Meg Wheeler
Westwood Creative Artists
My Manuscript Wish List®
I have been with Westwood Creative Artists in various roles since 2015, but I started building a list in late 2018. Because I wear two hats (agent and international rights director), my list is small but growing slowly. I and WCA are based in Toronto, Canada and I strongly prefer submissions from Canadian writers — and more particularly, from writers who continue to be underrepresented in the Canadian publishing landscape: BIPOC authors, authors who are part of the queer community, and chronically ill/disabled authors. Please do not disclose your identities when querying me if you are not comfortable doing so, but should you wish to please feel free.
Fiction
My tastes in fiction are broad; I am interested in fiction that falls anywhere across the literary/commercial spectrum. I’m keen for sweeping family sagas (à la Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi), fiction about immigration and diasporas (à la Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue), beach reads, crime (but only if the main characters are not police figures) and thrillers that have didn’t-see-that-coming twists, romcoms, and historical fiction. I enjoy magical or speculative elements in my fiction (à la Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life or the lore in Eden Robinson’s Trickster series, or Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waub Rice or Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, or The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh), but I’m not the agent for fantasy or sci-fi; I like my novels to be set in our world and on our planet, present or past – or the not-too-distant future (à la Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel).
I am accepting short story manuscripts, though I am very selective in this area.
Non-fiction
I love non-fiction that teaches me about a subject I hadn’t spent much time thinking about before. I’m very interested in current affairs, soft science, extremely well-researched and investigative true crime, and politics. I will consider memoir and cookbooks, but very selectively.
At this time, I am not accepting submissions for picture books, middle grade books, YA, graphic novels, or poetry.
A bit about me
I live with my partner and our gentle giant of a mutt. I grew up in small town Ontario, came to Toronto for my undergrad, spent a year abroad pursuing a graduate degree, then returned to Toronto – I’ve been here for 15 years all told. When I’m not reading or watching excessive amounts of TV, I can usually be found camping, volunteering with our dog (she’s a registered therapy dog), rooting for the Toronto Blue Jays, or cooking up something delicious in the kitchen. I am also a member of the planning team at the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD).
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to submissions@wcaltd.com
Please follow WCA’s submission guidelines and provide the following.
- your credentials/bio and contact information
- any relevant social media handles
- a brief synopsis of your work
- a writing sample of ten to twenty pages, sent within the body of the email (not as an attachment, please!)
- prior submission history for the project
- for graphic or illustrated projects, please also provide an art sample if one is available
Our agents bring their unique interests to their individual client lists, and we encourage you to familiarize yourself with what each of us is prioritizing when it comes to new submissions. Generally speaking, we are looking for authors who have a mastery of language, a passionate, expert or original perspective on their subject, and a gift for storytelling. We very much welcome submissions from authors from diverse backgrounds and from prospective clients whose perspectives have traditionally been underrepresented in publishing. Though it isn’t strictly necessary, a demonstrated ability to connect with readers, whether by social media platform or other means, is greatly valued by publishers, and therefore by us as well.
WCA represents:
- literary and quality commercial fiction for adults and young adults
- a wide range of narrative non-fiction
- a limited range of practical non-fiction, including cookbooks
- select graphic novels and other illustrated works for all age categories
- high quality writing and illustration for children
Please note that WCA does not represent screenwriters, playwrights or poets, and that we are proud to specialize in representing Canadian authors.
Send all queries to: submissions@wcaltd.com
Please note that we only accept electronic submissions.
If you believe your query is best suited for a particular agent please include their name in the subject line of your email. Like you, our agents have their own tastes. We encourage you to refer to the agent bios to determine which agent might be the best recipient of your submission. Please do not query more than one agent at the agency simultaneously, and please only submit one work at a time (until we have had a chance to review and respond to your first query).
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Diversity, LGBTQ+, Literary Fiction, Multiple POV, Narrative Nonfiction, Pop Psychology, Psychological Thrillers, Relationships, Romantic Suspense, Social Issues, True Crime, Upmarket Women's Fiction, beach reads, current affairs, historical, immigration, memoir, narrative non-fiction, soft science
I’d like the next…
My favorites include…
Films and TV shows I’ve watched recently and enjoyed are White Lotus, Fleishman is in Trouble, Bad Sisters (a real favourite), Ted Lasso, Slo Pitch, Women Talking, The Lincoln Lawyer (the new Netflix series but the movie is good, too), Knives Out, Shrill, Get Out, The Great British Bake-Off.
Recent-ish favourite books include both Homegoing and Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, Grown Ups by Marian Keyes, Rebent Sinner by Ivan Coyote, This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub, Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola, The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, Unreconciled by Jesse Wente, Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi, Brother by David Chariandy, Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez, Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta, both Lanny and Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter, Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, Dear America by Jose Antonio Vargas, Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice, I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O’Farrell, Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga, and The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr.
