Josi Beck

I’m the owner and founder of Beck Literary Agency and a USA Today bestselling author writing under the name J.L. Beck.

I represent adult fiction and select young adult fiction, with a passion for bold, unconventional storytelling, diverse voices, and stories that push the boundaries of genre. I’m drawn to books that take risks, challenge expectations, and make me question everything I thought I knew about a genre. Give me the strange, the dark, the romantic, and the wonderfully unexpected. If your manuscript doesn’t fit neatly into a box, there’s a good chance I’ll want to read it.

Wishlist

• Genre-Bending and High-Concept Fiction: Unexpected mashups, unusual concepts, speculative fiction, and stories that make me think, Wait, is that even possible? The more inventive, the better. I especially love manuscripts that defy traditional genre expectations.
• Sports Romance with a Twist: I love sports romance, but I’m looking for something different. Vampires playing football? A supernatural hockey league? Give me a fresh take on a familiar trope.
• Dystopian and Speculative Fiction: Dark, unsettling worlds, morally complex characters, survival, rebellion, and thought-provoking what-if scenarios. I’m especially drawn to unique worldbuilding and high-stakes storytelling.
• Dark Romantic Comedies: Morally questionable characters, twisted humor, unconventional relationships, and a little chaos. I love stories that make me laugh when I probably shouldn’t.
• Psychological Thrillers and Horror: Unreliable narrators, disturbing secrets, shocking twists, gothic horror, supernatural terror, and stories that leave me questioning everything. I’m especially interested in dark, character-driven suspense with unconventional premises.
• Dark Fantasy, Romantasy, and Supernatural Romance: Dark magic, dangerous bargains, morally gray love interests, forbidden romance, monsters, and haunting gothic atmospheres. Grim Reaper romance? Absolutely. I want imaginative worlds and love stories that aren’t afraid to venture into the strange or macabre.
• Queer Romance, Diverse Voices, and Nontraditional Relationships: I want authentic stories from marginalized and underrepresented voices, queer love stories across genres, and relationships that challenge conventional expectations. Give me complicated characters, fresh perspectives, and love in all its forms.
• The Unclassifiable: That manuscript you’ve been told is too weird, too different, or doesn’t fit the market? I want to hear about it. Some of the best stories are the ones that refuse to follow the rules.

Updated: 11/10/26

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to submissions@beckliterary.com

We welcome submissions from both traditionally published and independently published authors.

Please email your submission to su*********@**********ry.com.

Your submission should include:

• Query Letter: Introduce yourself and your manuscript, including the genre, word count, and a brief synopsis or pitch.
• First Three Chapters: Paste the first three chapters of your manuscript directly into the body of your email.

Please do not send attachments. All submission materials must be included in the body of your email.

While I would love to respond to every query I receive, the volume of submissions makes that impossible. As a result, I will only respond to queries that I am interested in pursuing further.

If you have not received a response within eight weeks of submitting, please consider it a pass on your manuscript.

Thank you for considering Beck Literary Agency. I appreciate the time, creativity, and dedication that go into every submission.