Erin Wicks
HarperCollins Publishers
My Manuscript Wish List®
Erin Wicks acquires narrative fiction and nonfiction for the Harper and Harper Perennial lists at HarperCollins Publishers. Her authors include Sarah Gerard (Sunshine State), Karen Rinaldi (The End of Men), Ami McKay (The Witches of New York), Julia Fine (What Should Be Wild), Etaf Rum (The Place an Arrow Shoots From), Bassey Ikpi (Making Friends with Giants), Leslie Mac and Marissa Janae Johnson (So You Wanna Be an Ally), Brian Hart (Trouble No Man), Ian King (An Appetite for Definition) and the estate of Eleanor Clark.
Ultimately, and above all, Erin’s interests lie with strong and urgent voices that tell captivating stories through evocative prose. She looks to bring stories into the world that help evolve our cultural conversations to make the world more open-minded, connective, and just.
This includes a particular interest in books that offer under-represented and multi-cultural perspectives on identity, sexuality, and power (fiction and non-); examinations of emotional trauma and means of catharsis (fiction and non-); literary sci-fi, fantasy, and magical realism that provide insight into contemporary society; explorations of dysfunctional friendships and families; literary historical fiction; narrative-driven nonfiction; and Portuguese-language books that appeal to American audiences. She speaks conversational Brazilian Portuguese.
Prior to her work as an editor Erin was an audiobook producer whose work included the executive production of the Grammy-nominated Yes Please by Amy Poehler and the double Audie Finalist Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cummings. Additionally she developed HarperCollins’ podcast HarperAudio Presents (now called HarperCollins Presents) and has worked on the enhanced e-book and e-book rights teams at HarperCollins.
**Please note that I do not publish genre Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or Erotica; I look for literary takes on these genres that can reach larger readership.
Fun facts about me:
Previously employment includes bookseller at an indie bookstore while in high school and a short-lived stint as a barista spent taking espresso shots, forgetting regular customers’ orders, and making the the world’s worst smoothies.
Born in Anchorage, Alaska; at age five moved to small town Ohio.
Speaks conversational Brazilian Portuguese.
Submission Guidelines
HarperCollins Publishers only accepts agented submissions, but unagented writers are welcome to book a consultation (see below).
Consultations
As a new addition from The Manuscript Academy, #MSWL’s sister company, we are now offering ten-minute e-meetings with a select group of our agents and editors to discuss your work, what you can do better–and how to maximize your chances in the submissions process. You’ll be able to pick from Skype, Hangouts, or a phone call–and, yes, this works internationally. Please see our FAQ, our step-by-step guide to booking your meeting, a list of participating agents and editors–and consider joining our Facebook group, a free, friendly community of writers cheering each other on through this process.
Please note: Meetings are posted once monthly, and then often sell out. If there are meetings available, you’ll see them bolded on the calendar below after clicking “Set Time Zone.”
Want an email when new meetings go up? Click here.
Vital Info
I’d like the next…
The female counter to Between the World and Me.
Isabel Allende, spinning family sagas of generations of Latin American experience from a modern perspective.
Mad Men in book form.
The MaddAddam Trilogy for now.
Memoir as fierce and real and raw and new as any of Mary Karr’s.
Into the Wild featuring a female protagonist.
Caitlin Moran.
Fiction as fantastical and provocative as anything by Helen Oyeyemi.
My favorites include…
Books (in no particular order and could go on forever…): The House of Spirits, The Mothers, Nickel and Dimed, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Never Let Me Go, Salvage the Bones, The Family Fang, The Story of My Teeth, Jane Eyre, Emma, His Dark Material Trilogy, Boy Snow Bird, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Poisonwood Bible, The Color Purple, Lit, The Son, Bird, The Tiger’s Wife, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, We Show What We Have Learned, Fourth of July Creek, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Drink, Between the World and Me, Always Happy Hour, American War, Over for Rockwell, How To Build a Girl
Films: Only Lovers Left Alive, Man on Wire, City of God, Y Tu Mama Tambien, What Happened Miss Simone?, Get Out, Shakespeare in Love, Gilda, Amilie, Roman Holiday, Sunset Blvd., Happy People, Tangerine
TV: Mad Men, Insecure, Game of Thrones, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Arrested Development, Broad City, Weeds
Podcasts: Conversation with People Who Hate Me, Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Yo Is This Racist?, On Being with Krisa Tippett
