Kenli Manning

I am only accepting agented submissions at this time!

Hi there! As an Assistant Editor at Bloomsbury, I’m looking for a variety of projects in the adult fiction category, with a smaller, more specialized interest in nonfiction projects. I’m eager for stories that are by and about traditionally underrepresented communities.

Fiction

Fantasy
I read broadly in the fantasy genre, with love for sweeping epics, light magical realism, and everything in between. I’m ideally looking for novels that center on unique magic systems and have extensive worldbuilding, strong female protagonists, dragons, gothic settings, morally complex and dynamic characters, and stories inspired by diverse mythology and cultures.

Examples include anything by Brandon Sanderson and Madeline Miller, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, The Poppy War and Babel by R.F. Kuang, Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi, Weyward by Emilia Hart, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, and Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

I am very picky about romantasy, and typically prefer a “fantasy first, romance second” mentality.

Literary Fiction
In literary fiction, I’m looking for novels that explore themes of belonging, desire, insecurity, loneliness, female friendship, and sexuality, especially if they do so in a surreal way. Send me weird books–please.

Examples include Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Otessa Moshfegh, Normal People by Sally Rooney, Bunny by Mona Awad, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Secret History by Donna Tart, and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield.

Science Fiction
Everything that I like in fantasy generally applies to science fiction, but I’m not the biggest fan of hard sci-fi or military sci-fi. I’m a bit more particular about sci-fi, looking for an emphasis on literary writing rather than genre. I’m ideally looking for science fiction novels that center on artificial intelligence and the examination of loneliness in our society, near or far future dystopias that grapple with complex questions, and books that promote climate change activism by exploring the “what if.”

Examples include This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, and Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Nonfiction

I’m interested in historical narratives about women and works that focus on mental health, race, or sexuality.

Examples include Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski, anything by Jenny Lawson, The Dark Queens by Shelley Puhak, and celebrity memoirs like I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner.

Probably Not the Best for Me

• Mystery, Thriller, or Suspense
• Political Science
• Cookbooks / Food Writing
• Hardcore Horror
• Romance (including Erotica)