Brianna Fairman

Hi, I’m Brianna! I’m an Assistant Editor at Putnam, an imprint of Penguin Random House. I’ve been a part of the Putnam team since 2024, after spending a couple of years at MCD. I am actively acquiring fiction across genres in the commercial and upmarket spaces.

What I’m Looking For 

Mystery + Thriller + Suspense: My interest in these categories is very broad. Send me your dark psychological thrillers, your cozy mysteries, your juicy domestic suspense—I want to see it all! Across the board, the key things I’m looking for are a hooky, commercial plot and a fresh, strong voice. I love when it’s zany or darkly humorous, and when there’s an element of spice and/or romance, too. Female-led thrillers that make me say “GOOD FOR HER” are some of my favorites, as are novels that focus on themes of desire, obsession, ambition, loss/regret, and isolation. Bonus points if it explores sisterhood or mother/daughter relationships.

Horror: Unsurprisingly, my horror taste tends to have a lot in common with my thriller taste: I want a killer hook and a premise I can grasp immediately, and then cannot stop thinking about. I’m especially drawn to horror that is either darkly funny or twisty and propulsive with an almost-thriller engine. Give me Gothic vibes, genre-bending, and real scares. If the premise can accurately be described as “bonkers,” it’s probably my thing.

Fantasy: I’m all about escape. I’m less interested in dense lore and elaborate worldbuilding than I am in that magical feeling of being completely transported somewhere else. Which is to say, I can take the worldbuilding if you give me something else that thrills me. Give me magic, adventure, romance, friendship, yearning, found family, magical creatures, curses, destinies—whatever gets me invested in the world and the people in it. I love fantasy that feels digestible, and a voice that feels accessible.

Book Club Fiction: From big-idea, conversation-starting narratives like Earthlings, Yesteryear, The Compound, Remarkably Bright Creatures, and The Midnight Train, to poignant and irreverent Zillennial fiction like Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead, Sky Daddy, Big Swiss, and Margo’s Got Money Troubles, I want to publish books that make me feel and make me think. I am most drawn towards stories that explore self-discovery, loneliness, dating/relationships, and sibling dynamics.

Some Uber-Specific Topics I’d Love a Book About Include:

• Witches
• Time travel — especially with a mystery and/or romance!
• A horror or thriller novel exploring why boy moms are. . . like that
• Body horror, especially queer
• Ethel Cain vibes
• Nathan Fielder vibes
• Phoebe Waller-Bridge vibes
• International/exotic settings, as well as books set in Florida, Appalachia, and other weird, uncanny, or liminal spaces
• Any and everything related to Frankenstein
• Feelings of the sublime — I’m a Romantic at heart

What I’m Not Looking For 

I am not interested in legal, military, or political thrillers. SFF with lots of worldbuilding is probably not for me, and neither is much sci-fi (light twists are okay, but anything in space/with aliens is probably out). And if children come to great harm, it’s a pass for me.

Submission Guidelines

I only accept agented submissions. If you are an author looking to submit your work, please go through an agent!