Nour Sallam

Hello! I’m a literary agent with The Caldwell Agency representing fiction and non-fiction for adults.

FICTION 

I’m seeking commercial and upmarket fiction titles with a high concept pitch in a variety of genres (listed below). Generally, I’m drawn to characters that are haunted by something, whether figuratively (a secret, a past, an obsession) or literally (a ghost, a monster, an object). I’m especially looking for character-driven stories featuring women in power, unhinged women, and stories of female rage. I have a soft spot for unreliable narrators, family sagas with dysfunctional families, and stories that focus on friendship dynamics (whether sweet or sinister). I am also drawn to fun and joyful titles that explore the diverse experiences of underrepresented groups and challenge our understanding of diasporic cultures or experiences.

Genres: 

• Upmarket fiction

• Commercial fiction

• Women’s fiction*

• Horror*

• Mystery*

• Thriller*

• Rom-coms*

• Extremely grounded speculative fiction

• Re-imagined folklore (grounded in a modern setting and with contemporary elements)

• Select historical fiction* (note: I’m only interested in historical settings from the 1960s and onwards)

* Welcoming books in these genres with characters of all backgrounds, but especially seeking books featuring BIPOC characters.

NONFICTION 

For nonfiction, I welcome both narrative and prescriptive books with fresh and accessible perspectives. I’m interested in big-idea books, industry deep dives, business, health, and self-help, as well as personal narratives on pop culture, art, and nature. I love and appreciate books that offer incisive commentary on culture, socio-economic structures, and corporate underbellies. My taste in nonfiction is broad; I gravitate towards books that generally challenge what we know or explain what we might not know.

Genres: 

• Cultural criticism

• Memoir plus / hybrid memoir

• Psychology

• Narrative journalism

• Big idea/concept books made accessible (financial literacy, tech, industry deep-dives, climate change, nature, etc.)

• Pop culture

• Health & Wellness

• Self-help (subtle self-help or self-help with crossover potential)

• Business books for a millennial / Gen Z audience

• Cookbooks

• Lifestyle

I’M NOT A GOOD FIT FOR / THE EXCEPTIONS:

• Sci-fi

• Fantasy

• New adult

• Any kidlit: Picture books, Middle Grade, and YA.

• Novellas

• Poetry

• Traditional memoir (I’m only seeking memoir plus)

• Historical fiction focused on WWI, WWII or Cold War conspiracies and/or spy-adjacent books.

• Political and/or espionage mysteries or thrillers

• True crime

• Spirituality

• Trauma-heavy books in any genre that center wars or civil conflicts

• Books in any genre that feature physical or sexual child abuse

• Mafia romance (though I love all other subgenres of romance!)

• While I’m open to speculative fiction that is one step removed from our world, I’m not a fit for stories with heavier world-building.

Especially seeking: 

• BIPOC-centered narratives in these genres: horror, mystery, and thriller.

• A propulsive novel-in-stories where the characters are connected through one event, place, or person.

• The “unhinged woman” narrative with BIPOC characters.

• Anything that you can read to the soundtrack of  Taylor Swift’s Reputation album.

• Social Horror: Horror novels with a big layer and/or critique on class, society, or social dynamics.

• An intersectional examination of younger generations’ relationship to work.

• A study of the corporatization of self-care (either in nonfiction or fiction!).

• Stories inspired by cultural superstitions. I would especially love a horror inspired by the evil eye!

• Joyful and/or humorous Arab stories.

• A lifestyle book and/or a cookbook on hosting.

Tropes I love:

• Found family

• Setting as character

• A slow burn will they/won’t they romance

• A second chance relationship (romantic or otherwise!)

• Murder mysteries with a villainous victim. Think Lucy Foley’s THE GUEST LIST. 

• Friends to lovers

• Female coming-of-rage

• Contained settings in any genre: small towns, tight-knit neighborhoods, isolated estates, secret societies, etc.

Submission Guidelines

Please visit my website noursallam.com for submission guidelines. I aim to respond to all queries, even if it’s a pass, within 8-10 weeks.

Guidelines & Details