Beth Marshea

I am the owner and Lead Agent at Ladderbird Literary Agency. I have a BA in Literature and a Masters in Business Administration and am always looking for new and exciting ways to bring more diversity into publishing at Ladderbird and beyond.

I would like to see more works from disabled writers, from LGBTQIA+ writers, from Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Middle Eastern, and all other groups who do not regularly get to see their stories in print. I would love to see more nonbinary representation across categories as well.

Non-Fiction
Adult
I am actively seeking narrative nonfiction centering around cultural phenomena, hidden or weird histories, issue-driven books, and books that offer new ways to look at spiritualism, witchcraft and paganism.

I am not a good fit for books on the Judeo-Christian religions.

Fiction
Adult
Literary Fiction- I am looking for work with exceptional voice and beautiful style, unusual settings, and works that involve clever plots with dynamic characters. I want to see work that brings to light new perspectives on old ideas.  Of particular interest are multi-generational stories that show family dynamics, stories centered around found family or friendship. I am especially interested in seeing works by and about BIPOC communities, especially Latinx and Indigenous writers. I am NOT interested in stories containing sexual or physical abuse.

Mainstream/Commercial Fiction– I’d love to see more multicultural Meet-Cutes/RomComs (especially LGBTQ+), Family Drama, stories about friendships of any kind, work that is light and fun, but emotionally poignant at the same time.

Mysteries- Cozies with a twist. It might be an unusual setting, or simply written from BIPOC perspective to give this genre a new voice.

Thrillers- I love a thriller that really keeps you on the edge of your seat guessing! I’m particularly looking for thrillers set outside of the United States. I do not love thrillers that feature violence towards women as their main plot.

Fantasy- Books that are fast-paced with wonderful (ideally non-European) characters. I’d love to see more fantasies based on non-European folklore, especially Latinx (new imaginings of El Cucuy, El Sombrerón, Duendes, etc…)!

Science Fiction- I am no longer acquiring Science Fiction.

Young Adult
Contemporary- I am very actively looking for stories about found family, the difficulties of friendship, LGBTQIA+ Rom/Coms, anything that is really poignant and pulls at your heart strings, especially if it is set outside of the U.S.

Mysteries/Thrillers– Stories with high stakes, and complex friendships stretched thin. In YA, Mysteries/Thrillers of almost any kind are appealing as long as they are emotionally focused and bring a new point of view. I am not a fan of unreliable narrators.

Fantasy- Very similar to Adult Fantasy, I prefer folkloric tales, but am very glad to have a happy ending! I’m also interested in tales that feature friendships rather than romance as their base, but really dig in to the full emotions of that particular love and struggle.

I am starting to acquire a very select list of MG and PB:
Middle Grade
I’m looking for contemporary stories that  have fun, compelling characters dealing with real problems that Middle School kids face: friendship, divorce, gender identity, budding feelings of attraction or a lack of those feelings, feelings of isolation, and found family stories. I’m also interested in Fantasy that explores similar themes.

Picture Books
I’m dying to find books with really cute hooks like “The Day the Crayons Quit”, or nice messaging like “Not Quite a Narwhal”. I’d love to find a book that brings parents and kids together with language simple enough for a young child to read, but engrossing enough for an adult to enjoy.

The big takeaway here is more queer books by BIPOC and disabled authors!

Submit to Beth:  queryme.online/bethmarshea

Submissions should be emailed to queryme.online/bethmarshea

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