Abby Saul
The Lark Group
My Manuscript Wish List®
Abby Saul has over 15 years of publishing experience and is an editorial expert with a passion for fantastic reads. She founded The Lark Group after working on both the publishing and agenting side of the business, and represents bestselling, award-winning, and engrossing adult commercial and literary fiction. Her wishlist and personal library runs the gamut from literary newbies and classics, to cozy mysteries, to sappy women’s fiction, to dark and twisted thrillers. Find her @LarkWords on Instagram.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to abby@larkwords.com
What We Want
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Adult literary fiction and adult commercial fiction (including historical fiction, women’s fiction, mysteries, and thrillers)
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Queries that clearly state what the book is, what it’s about, how long it is, and who it’s by
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Queries with the subject “Query: [Title]“
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Polished, proofread, and enthusiastic queries
What We Don’t Want
- Science fiction, fantasy, children’s books, screenplays, most nonfiction
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Unsolicited manuscripts sent without a query letter (we won’t read them)
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Queries for books that aren’t yet written
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Queries with attachments (we won’t open them)
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
#ownvoices, 1800s+ historical, Accessible Literary Fiction, Adult, Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, BIPOC Mystery, Book Club, Books about books, Climate Fiction, Commercial Women's Fiction, Commercial adult fiction, Commercial and Literary, Cozy Mystery, Crime & Thriller, Crime Fiction, Dark Female Friendships, Detective, Diversity, Domestic Suspense/Thriller, Ensemble Casts, Family Drama, Female Friendships, Feminism, Hauntings, High Concept, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Multiple POV, Multiple Timelines, Mystery / Crime, Nature, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thrillers, Suspense, Upmarket Women's Fiction, Whodunit, beach reads, character-focused fiction, comedy, historical mystery, queer
I’d like the next…
My favorites include…
Likes: Alison Espach, Tana French, Rebecca Makkai, Kate Quinn, Ruth Ware, Charlotte McConaghy, Gabrielle Zevin, Lily King, Sarah Waters, Lucy Foley, Ann Patchett, Riley Sager, Flynn Berry, Hilary Mantel, P.D. James, Kate Morton, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, Agatha Christie, Richard Osman, The Swifts by Beth Lincoln (for adults!), gothic romance within women’s fiction, engaging historical fiction (literary or commercial), mysteries (including Golden Age authors), psychological thrillers, literary nonfiction, locked rooms/And Then There Were None-style closed setting scenarios, dual timelines, a sense of history and the book’s place in the larger scheme of life (especially if #ownvoices!), women kicking ass, stories about families living in crumbling mansions and keeping dark secrets
Dislikes: political/legal/FBI thrillers or thrillers with explosions, dude-driven post-apocalyptic novels, treacle-y cozies, super hardboiled mysteries, killer POV, sappy stories that are ONLY sappy, children in too much peril, misogyny. Magical realism is not so much for me. I DON’T DO SCIENCE FICTION or FANTASY or YA.
