Sarah Alpert

I am actively acquiring both fiction and selective narrative non-fiction prose, comics, and picture books, for YA, middle grade, and early readers.

My taste in fiction is wide-reaching, and the common thread across genres and premises will always be compelling characters whose personal stakes I am deeply invested in, beautifully observant writing. There is nothing that I love more than a high-concept story (fantasy, magical realism, science fiction, fake dating) that feels completely grounded because the characters and author make whatever is happening so completely and utterly real. I love writing that is full of atmosphere and voice, whether dark-and-moody, or lighthearted and fun.

I love:

• Charming, lighthearted romances  that don’t skimp on the angst and tension
• Dark, atsmophereic, moody stories of all sorts
• Inventive SFF with imaginative world building and deeply expressed characters
• The prose equivalent of a Mitski song
• MG stories with well-drawn, supportive parents
• Jewish stories not about the holocaust
• Multifaceted stories that represent and explore marginalized identities in fantastical or realistic settings
• Robots aching to be human (I can probably only acquire one of these, but if you’re repping one, I need it)

I’m not a good fit for:

• Cancer stories
• Any terminal illness stories where teens/children die
• Holocaust fiction

For non-fiction: I love topics like culture and mythology, technology, science, and scientific history–through the eyes of the people involved. I’d love a book on the space age/Apollo mission. While I’m in no way interested in fictional accounts of the Holocaust, I’m open to non-fiction that helps us remember and teach it. A lot of time my favorite non-fiction tells the story I haven’t heard or thought of yet, so feel free to surprise me.

Submission Guidelines

AGENTED SUBMISSIONS ONLY. I cannot read non-agented submissions. Thanks!