Char Dreyer

After collecting lots of other work and life experience (which includes but is not limited to: podcast production, bookselling, soccer coaching, bamboo cabin building, living in Chile, Spain, and Mexico, non-profit work, 30 day thru-hiking, and sheep farming), I joined St. Martin’s Publishing Group in January of 2024. Here, I am actively building my own list and assisting Associate Publisher and VP of Wednesday and Saturday Books, Eileen Rothschild.

I acquire both YA and adult (though I am currently focused on adult) commercial and upmarket speculative stories with a strong, smart plot and voice. I love starting a book and feeling like I need to jog to keep up with whatever’s going on. I love thinking I’ve finally figured it out, before a twist completely destabilizes me. I’m looking for fast-paced, diverse adventures and curios I don’t see coming, balanced by great dialogue, satirical cuts, and a well-turned phrase or two. I’m very drawn to characters who are forced to make impossible decisions, leaving readers debating what we would have done in their place.

More specific things I’m looking for: 

• Stories that take place (at least partially) outside and/or feature the land as a strong central character
• Sharp writing married to commercial premise and plot
• Strong speculative / curio elements
• A central adventure, quest, or mission 
• Apocalyptic worlds 
• Use of time in an interesting way, whether for structure or within the plot itself 
• BIG TWISTS! (Not necessarily just in thrillers) 
• A focus on the power of linguistics and language 
• Stories that operate around community and found family (rather than just the nuclear family) 
• Stories that center Indigenous voices and narratives 

Adult examples of one/more of these themes: 

• STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
• LAND OF MILK AND HONEY by C Pam Zhang
• NICKEL BOYS by Colson Whitehead
• NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuro Ishiguro
• ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD by Eiren Caffall
• THE CENTRE by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
• THE MINISTRY OF TIME by Kaliane Bradley 
• THE POWER by Naomi Alderman 
• EMPIRE OF WILD by Cherie Dimaline
• WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME by Gillian McAllister
• GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore

In terms of non-fiction, I would never say no to reading a proposal about:

• Survivor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Narrative, outdoor adventures with a strong sense of voice that features a diverse perspective, rather than a white guy in the woods (No offense to Bill Bryson!) 
• Sociological criticisms or calls to rethink elements of our lives, like BULLSHIT JOBS and THE DAWN OF EVERYTHING by David Graeber, SAVING TIME and HOW TO DO NOTHING by Jenny Odell, BRAIDING SWEETGRASS by Robin Wall Kimmerer, or MORE by Molly Roden Winter. 
• Pop anticapitalism (Let’s make it a thing!)
• Creatives explaining their process and giving glimpses into their lives, like BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert

I am not a good fit for: 

• Animal abuse/death 
• Intense body horror
• Contemporary romance
• High fantasy

Submission Guidelines

At this time, I am only accepting agented queries.