Margaret Danko
High Line Literary Collective
My Manuscript Wish List®
Margaret holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Temple University and has studied under best-selling authors of fiction and nonfiction. She received her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing, Archaeological Studies, and Anthropology from Oberlin College. In her free time, she goes on long runs, dabbles in writing weird fiction, and takes excessive photos of her cats.
Fun facts about me:
The cats are named Pepper and Beef. Yes, they are both cartoon characters incarnate. Yes, we are one onion short of a fajita.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to https://querymanager.com/query/margaretdanko
For fiction, please use my Query Manager to submit the pitch, first ten pages, and a bio.
For nonfiction, please send the pitch, bio, and full proposal text via Query Manager.
**Please note that it is now the policy of High Line Literary Collective to only accept Queries via Query Manager. While I make best efforts to respond to all queries, if you have not heard back regarding a query within 12 weeks, please consider this a pass, with my gratitude for the opportunity to read.**
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Contemporary Romance, Contemporary YA, Fantasy YA, Gothic Horror, Health and Wellness, Historical Fantasy, Humor, Illustrated, Literary Fiction, Literary Noir, Magical Realism, Multicultural, Narrative Nonfiction, Nature Writing, Neo-Victorian, Outdoors, Pop Psychology, Pop Science, Psychological Thrillers, Social Issues, Soft Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Suspense, Upmarket Fiction, Upmarket Women's Fiction, YA Historical Fantasy, dark fantasy
I’d like the next…
NONFICTION
- Witchy nonfiction for newcomers, especially Millennials/Gen Z, and/or with an illustrated component, ala The Magick of Birthdays by Hannah Hawthorne and Spells for Change by Frankie Castanea
- Illustrated nonfiction projects, especially spiritual/self-help, pop culture
- Self-help and practical nonfiction like HOW TO KEEP HOUSE WHILE DROWNING by K.C. Davis
- Research-based books (think ATOMIC HABITS but for ADHD/ND folks) or essay collections about the many presentations of neurodiversity, especially in marginalized communities
- WE SHOULD ALL BE MILLIONAIRES for personal finance and small businesses
- Humorous essay collections like Samantha Irby, Issa Rae, and Jenny Lawson
- True Crime like Bad Blood, Furious Hours, and Children of the Flower Moon
- Popular Science titles that engage non-science audiences like Bad Science by Ben Goldacre and Amy Stewart’s The Drunk Botanist; and especially the weird and wacky like Stiff by Mary Roach
- Personal science explorations such as Clean by James Hamblin
- Nature and outdoors books like The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
- Real-talk wellness and mental health like Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
- Memoirs that overlap with any of the above areas of nature/ecology, health/wellness including mental health, science, and humor, as well as political themes, LGBTQ+, and pop culture
- Third-space focused cookbooks like Diasporican by Illyanna Maisonet or other cooking books that inspire new takes on traditional foods
- Memoirs that play with form and style like In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
FICTION
- Fun and quirky romcoms, adult and YA, like To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han, People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, and Red, White, and Royal Blue, especially with unexpected twists or surprising premises
- Voice-driven upmarket fiction like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
- Literary and upmarket family sagas like the Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
- The next Practical Magic
- Adventure novels with strong friendships and sisterhood like The Good Luck Girls
- Historical fiction from a non-Western lens or character like How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
- Upmarket Fiction with a speculative bent like The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
- Historical fiction with a blend of mythology and folklore, ala Circe by Madeline Miller, The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s The Mercies
- Upmarket mystery/thrillers like Liz Moore’s Long Bright River
- Haunted houses for adults like The Haunting of Hill House, Nothing But Blackened Teeth
- Commercial and upmarket horror with a non-Western lens like Mexican Gothic, Nothing But Blackened Teeth
- Literary noir like Good Neighbors by Sara Langan.
- Literary fiction with teeth like Louise Erdrich and Laura Van Den Berg
- Literary horror and suspense like Keith Donahue’s The Boy Who Drew Monsters and Dan Chaon’s Ill Will
- Contemporary or nostalgic YA with strong voice and characterization
- Gripping YA suspense and thrillers in the vein of Firekeeper’s Daughter
- Spooky YA – bonus points for strong female friendships, squad goals, haunted houses, and witches
My favorites include…
The Witcher, The Boys, When They See Us, Dirty John, Schitt’s Creek, Gilmore Girls, Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bones, Avatar: the Last Airbender, The Lord of the Rings, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service (okay, fine, all the Hayao Miyazaki films with Studio Ghibli), My Favorite Murder, This Podcast Will Kill You, Gastropod, Queer Eye (Reboot), Sex Education, the Great British Baking Show, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn 99, Bob’s Burgers, She-Ra, Down to Earth, Crazy Delicious, Sawbones, Dirty John, Hidden Brain
