Ryan Amato

Hi there! I’m an assistant editor with the HarperOne Group. I joined HarperCollins in 2022 and right now am looking for projects primarily in adult nonfiction and literary fiction. Overall, I’m a huge champion for work that is international, intercultural, and intersectional, especially those written by LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC authors.

Currently, I am prioritizing nonfiction submissions.

Nonfiction

I am primarily interested in literary memoir, pop culture nonfiction, and general narrative nonfiction.

For memoirs, essay collections, or other personal narratives, I want to consider projects that feel extraordinary. I pay attention mostly to the quality of the writing and how compelling the story is—why this person, why this story? I’d love to come out of reading a memoir either having learned something or feeling changed. Topics that interest me: overcoming grief/loss/trauma, “behind-the-scenes” looks at an industry, queer success stories, intersectional identities, existentialism.

Pop culture nonfiction is more undefined, but I am a huge consumer of books, TV, film, music, short-form video, and general internet/pop culture content. How we interact with each kind of media is really fascinating to me, and I love any deep dives into both broad and niche topics. In this vein, I’d love to see more microhistories or narrative histories of communities, time periods, or culture movements.

Other broad topics that interest me: cults; space travel; paranormal & ghost hunting; exploration; puzzles; video games; grief & death; witchcraft & occult.

Here are some of my favorite nonfiction projects that I would have loved to work on:

• I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED by Jennette McCurdy (2022)
• CRYING IN H MART by Michelle Zauner (2021)
• EDUCATED by Tara Westover (2018)
• HOLA PAPI by John Paul Brammer (2021)
• GAY BAR by Jeremy Atherton Lin (2022)
• BODY WORK by Melissa Febos (2022)

Fiction

Although I am currently more selective with what fiction I am considering, I love fiction and really want to find projects that feel special. At HarperVia, our titles should have a global or cultural perspective in the stories being told. Anything missing that element won’t be a good fit for me, unfortunately. For a better sense of what titles we’re looking for, check out this page.

The broad genres I respond best to are contemporary literary fiction and speculative fiction. Specifically, I like to see books that have energetic, propulsive plots and/or engage in deep exploration of characters and relationships. Commercial and upmarket-leaning books are highly encouraged as well. Check out my list of favorite books below for a good sense of what speaks to me.

I really just love to see stories that highlight specific cultures and communities, even if it’s just a feature and not the main event of the story. Any queer and BIPOC-led stories are a plus.

Some fiction books I think are incredible and would love to work on projects like these:

• TELL ME HOW TO BE by Neel Patel (2021)
• CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (2023)
• MONSTRILIO by Gerardo Sámano Córdova (2023)
• THE PRETTIEST STAR by Carter Sickels (2020)
• MARTYR by Kaveh Akbar (2024)
• LIE WITH ME by Philippe Besson, tr. Molly Ringwald (2019)
• SWIMMING IN THE DARK by Tomasz Jedrowski (2020)
• COEXISTENCE by Billy-Ray Belcourt (2024)
• CRAZY RICH ASIANS by Kevin Kwan (2013)

Things I am probably not a good fit for:

• YA, middle grade, or picture books
• Academic-leaning nonfiction
• Religious projects (excl. those with queer experiences)
• Business & leadership
• Contemporary romance (excl. queer romance)
• High fantasy
• Experimental/absurdism fiction

Note: This is just a brief overview of what I’d like to see. Not all of my interests or considerations are captured here, so if you aren’t sure if something would be a good fit for me, share it anyway!

Agents: If we haven’t met, email me to set up a meeting. Hope to see you in my inbox!

Submission Guidelines

I am only accepting agented submissions for adult nonfiction and fiction only. (Agents: Please contact me with “Submission” in the email subject line.) Any work that is unagented I am unable to consider at this time, and cannot guarantee a response. Thank you!

My contact details are on my Publishers Marketplace page.