Katie Grimm
Curtis Brown, Ltd.
My Manuscript Wish List®
Most generally, I focus on adult literary and upmarket fiction, narrative and creative non-fiction, and literary fiction for young adult and middle grade audiences. Across all genres and ages, I’ll always be interested in the darker and weirder side of the human condition, stories that can be classified as tragicomic, and previously under- or misrepresented experiences and voices.
In adult fiction, I look for unique voices and plot that evokes a strong emotion and necessitates a conversation–including contemporary, historical, mysterious and speculative. I always want books with a heartbeat, and I’m delighted when an unusual structure or form functions at a higher level.
In non-fiction, I’m also looking for distinct voices (from lyrical to humorous), new perspectives, and deeply researched topics. I enjoy narratives that blend the personal and investigative, and use individual stories as a lens to analyze a systemic problem or timely issue.
In children’s fiction, I’m focusing on all types fantasy that will engross young readers, create wonder, and build empathy. I’m looking for new middle grade classics that I wished I had as a child to take me to faraway lands and guide me through complicated feelings. I’m also looking for literary and speculative young adult novels that use genre tropes to create an emotional space to work through issues in a new way.
Topics that always get closer look: beauty and brutality of the natural world, ecological grief, absurdities of motherhood, friendship as romance, queerness, cults, weird history, the Reformation, the Plague, the sea, Space, abductions, twins, monsters, fairy tales, witches, the many forms of desire, reversal of fortune stories, lies we tell ourselves, and magic in our world or those imagined.
Submission Guidelines
Please submit your query letter and first chapter or 30 pages (if you have a prologue, you can include both, for alternating POV, please include a chapter from each) via Query Manager: https://QueryManager.com/KGRIMM
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
BIPOC, Book Club, Dark Humor, Feminist Horror, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Literary Crossover, Literary Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Magical Realism, Marginalized Voices, Multicultural, Own Voices, Southern Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Underrepresented Voices, Upmarket Fiction
I’d like the next…
SCHOOL FOR GOOD MOTHERS, NIGHTBITCH, SIRENS & MUSES, HAMNET, DETRANSITION BABY, MILK FED, BIG SWISS, SUCH A FUN AGE, MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES, FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE, SEVERANCE, EILEEN, THE FACT OF A BODY, UNDERLAND, BRAIDING SWEETGRASS, THE UNDOCUMENTED AMERICANS, THE BONE HOUSES, HOUSE OF HOLLOW, THE HAZEL WOOD, THE BONE GAP, YOLK, THE LAST CUENTISTA, PAX, THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE, THE LINE TENDER, FRONT DESK, THE STARS BENEATH OUR FEET, IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES
My favorites include…
Jorge Luis Borges, Robert Bolaño, Elena Ferrante, Tana French, Kevin Wilson, Hilary Mantel, Madeline Miller, Susanna Clarke, Lev Grossman, N. K. Jemisin, Rebecca Stead, Erin Entrada Kelly, Elizabeth Acevedo, Nova Ren Suma, and Patrick Ness
