Samia Garcia-Fakih

Samia Fakih is a Lebanese-American assistant editor at First Second, with a BFA in Studio Art and MFA in Comics. In addition to her editorial job, she paints and writes, and loves talking about the creative process. With her background in art, she is very good at helping authors figure out the best work flow for them

For her list, she is seeking graphic novels exclusively. She has a particular interest in young adult, “new adult” and middle grade fiction and nonfiction. Samia is open to all genres but specifically is looking for contemporary stories, as well as romance, drama, dramedy, or magical realism. She loves stories that blend emotion, humor, and drama, and believes in working on books that teach emotional intelligence and empathy.

As a die-hard shojo fan, and period drama enthusiast, her favorite theme to work in (that doesn’t come up that often) is romance and interpersonal relationships and friendships. She also loves working on books that include themes of gender identity, body inclusivity, BIPOC people, neurodivergence, and family dynamics.

Samia’s editorial list includes Saving Sunshine (Fall 2023), Humanities 101 (Spring 2024), and more to-be-announced titles. She has also worked on other books at First Second, including Fault Lines in Our Constitution: the Graphic Novel, The Fifth Quarter, The Fifth Quarter: Hard Court, Jukebox, The Leak, Why the People, and more.

You can find Samia on Twitter and see more of her art and editorial work on her Website.

Story elements she would love to see:

• Romance romance romance!
• Stories by BIPOC authors
• Stories about neuro-divergence: adhd in women, autism, bipolar disorder, and more.
• LGBTQ+ Stories
• Slow burn relationships
• Mental Health themes
• Contemporary, relatable stories
• Elements of magical realism
• Fish-out-of-water stories
• Techy, borderline cyber punk stories
• Strong friendships/sibling relationships
• Family themes/family struggles
• Homeschooling/ GED/unusual educational routes

She is not the best fit for:

• Superheroes
• Solidly Sci-Fi stories
• Animal protagonists
• Sport centric books
• Horror/gore
• Slapstick/Comic strip comedy
• Anthologies

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to samia.fakih@firstsecondbooks.com

I only accept agented graphic novel submissions. Please start your email subject line with [Submission]. I cannot respond to anything but graphic novel submissions.