Juliana McBride
Fine Print Literary Management
My Manuscript Wish List®
I represent authors who write adult literary, upmarket, and commercial fiction as well as young adult fiction.
At the moment what I’m looking for is upmarket or bookclub fiction with a good hook and a strong voice. While all parts of a story should be in harmony, voice over plot. Most of all I’m always on the lookout for stories that let me view the world through a new lens, and deeply explore relationships of all kinds. I’m not afraid of b plots, speculative or otherwise. Â It could have an element mystery or suspense, or thriller or romance or fantasy. Â I enjoy unique and nuanced romance, especially good dialogue and banter- but it truly has to feel fresh different, which is quite hard to do. Â While I enjoy a speculative angle or hook, I am not looking for straight up fantasy or any kind of science fiction at the moment. I admit I’m a bit of a sucker for magic, but again, it has to be truly grounded in a contemporary setting if it’s there.
I’m a little full up on YA, but similar to my tastes in adult, I enjoy stories that let me see the world through a new lens. Also like my adult tastes, I enjoy speculative elements in YA storytelling, and have a bit more leeway here in regards to fantasy. Â In children’s literature, it’s especially important that the teen voice is authentic. Twisty dark academia, romance b plots, fresh and compelling hooks- with clear and beautiful prose will all certainly get my attention.
I love stories that take place in parts of the world or a time period not often explored, and I’m always looking for fresh new voices and underrepresented narratives.
Regardless of genre the characters in your story have to be compelling and real, and the storyline not only believable but something I can’t put down. Don’t underestate emotional stakes and pacing. While I’m a fan of high-stakes as much as the next person- especially in terms of launching the beginning of a book, I think there is still a lot to be said for subtlety and economy of prose in the age of quick fixes.
All of the above aside, you can SURPRISE ME! Â These wishlists are always so hard because I have so many exceptions to my “rules”. Â If you think your manuscript might surprise and delight please please please send your query.
Fun facts about me:
I spent the first decade of my working life in book publishing, the second decade in the wine industry, and for this third decade of my employ I’m back on the other side of the book business and couldn’t be happier.
Submission Guidelines
Please submit your query via my querymanager: https://querymanager.com/query/JulianaMcBride
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Accessible Literary Fiction, Adult Rom Com, BIPOC, Books about books, Commercial Women's Fiction, Commercial YA, Commercial adult fiction, Commercial and Literary, Complicated Relationships, Contemporary Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary Young Adult, Cozy Fantasy, Cozy Mystery, Cozy mysteries, Cross-genre, Dark Female Friendships, Dark topics with a light touch, Diaspora Narratives, Domestic Fiction, Domestic Suspense/Thriller, Fairytale Retellings, Family Drama, Fantasy Grounded in Reality, Fantasy YA, Female Friendships, Feminism, Found Families, Gothic Horror, Grounded, Grounded fantasy, Hauntings, High Concept, High-Concept Literary Commercial Fiction, High-concept YA, Historical Fantasy; Fantasy Grounded In Reality, Historical Women's Fiction, Intersectionality, Layered Family Stories with multiple narrators, Layered Rom-Coms and Comedy of Manners with a cultural component, Literary Crossover, Literary Fiction, Literary Middle Grade, Low Fantasy, Magic, Magical Realism, Magical Realism YA, Marginalized Voices, Modern Dating, Modern Retellings of Fairy Tales, Modernized Mythologies, Mothers and Daughters, Multicultural, Multicultural Romance, Multicultural and Diverse Thriller and Mystery, Multigenerational, Multiple POV, New Adult, Political Thriller, Psychological Thrillers, Relationships, Retellings, Romantic Comedy, Slice of life, Smart Beach Reads, Speculative Fiction, Tarot, Thrillers, Underrepresented Voices, Upmarket Commercial Fiction, Upmarket Fiction, Upmarket Women's Fiction, Upmarket YA, Women's Fiction, Women's Issues, YA Contemporary, YA Contemporary Romance, YA Contemporary Romance with layers, YA Mystery, YA Rom-Coms, YA Romantasy, YA horror, YA thriller/mystery, Young Adult, award-winners!, beach reads, book club fiction, campus novel, character-focused fiction, classic retellings, coming of age, commerical women's fiction, contemporary, contemporary women's fiction, crossover, crossover adult, crossover appeal, dark academia, diverse and own voices, diverse voices, dramedy, fairy tales, family saga, family stories, fantastical, feminine narratives, friendship stories, gothic romance, high concept fiction, international, literary, love stories, non-Western historical fiction, rivals to lovers, slow burn, whimsical, witchcraft, witty
I’d like the next…
A Gentleman in Moscow, Heart the Lover, Legend & Lattes, Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, The Ministry of Time
