Charlotte Wenger
Prospect Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
I represent authors, illustrators, and author-illustrators of children’s books—board books through graphic novels and middle-grade, but especially picture books—as well as select YA fiction.
I’m always seeking stories from diverse voices – those that have been historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in publishing, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, people living in and/or from marginalized/underrepresented cultures and countries, neurodiverse persons, disabled persons, and more. (https://diversebooks.org/why-we-need-diverse-books-is-no-longer-using-the-term-ownvoices/)
I’m on the lookout for what hasn’t been done yet – stories that haven’t been told and voices that haven’t been heard. That said, your work should still have at least three key selling points!
Picture Books:
- I’m especially looking for author-illustrators
- Stories that make me laugh out loud – silly just to be silly (and I love puns)
- Story structures that surprise and delight me (I love a punchy twist ending)
- Character- or narrative-driven rather than conceptual
- Nontraditional/underrepresented families
- Social justice issues
- Stories featuring a craft/hobby
- Cozy little moments
- Narrative nonfiction – sports, the Arts, history
I’m very picky about rhyme unless it feels authentic to the tone and audience age range of the story.
Graphic Novels for Beginning Readers through Middle-Grade
- Prefer author-illustrated, but also open to GN illustrators and script-only GNs
- Fiction and nonfiction
- Spunky characters
- Goofy humor
- Not-too-creepy mysteries
Middle-Grade:
- Sibling and family stories, especially those with nontraditional or underrepresented family structures
- Novels in verse
- Magical realism and contemporary fantasy
- Mystery and puzzles, but NOT horror
Select YA fiction
I’m not the best fit for:
- Horror
- Military/war-centric
- Violence / gore
- Epic/high fantasy or sci-fi
- Saccharine / didactic
- Tooth Fairy or dentist stories
Fun facts about me:
A few of my favorite things…
- Reading with my toddler
- Singer-songwriters (Sara Bareilles, Brandi Carlile, Carole King)
- Musical theatre (In undergrad, double-majored in English and theatre)
- The beach
- Watching soccer and baseball
Submission Guidelines
I am not on QueryTracker. If you are an author or author-illustrator, please use the submission form on our agency website: https://www.prospectagency.com/submit.html. All fields required unless indicated otherwise.
If you are an illustrator only, you can submit your work here: https://portfolio.prospectagency.com/submissions/.
What to Submit
For picture books, we request a query letter and the full manuscript or a sketch dummy with sample final (if an author-illustrator). Illustrators should provide a URL link to their portfolio. For middle-grade, young adult, and adult texts, we request a query letter, three chapters and a brief synopsis.
Your query letter should include your name, the date, contact information and a brief description of the work. Include only relevant personal information: previous publications, writing education, etc. For previously published authors, please also give a brief overview of your career thus far and your goals for the future.
Because we request more than just a query letter, we spend a lot of time with every submission. We consider character development, plot, voice, and most importantly, the writing. Please make sure the work you submit is edited, proofread, and at a mature stage of development. We do not accept re-submissions, edited or otherwise.
Electronic Submission Guidelines
- We accept Word (.docx, .doc), PDF (.pdf), HTML (.html, .htm), and Text (.rtf, .txt) formats.
- Important: Submit all material in a single document. Be sure to include a synopsis and query letter with your email and contact information at the beginning of the manuscript body (3 chapters or first 30 pages). If you are submitting a picture book, please include the entire picture book.
- Please submit no more than one (1) manuscript at any given time. Submitting multiple manuscripts to this agency will invalidate your submission. This includes submitting to more than one agent.
- We welcome new manuscripts; however, unless requested, we do not accept revisions. Do not resubmit declined manuscripts (to any agent), revised or otherwise.
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Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
#Dis, #ownvoices, #wndb, Activism, Asian American Literature, Author-Illustrator, Author-Illustrators, BIPOC, Beginning Readers, Children's, Children's Nonfiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction and Nonfiction, Clever picture book, Commercial MG, Contemporary YA, Contemporary Young Adult, Cozy Mystery, Cozy mysteries, Disability, Diverse Protagonists, Diversity, Engaged Activism, Environment, Epistolary, Fantasy Grounded in Reality, Feminist, Fiction Picture Books, Folklore, Found Families, Funny MG, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels (for all ages), History, Humor, Illustrated, Illustrated/Gift, Illustration (for all ages), Illustrator, Illustrators, Illustrators and Author/Illustrators, Immigrant Experiences, Immigrant Voices, Intersectional Feminism, Intersectionality, Issue-Driven, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, Latinx stories, Literary MG, Literary Middle Grade, Literary YA & MG, Lyrical picture book, MG, MG Action Adventure, MG Fantasy, MG Nonfiction, MG adventure, MG contemporary, MG mystery, Magical Realism, Marginalized Voices, Mental Health, Middle Grade, Middle Grade Adventure, Middle Grade Contemporary, Middle Grade Fantasy, Middle Grade Graphic Novels, Middle Grade Humor, Middle Grade Mystery, Middle grade magical realism, Minority Voices, Modern Retellings of Fairy Tales, Mothers and Daughters, Multicultural, Multigenerational, Muslim, Mysteries, Narrative Nonfiction, Nature, Neurodiversity, Nonfiction Picture Books, Novels in Verse, Outdoors, Own Voices, POC, Picture Book, Picture book non-fiction, Racial Justice, Relationships, SEL, STEAM, STEM, Slice of life, Social Emotional Learning, Social Issues, Social Justice, Social Sciences, South Asian, Sports, Strong Females, Time Travel, Transformative Justice, Underrepresented Voices, Verse, YA/MG graphic novel, action-packed graphic novels, award-winners!, board books, chapter books, character-focused fiction, character-focused stories, children's diversity, children's graphic novels, comics, commercial, commercial middle grade, contemporary MG, contemporary middle grade, craft, diverse, diverse and own voices, diverse heroines, diverse voices, faith-based stories, family stories, fiction and non-fiction picture books, found family, friendship, friendship stories, immigration, international, invisible disability, mental illness, middle grade non-fiction, migration, music, mystery, narrative non-fiction, picture books, queer, queer narratives, quirky, read-alouds, sequential art, sports stories, thoughtful graphic novels, visible disability, whimsical, witty
I’d like the next…
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
The March for Hope by Valerie Bolling, illus. by Monica Mikai
Cookie Time by Jessie Sima
Mr. S by Monica Arnaldo
A Pinecone! by Helen Yoon
A Cozy Winter Day by Eliza Wheeler
Narwhal and Jelly by Ben Clanton
Unsettled by Reem Faruqi
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse
My favorites include…
Books:
- I Wish You Knew by Jackie Azua Kramer, illus. by Magdalena Mora
- The Boy and the Elephant by Freya Blackwood
- I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha Spillett-Sumner, illus. by Michaela Goade
- In a Jar, written and illus. by Deborah Marcero
- The Box Turtle, written and illus. by Vanessa Roeder
- A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
- The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
- Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
- A Study in Charlotte series by Brittany Cavallaro
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
TV Shows:
- Making It
- Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
- Queer Eye
- The Good Place
- Younger
- The Great British Baking Show
- Parks & Rec
- Veronica Mars
- West Wing
- Friday Night Lights
