horror, fantasy, and romance
• Contemporary stories that are a winning combination of thought-provoking and hilarious
• Graphic novels that examine family history and cultural traditions
• Graphic memoirs
  • Fun fact about me: I wrote my college thesis about graphic memoirs. This format is near and dear to my heart!

I tend to gravitate toward genre fiction, but I would also never say no to a contemporary story dealing with a topic that speaks to young readers’ experiences. I’m particularly interested in stories that deal with mental health, body positivity, building community, and navigating personal identity in new circumstances.

Here are a few subjects that I’m interested in across categories:

• Heartfelt stories with a touch of humor
• Coming-of-age stories set in underrepresented locations
• Stories about bicultural identities
• Stories about fat/plus sized protagonists
• Magical girl stories
• Stories about “weird” kids who don’t fit in

Finally, I’m not the right fit for:

• Anything that was created using generative A.I.
• Biblical stories
• Historical fiction (with the exception of regency romances)
• Board books

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to allison.weintraub@harpercollins.com

Please note that I am only able to consider agented submissions. Please do not send me anything that was created using generative A.I.