Elana Roth Parker

My Manuscript Wish List

The big picture: I specialize in children’s and young adult books, and am now expanding my list into adult contemporary, commercial fiction. To that end, I’m looking for commercial-leaning middle-grade, young adult, and adult novels.

GENERAL: My tastes run more commercial than literary, so I’m mainly looking for high-concept or commercial-leaning novels. That means good plots and good twists. I like to say my tastes lie at the intersection of timeless and fresh. For examples, I represent Kiera Cass, Alexa Donne, Gina Chen, and Anna Bright. All write things I would describe as delicious and fun and escapist.

Above all else I’m looking for a strong plot (make me keep turning pages, please) told by a strong voice. I want books that I can come back to over and over again. I read to escape, not to get punched in the face, so take me far away with an irresistible voice, but don’t make me suffer along the way.

Fiction keywords: imagination, escapism, nerdy inspiration, high emotional stakes, diverse, plot-driven, heartfelt.

MIDDLE GRADE: I tend to like the funny, mad-cap-adventure type of middle-grade story. I love stories about kids who find out their worlds have a magic twist they didn’t know about. I love friendship stories. I love family stories. I’m here for a juicy series. I want to come away from a middle-grade novel feeling like I went on a great adventure with kids who learned something about themselves along the way.

YA: I’m always here for romantic tropes (enemies to lovers, love triangles, fake dating, etc.), big sweeping feelings, really well-drawn worlds, and a great twist. A sense of humor (or at least, wit) is a plus. Stories that know how to adapt the well-established literary traditions in a new way.

ADULT: I’m looking to add commercial, contemporary rom-com, romance, and mystery/thriller to my list. Similar to my young adult list, I am looking for fun, gripping, escapist reads with strong hooks. I’m open to SF/F but on the commercial side—contemporary, speculative, cozy fantasy, cozy sci-fi, etc.

Books I’ve enjoyed lately have been: THE STAND-IN by Lily Chu, DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jessie Sutanto, THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman, FUNNY STORY by Emily Henry, THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley, EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE by Benjamin Stevenson.

**DO NOT SEND ME: Christmas stories, talking animal books, or anything gory/nightmare-inducing.

I started quilting during the pandemic and never stopped!

Submission Guidelines….

Please visit: https://QueryManager.com/queryelana

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