Laura Zats

Headwater Literary Management

My Manuscript Wish List®

LAURA’S REPRESENTATIVE CATEGORIES:

YA
Science fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
Romance
Mystery/Thriller
Literary fiction with speculative elements
Select contemporary and historical fiction

I am actively looking to flesh out the adult side of my list but am always excited to read YA. I particularly love to work on books that appeal to readers of different genres or subgenres—if you’re querying something that crosses multiple areas of my list, I want to see it!

YA

I’m interested in reading about standout characters I’ve never met before, clever twists on familiar themes, and compassionate writing. I’m also very interested in seeing marginalized creators take on “tired” tropes.

I’m not interested in dystopia/big government stories, but I’m very much open to anything else. This is a category where I don’t quite know what I want until I see it, so take the above and run with it!

ROMANCE

I gravitate towards tropes that build conflict from the roles and expectations a character brings with them at the start of the book—think enemies (or rivals) to lovers, fake relationship, and coworkers. Put another way, I like the tension to come from forces outside the relationship versus forces inside the relationship (like accidental pregnancy, love triangle, miscommunication, etc.) Feel free to query me with contemporary romance, historical romance, romance with speculative elements, and romance in speculative settings.

I’m not a good fit for Christian romance. I will also not be a good fit for you if you describe your romance as “clean.”

I unintentionally work primarily with LGBTQ+ romance and am always excited to add more to my list in all subgenres! I particularly would love to see more f/f and would love more nb or trans characters.

MYSTERY/THRILLER

I am particularly looking for series or standalone books that bring something fresh to the genre. For example, I’d love to see projects that play with romance or speculative fiction tropes as much as traditional mystery tropes, or that feature antiheroes. I am actively looking for projects that feature a BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ protagonist.

I am interested in mysteries and thrillers in contemporary, historical, and speculative settings. I am particularly drawn to cozy mysteries, thrillers that are built around long-standing relationships and unspool slowly and deliberately (a la Lucy Foley), and anything with Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher vibes.

I am not a good fit for police/law enforcement heroes or love interests. I am also not a good fit for plots that include gaslighting of female characters.

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/HORROR

SFF will always be my first love, and as such, I’m very open to all subgenres, as well as horror. However, submitted projects must pass the Bechdel and/or the Mako Mori test.

Forever loves for me are heists/cons, fantasy that taps into gaming culture/fandom, witches, and reluctant, flawed heroes. I prefer to see traditional settings and tropes twisted on their heads. I’m drawn to seeing progressive, community-focused politics in my SFF and would love to have more decolonized worlds come across my desk.

I am less interested in dystopian/big gov stories, superheroes, steampunk, military SFF, and traditional Tolkien-esque high fantasy, but still willing to look at these books if they’re doing something new or have a twist.

LITERARY FICTION WITH SPECULATIVE ELEMENTS

The primary distinction between literary fiction with speculative elements and general SFF is usually a matter of sales, not content. I’m separating this section out only in the event that you, the reader, haven’t considered querying agents who rep SFF!

I’m looking for a wide range of speculative elements here—from something as fantastical as the Cthulhu monsters in LOVECRAFT COUNTRY to something as subtle as the earth’s slowing rotation backdrop in THE AGE OF MIRACLES.

SELECT CONTEMPORARY AND HISTORICAL FICTION

I am looking for historical fiction with LGBTQ+ and/or BIPOC main characters.

I am also looking for historical and contemporary fiction that isn’t actually speculative but either feels adjacent to SFF (like LITTLE by Edward Carey) or appeals to related fandoms (like A STUDY IN SCARLET WOMEN by Sherry Thomas)

Fun facts about me:

Away from screens, I spend my time doing embroidery, weaving tapestries, and playing various ttrpgs. In another life, I’d be extremely happy cooking and/or baking as a career and I am proud to announce that I have finally learned how to recreate my grandmother’s brisket recipe (I am still working on my great-grandmother’s hamentaschen). Multiple people have independently identified that if I were an animal, I’d be a European badger (whether they were thinking of Brian Jacques-style or Russell Hoban-style, I do not know). My tattoo artist says I am one of the best sitters he has ever had.

Submission Guidelines

Submit query and first three chapters to https://querymanager.com/query/laura_headwaterliterary

Guidelines & Details

Consultations

As a new addition from The Manuscript Academy, #MSWL’s educational sister company, we are now offering ten-minute e-consultations (ask about your query, your first page, why you’re getting form rejections–or just ask your general publishing questions) and written critiques with a select group of our agents and editors. You’ll be able to pick from Skype, Hangouts, or a phone call–and, yes, this works internationally–or simply receive an email with your detailed written notes.

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.” Click here to get an email when new meetings go live.