Allison Weintraub

Hi! My name is Allison, and I’m an associate editor at Quill Tree Books, an imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books. I find that there’s nothing better than working on books that hold a mirror up to lived experiences and showcase the complexities of young readers’ lives. I come to the world of children’s books from being an educator, and I’ve always wanted to work on the kinds of evergreen books that my students were drawn to—the silly, the serious, and the ones they would bring to class week after week.

I’m actively looking for books told from historically marginalized perspectives, whether that’s in a project that features one of the below points or in a project that features something completely unexpected! I’m happy to consider projects across all categories and age ranges, but am particularly drawn to:

Illustrated:

• Texts that are either thought-provoking, hilarious, or a winning combination of the two
• Stories spotlighting family or cultural traditions
• Creepy projects with a creative twist
• Texts involving fantasy elements
• Graphic novels across genre and subject
  • Fun fact about me: I wrote my college thesis about graphic novel memoirs. This format is near and dear to my heart!

Novels (Middle Grade/YA):

• Fantasy
• Mystery
• Romance
• Romantasy
• Horror
• Paranormal
• Thriller
• Dark academia

I tend to gravitate toward genre fiction in novels (and particularly love new takes on classic stories and tropes), but I would also never say no to a contemporary story dealing with a topic that speaks to young readers’ experiences. I’m particularly interested in stories that deal with mental health, body positivity, building community, and navigating personal identity in new circumstances.

Here are a few subjects that I’m interested in across categories:

• Heartfelt stories with a touch of humor
• Coming-of-age stories set in underrepresented locations
• Stories about bicultural identities
• Stories about fat/plus sized protagonists
• Magical girl stories

Finally, I’m not the right fit for:

• Biblical stories
• Novels that solely feature animal characters
• Historical fiction
• Board books

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to allison.weintraub@harpercollins.com

Please note that I am only able to consider agented submissions.