Roger Copenhaver
Yes & Literary
My Manuscript Wish List®
Hi! I’m Roger and I’m the founder of Yes & Literary, launched in April 2025. My pronouns are he/they and I’m a gender non-conforming nerd who’s passionate about books, video games, and am quite the foodie.
Yes & is a literary agency dedicated to amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices and other marginalized storytellers I created the agency embracing the concept of Yes & understanding that queer experiences are not singular but rather we all have unique lived experiences and individuals stories that help shape the stories we tell.
I previously worked in house for five years at Amazon Publishing and was involved in our largest and most complex negotiations with editorial and design firms, image stock houses, font foundries, and other creative service providers. I led our vendor management group and coached others in the art of negotiation. I supported projects for new and emerging authors to best selling and celebrity authors. I’m excited to leverage those skills to help advocate for the best possible deals for authors I represent. After my time at Amazon Publishing, I made a small pivot and spent a year helping launch Prime Video in new countries around the world. Eventually, I realized how much I missed books and working in publishing and in 2024 started freelancing and helping authors through the self-publishing process.
I love books across genres and am interested in reviewing queries across genres as well. My focus is making sure queer authors and storytellers are heard but I’m always interested in hearing from authors that have a story to tell that makes a statement about who we are as people and the world we live in.
Some of my favorite books I’ve ready in the last few years have included The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin, Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, Pet by Akwaeke Emezi, Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness, What If It’s Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli, There There by Tommy Orange, and Sourdough by Robin Sloan.
Fun facts about me:
I’m a big gamer and Teamfight Tactics is my current go-to, but I play a variety of games.
I love good food and whiskey, specifically bourbon. Weller 107 is a favorite.
I used to compete and the coach competitive collegiate debate at the highest levels.
Submission Guidelines
Complete the query form linked.
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
"Big Idea/Think", #ownvoices, #wndb, 1800s+ historical, AAPI Fantasy, Accessible Literary Fiction, Action-Adventure, Activism, Adult, Adult Rom Com, Adult Romantasy, Adult SFF, Adventure, African Diaspora, African Fantasy, African Sci-Fi, Africanfuturism, Apocalyptic, Asian Diaspora, Asian Fantasy, Asian Sci-Fi, BIPOC, BIPOC Fantasy, BIPOC Mystery, BIPOC Sci-Fi, Biography, Biography & Memoir, Category Romance, Classic retellings with BIPOC characters, Climate Fiction, Commercial YA, Commercial adult fiction, Commercial and Literary, Complicated Relationships, Contemporary Culture, Contemporary Fantasy, Contemporary Inspirational Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary YA, Contemporary Young Adult, Cozy Fantasy, Cultural Criticism, Cyberpunk, Dark Female Friendships, Dark Humor, Dark topics with a light touch, Disability, Diverse Protagonists, Diversity, Educational, Engaged Activism, Fairytale Retellings, Fantasy, Fantasy Grounded in Reality, Fantasy YA, Feminism, Feminist, Feminist SF/F, Femoir, Gaming, Geek Culture, High-Concept Literary Commercial Fiction, High-concept YA, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction YA, Historical RomCom, Humor, Immigrant Voices, Indigenous Futurism, Indigenous Sciences, Inspirational, Inspirational Fiction, Intersectional Feminism, Intersectionality, Issue-Driven, LGBT YA, LGBTQ Contemporary, LGBTQ Romance, LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ Fantasy, LGBTQ+ Sci-Fi, LGBTQ+ rom coms, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIAP, Latine Diaspora, Latinx Fantasy, Latinx Sci-Fi, Latinx stories, Literary Crossover, Literary Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Literary Science Fiction, Literary YA, Magic, Magic Realism, Magical Realism, Magical Realism YA, Marginalized Voices, Mental Health, Mind/Body/Spirit, Minority Voices, Modern Dating, Modern Retellings of Fairy Tales, Monsters, Multicultural, Multicultural Romance, Narrative Nonfiction, Neurodiversity, New Adult, Occult, POC, Personal Development, Politics/Current Affairs, Pop Culture, Pop History, Racial Justice, Relationships, Religion, Rom-com, RomCom, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Drama, Same-Sex Romance, Science Fiction YA, Self-help, Sexuality, Short Stories, Social Issues, Social Justice, Social Science, Speculative, Speculative Fiction, Spirituality, Strong Females, Supernatural, Supernatural Elements, Time Travel, Transformative Justice, Trauma, Underrepresented Voices, Upmarket Commercial Fiction, Upmarket Fiction, Upmarket Nonfiction, Upmarket YA, Urban Fantasy, Wisdom, YA, YA Contemporary, YA Contemporary Romance, YA Contemporary Romance with layers, YA Crossover, YA Fantasy, YA fantasy/light sci-fi, YA memoir, Young Adult, advice, afrofuturism, alternate history, animal fantasy, anthology, anti-capitalist sci fi, beach reads, book club fiction, celebrity, children's diversity, commercial, contemporary, cook book, current affairs, dark fantasy, diverse and own voices, diverse heroines, diverse voices, enemies to lovers, fairy tales, faith-based stories, feminine narratives, friendship, friendship stories, gender, historical romance, immigration, indigenous futurisms, invisible disability, light Sci-Fi, light fantasy, literary, literary suspense, love stories, memoir, migration, narrative non-fiction, non-Western fantasy, non-Western historical fiction, non-western settings, nonfiction, queer, queer narratives, realistic fiction, rom-coms, romantacy, romantic New Adult, sci-fi, science fiction, sweet romance, upmarket genre fiction, visible disability, weird fiction, witches
I’d like the next…
The City We Became by: N.K. Jemisin
Annihilation by: Jeff VanderMeer
Over the Top by: Jonathan Van Ness
They Both Die at the End by: Adam Silvera
Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by: Bob the Drag Queen
Red, White, & Royal Blue by: Casey McQuiston
The Frame-Up by: Meghan Scott Molin
Pet by: Akwaeke Emezi
There There by: Tommy Orange
Wolf Song by: TJ Klune
All Boys Aren’t Blue by: George M. Johnson
My favorites include…
Books:
The City We Became by: N.K. Jemisin
Sourdough by: Robin Sloan
There There by: Tommy Orange
Eragon by: Christopher Paolini
Game of Thrones by: George R.R. Martin
The Wize Wize Beasts of Wizarding Wizdoms by: Nagabe
Film & TV:
The Devil Wears Prada
Game of Thrones
The Menu
Crazy Rich Asians
White Lotus
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Sense8
Heartstopper
Theatre:
Hadestown
Into the Woods
Waitress
Torch Song
Wicked
Dear Evan Hansen
The Prom
The Bands Visit
