Carleen Geisler

I’m an associate agent actively building my list of both adult fiction and nonfiction. While I am always open to adult fiction across contemporary genres, I am also very actively looking for fun nonfiction projects at the moment.

In fiction, I tend to gravitate toward a more upmarket or literary voice, though I will also look at commercial stories! My tastes span widely from very quiet, everyday stories to odd or unsettling atmospheres, and everything between. Some of my favourite books to see comp’d to in my inbox are: BUNNY by Mona Awad, SUNDIAL by Catriona Ward, THE ARC by Tory Henwood Hoen, A NOVEL OBSESSION by Cailtin Barasch, SMILE AND LOOK PRETTY by Amanda Pellegrino, and GOOD RICH PEOPLE by Eliza Jane Brazier.

In nonfiction, my aim is to find very niche topics that appeal to a wide audience. Authors with clear knowledge of their subject, and a talent for connecting their topic to the human nature of others is appreciated. That said, I also welcome being surprised by nonfiction in spaces I haven’t thought about before. If you can make me care about a topic I’ve previously never given much thought to, I want to hear from you!

Please note I am only taking novel-length submissions at this time.

I will aim to keep this wishlist updated as often as I can. This page has last been updated October 2024.

In Adult Fiction I’m looking for:

• All contemporary genres (no scifi or fantasy please!)
• I will consider some historical, generally only if it’s a genre blend
• Grounded speculative stories
• The strange/weird/whimsical
• Unsettling atmospheres
• Real life stakes
• Wilderness settings
• Dark and dreadful plots
• Thrillers/Suspense, especially if they don’t center around a death/body
• Characters with unique jobs
• Scary horror that isn’t supernatural
• Romance with a really strong b-plot
• Everyday, slice of life plots (a story I can believe is happening to my neighbour right now)
• Mysteries where the main character has a unique reason for wanting to solve the murder
• Super atmospheric suspense/horror
• Nature or unusual places
• Stories that make me curious about humanity
• Stories set outside of the USA
• Engaging upmarket/literary voices
• Books that might be considered “slow” but are still captivating

In Non-Fiction I’m looking for:

• Spirituality
• Mind/Body/Spirit
• Food
• Agriculture
• Science/STEM
• Humanity
• Natural Living
• Animals and Pets
• Unusual or weird topics for which the author has a lot of passion/knowledge!
• Community and Culture
• Pop Culture
• New world ideas
• Anything witchy/astrology/tarot/oracle related
• Health and wellness—especially topics of health or wellness that aren’t mainstream

I am not a good fit for:

• Childrens/YA
• Sci-fi
• Fantasy
• Detective/police stories, as well as crime thrillers or police procedurals
• Mob/organized crime stories
• Heavily political plots/military
• Series (could be a series is fine, if the querying novel could also stand alone)
• Excessive gore, especially medical related
• Romance that starts with a destruction of some sort (death, cheating, breakup)
• Stories that rely on “shock value” to keep the reader engaged
• POV characters from a marginalized experience that the author does not have direct experience with
• Second chance romance stories are usually not for me
• Mystery stories where the motivation for figuring out the mystery is that it’s the character’s job
• I am not usually a good fit for books with music-centric themes

Submission Guidelines

Use the QueryManager link provided. Please note that this is a shared inbox among ArtHouse agents: if you’re interested in querying me specifically, please address the query letter to me. You are also welcome to address the agency as a whole.

Guidelines & Details