Alice Speilburg
Speilburg Literary Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
Alice Speilburg is the founding literary agent at Speilburg Literary Agency and has worked in publishing since 2008. She represents commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction. In fiction, she’s looking for stories that sidestep into history, magic, mystery, horror, or adventure. In nonfiction, she represents cultural narratives, microhistory, nature, mind/body/spirit and pop science written by journalists and academics.
Fantasy/Speculative
- Historical fantasy, grounded with a flair of charm and magic
- Also open to 2nd world fantasy
- Grounded Sci-Fi
Adventure and magic with a badass female lead like Shannon Chakraborty’s The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi or V.E. Schwab’s Fragile Threads of Power (or anything by V.E. Schwab, for that matter)
Magic and magical beings alongside mortals in charming places or unforgettable time periods, or Katherine Arden’s The Winter of the Witch, or VE Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, or Alix Harrow’s Once and Future Witches
Folklore inspired tales and retellings that feel whimsical and lush, dark and inviting, like The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo, Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse especially if in Non-Western settings, Native communities, or Appalachia.
+ Horror that draws on similar inspirations but with much darker themes and settings, like books by T. Kingfisher and C.J. Cooke
Horror
- Atmospheric Horror, and extreme settings, like a blistering cold winter or a dry desert
- Old stories coming back to haunt the MC
- Character led journeys to find the truth or right a wrong
- Supernatural elements
- Dark naturalism, earthy, creepy woods
Mystery/Suspense
- Whodunits that are semi-cozy, like books by Richard Osman or Nita Prose.
- Visually striking settings (love the idea of a mystery in a monastery or botanical garden)
- Unexpected, underestimated sleuths
Historical
- A tumultuous time period, full of secrets and spies, perhaps a political turning point
- Female, Nonbinary, or Queer MCs
- Intrigue and dangerous settings
- Secrets and spies
- Stolen art
- Adventure
A pair or group of unlikely female companions, like Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club or Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s The American Daughters
An intersection of art/artists with war/politics, similar to Fiona Davis’s The Chelsea Girls, Elyse Durham’s Maya & Natasha, or Nicole Galland’s Boy. How creatives reflected or reacted to tumultuous time periods.
Novelized stories of real women from history.
Across the board, I’m looking for:
- Underestimated and overlooked women as main characters
- BIPOC characters and cultures
- Adventure, a journey for the character
- A touch of macabre, dark in an alluring or humorous way
- Dark naturalism, earthy, weird things in the woods (most applicable to fantasy and horror)
Not for me right now:
- Not Domestic suspense where the MC is reacting to her situation (in contrast, I want a character-led adventure)
- Not Romance, even romantasy. There can (maybe even should) be a romantic sub plot, but I want the main storyline to be driven by something else.
DO NOT SEND…
- Nonfiction: I’m pausing my nonfiction submissions because I’ve recently signed new clients in this space.
- Young Adult (or any other Children’s Lit): I’m not taking on any new clients writing YA.
- Poetry, screenplays, picture books, middle grade, which I have never represented.
Fun facts about me:
Before I turned my sights on publishing, I thought I might be a veterinarian. I worked at a vet clinic all through high school, and started college as an animal science major. If you need to ID a cow breed…sorry, I don’t remember how to do that anymore unless it’s an Angus, Hereford, or Holstein.
I’m a Kentuckian, born and raised. I’ve lived all over the Commonwealth, but I was born in Muhlenberg County, home of the Everly Brothers.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to http://queryme.online/AliceSpeilburg
Consultations
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Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Feminism, History, Nature, narrative non-fiction, upmarket genre fiction
I’d like the next…
Historical Fiction that reimagines factual events, especially crimes or mysteries, like BURIAL RITES, THE BALLAD OF TOM DOOLEY, THE LAST DAYS OF NIGHT
Historical Fiction told from a fresh and unique perspective, like THE ALICE NETWORK
Women’s Fiction that oscillates between modern and historical perspectives like THE DOLLHOUSE
Historical Fiction that sidesteps into magic, like OUTLANDER, A SECRET HISTORY OF WITCHES, THE MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON
Fantasy based on American folklore, earthy and magical, like AMERICAN GODS
Fantasy that contains mythical elements, like THE BIRD KING, THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI, THE BEAR & THE NIGHTINGALE
Adventure Fantasy with fresh and unique magic, like A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC, THE BOOK OF DUST
Police Procedural Mysteries that are grounded in both a unique investigator and an evocative setting like the ARMAND GAMACHE series and the ALEX MCKNIGHT series
Psychological Thrillers with smart female protagonists, like THE STRANGER INSIDE
My favorites include…
Authors: Jane Austen, Diana Gabaldon, Fiona Davis, Kate Quinn, Elly Griffiths, Alan Bradley, Richard Osman, Louise Penny, Philip Pullman, G. Willow Wilson, V.E. Schwab, Alix Harrow, Sarah Penner, Mary Roach, Erik Larson
TV: Outlander, Poker Face, White Lotus, Star Trek, The Mandalorian, Expedition Unknown
