Alice Speilburg

I am the founding literary agent of Speilburg Literary Agency, representing commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction. I have a particular love for propulsive and atmospheric crime fiction, immersive historical adventures, myth-based fantasy, and culturally resonant nonfiction. But please, don’t self-reject! I also enjoy working in other genres and sub-genres, including sci‑fi, cozy mysteries, upmarket contemporary fiction, memoirs, and gift books. The most important thing is that a project resonates with me in some way and hits the storytelling elements and styles I adore—those I know readers will clamor for, too.

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)
• Arts & Science overlap — think music (The Violin Conspiracy), theater (The Chelsea Girls), literature (The Personal Librarian), chemistry (Flavia DeLuce books), biology (Discovery of Witches), historical research (The Buffalo Hunter).

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 complicated woman leading the narrative 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 in real-world charming places or unforgettable time periods, like Katherine Arden’s The Winter of the Witch, or VE Schwab’s Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, or Sarah Penner’s The Amalfi Curse.

Folklore inspired tales and retellings that blend of 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

An intersection of art/artists with war/politics: How creatives reflected or reacted to tumultuous time periods.

Novelized stories of real women from history

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. There can 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.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to https://queryme.online/AliceSpeilburg

Guidelines & Details

Consultations