Paige Wheeler

Hello, fellow book lovers!

I’ve been in publishing for over twenty years, and I still get a thrill when a manuscript grabs me by the collar. I started out as an editor, moved into TV and book representation at Artists Agency, and then helped build Folio Literary Management as a founding partner. Eventually I started Creative Media Agency to focus on the boutique representation experience, driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and a love of discovering exceptional stories.

I’ve been lucky to work with New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestsellers, and I’m always on the hunt for the next one.

Here’s what you should know about me: I’m not a “send it out and hope” kind of agent. I’m in your corner for the long haul. I’ll champion your voice, push for your book, and probably talk about it at dinner parties until my friends beg me to stop. If I can’t stop talking about your project, that’s how you know I’m the right agent for it.

What makes me sit up straight

• Upscale and commercial fiction
• Practical and narrative nonfiction
• A high concept that makes me say “why didn’t I think of that?”
• A fresh voice I’d recognize on the page with the cover torn off
• Stories that are built, not just written: smart, well-organized journeys where every turn feels intentional

If that sounds like your book, I’d love to hear from you.

adult

• • Women’s Fiction (I’d like great relatable books like Laurie Gilman’s Class Mom, and I want something suspenseful like Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, or a story focusing on that in-between stage for women like All Fours by Miranda July)
  • Book Club Fiction (I’d love to see the next The Wedding People , The God of the Woods,  Wild Dark Shore)
  • Romance
    • Contemporary (I want to be utterly charmed by book like Emily Henry’s Book Lovers (of course); Carly Fortune’s One Golden Summer, or) BK Borison’s First Time Caller).
  • Crime Fiction (I’d love to read a manuscript in the vein of SA Cosby’s King of Ashes, God of the Woods by Liz Moore, Holly Jackson’s Not Quite Dead Yet, or BA Parris’ Behind Closed Doors.)
    • Mystery
    • Thriller
    • Suspense
  • Nonfiction
    • Memoir (Aspirational such as The Blueberry Years, Under the Tuscan Sun, Black Ghosts, The Lost Girls, Wild)
    • Narrative (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Seabiscuit, Grit, Quiet)
    • Women’s Issues (I want to be inspired by books like Girl Wash Your Face , Brave not Perfect, YOU are a Badass, The Art of Letting Go, Untamed)
    • Business/Entrepreneurship (Rising Together, Intentional, Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office)
    • Practical Nonfiction (Home, Science, Self Help, Parenting, Pop Reference; I want to learn something from projects like Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman or The Let Them Theory)

young adult/children’s

• • Young Adult
    • Contemporary (books by Jenny Han, Sarah Dessen)
    • Mystery (like One of Us is Lying, Good Girls Guide to Murder)
    • Dystopian (Hunger Games, An Ocean Apart, Last Bookstore on Earth)
  • Middle Grade
    • Contemporary (Candle Island, The Crossover, Wonder)
    • Mystery (Escape from Mr. Limoncello’s Library, Benny on the Case, Trixie Belden series from long ago)
    • Fantasy (The Library of Ever, Cincinnati Lee, Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls)

In short, I want something with a high concept, terrific voice, and written so well that I just can’t put it down. That’s not too difficult, right? I’m passionate about helping my clients achieve their dreams of becoming a published author with successful career ahead of them. I look forward to reading your work!

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to https://querymanager.com/query/pwheeler

CMA now only accepts queries through each agent’s individual Query Manager accounts. 

Paige Wheeler: Wish List | https://querymanager.com/query/pwheeler

Guidelines & Details