Stefanie Molina
Ladderbird Literary Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
I joined Ladderbird Literary Agency in April 2021 after spending my early career advocating for marginalized folks in publishing as a technical editor at a national laboratory, senior editor at the literary journal F(r)iction, and book coach and editor for women of color. I am one-half Mexican, one-quarter Japanese, and one-quarter Irish. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, both from the University of California at Davis. Aside from reading, I enjoy hiking, swimming, baking strange new things, and playing the piano. My favorite place in the world is Yosemite National Park. You can find me on Twitter @fiction_tech or Instagram @bake.by.the.book.
MSWL
I am primarily looking for BIPOC stories, inclusive of intersectional identities (LGBTQ+, disability, mental illness, neurodiversity…). I am exclusively taking on clients who have been systemically excluded from publishing.
In all genres, I adore stories that incorporate food, animals, the outdoors, and intergenerational relationships. I also love when stories explore “messy” feelings like rage, fear, guilt, grief, etc. in empowering ways. Please don’t send me books where the protagonist dies at the end or that revolve around abuse, suicide, or self-harm (though they can be in a character’s past). If your story mentions these topics but does not revolve around them, please include a content warning.
Children’s
Picture Books:
In picture books, I’m looking for heartfelt stories about family, facing your fears, and/or finding your place in the world. I especially love brave, quirky heroines. I’m also interested in humor that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults, with plenty of wittiness, wordplay, and silliness.
I’d also love retellings of traditional folktales from all cultures, including stories that somehow reflect the oral storytelling tradition.
MG and YA:
I like contemporary and urban fantasy, coming-of-age, mystery, and thriller. I am also open to (but extremely picky about) high fantasy, character-driven horror*, and YA romcom.
Adult:
I’m looking for romcoms, mysteries, thrillers, urban or contemporary fantasy, and character-driven horror*. I’m also open to historical fiction that empowers BIPOC individuals and communities. In general, bonus points for a steamy love story, either front and center or as a subplot.
Nonfiction:
I am open to cookbooks and baking books authored by BIPOC. A strong voice is a must. I love cookbooks and baking books that highlight fusion cuisines and culinary traditions with rich history. On the sweet side, I’m looking for indulgence and creativity. On the savory side, grab me with colorful dishes that strike a balance between approachability and elegance (think somewhere between easy weeknight meals and dinners with ingredients you have to buy online).
I’m interested in finding a cookbook or baking book framed by an intuitive eating approach to health. Please do not send me “diet” cookbooks (e.g. keto, whole30, etc.).
Recent favorites include COOK REAL HAWAII (Sheldon Simeon), MOONCAKES AND MILK BREAD (Kristina Cho), and FILIPINX: HERITAGE RECIPES FROM THE DIAPSORA (Angela Dimayuga).
Old favorites include FRESH MEXICO and MEXICAN MADE EASY (Marcela Valladolid), CHOCOLATIQUE (Ed Engoron) and CRAVINGS (Chrissy Teigen).
Not For Me:
I am generally not a fit for portal fantasy unless it’s a very different take on the genre. I do not want books where the protagonist dies at the end. I am not a fit for nonfiction or fiction that centers Christianity, and not a fit for nonfiction or fiction that centers diets.
Please don’t send me books that center abuse, suicide, or self-harm (although they can feature briefly or be in a character’s past).
*I absolutely do not want body horror, gore, psychological horror, or true crime. I have only recently discovered an interest in horror. Please go easy on me!
Fun facts about me:
Other things I love:
- running
- hiking
- baking
- volleyball
- swimming
- knitting
- animals (especially dogs, especially curly dogs)
- saxophone and piano
- mariachi
- reading about the outdoors and/or sports (kayaking! mountain climbing! parkour!)
Submission Guidelines
For fiction, please submit at http://queryme.online/stefaniemolina. (full PBs or first 20 pages of novels)
For nonfiction, email your proposal to
st************@la********.com
. Fiction submitted using this email will be deleted without reading.
Response times vary, but all queries and fulls will receive a response regardless of how much time has passed. For this reason, I ask that you always let me know if you have an offer.
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
#Dis, #ownvoices, #wndb, AAPI Fantasy, Action-Adventure, Adult, Adult Romantasy, African Fantasy, Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Asian American Literature, Asian Diaspora, Asian Fantasy, BIPOC, BIPOC Fantasy, BIPOC Horror, BIPOC Mystery, Beginning Readers, Biography & Memoir, California, Children's, Children's Nonfiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction and Nonfiction, Classic retellings with BIPOC characters, Clever picture book, Commercial MG, Commercial YA, Commercial adult fiction, Complicated Relationships, Contemporary Fantasy, Contemporary YA, Contemporary Young Adult, Cozy Fantasy, Cozy Mystery, Cozy mysteries, Crime & Thriller, Cross-genre, Dark topics with a light touch, Diverse Protagonists, Diversity, Fantasy Grounded in Reality, Fantasy Romance, Fantasy YA, Female Friendships, Feminism, Feminist, Feminist Horror, Fiction Picture Books, Folklore, Food, Food Writing, Found Families, Funny MG, Geek Culture, Grief, Grounded, Grounded fantasy, Health, Health and Wellness, High-concept YA, High-concept YA/MG, Humor YA, Illustrated/Gift, Immigrant Experiences, Immigrant Voices, Intersectional Feminism, Intersectionality, Issue-Driven, LGBT YA, LGBTQ Contemporary, LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ Fantasy, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIAP, Latine Diaspora, Latinx Fantasy, Latinx stories, Literary MG, Literary Middle Grade, Literary Thriller, Literary YA, Literary YA & MG, Literary YA/MG, Lyrical picture book, MG, MG Action Adventure, MG Fantasy, MG Horror, MG Nonfiction, MG adventure, MG contemporary, MG mystery, MG/YA, Magic, Magic Realism, Magical Realism, Magical Realism YA, Marginalized Voices, Mental Health, Middle Grade, Middle Grade Adventure, Middle Grade Contemporary, Middle Grade Fantasy, Middle Grade Horror, Middle Grade Humor, Middle Grade Mystery, Middle grade magical realism, Minority Voices, Modern Retellings of Fairy Tales, Mothers and Daughters, Multicultural, Multicultural and Diverse Thriller and Mystery, Muslim, Mysteries, Mystery / Crime, Mythology, Nature, Nature Writing, Neurodiversity, New Adult, Nonfiction Picture Books, Outdoors, Own Voices, POC, Personal Development, Picture Book, Picture book non-fiction, Racial Justice, Relic/Artifact Action/Adventure, Retellings, Romantic Suspense, Romantic Thriller, STEAM, STEM, Same-Sex Romance, Social Emotional Learning, Social Issues, Social Justice, Soft Fantasy, Speculative, Speculative Fiction, Speculative Middle Grade, Speculative Thriller, Sports, Strong Females, Suspense, Thriller, Thrillers, Underrepresented Voices, Upmarket YA, Whodunit, YA, YA Contemporary, YA Contemporary Romance with layers, YA Crossover, YA Fantasy, YA Mystery, YA Romantasy, YA SF/F, YA Thrillers, YA horror, YA thriller/mystery, Young Adult, children's diversity, coming of age, commercial middle grade, contemp, contemporary, contemporary MG, contemporary middle grade, cook book, craft, culinary, diverse, diverse and own voices, diverse heroines, diverse voices, enemies to lovers, fiction and non-fiction picture books, found family, friendship, friendship stories, health and fitness, immigration, invisible disability, just one bed, light fantasy, love stories, mental illness, middle grade non-fiction, migration, music, mystery, non-Western fantasy, non-western settings, nonfiction, picture books, pining, queer, queer narratives, read-alouds, rivals to lovers, romantasy, romantic New Adult, romantic suspense/mystery, slow burn, slow burn romance, spooky mg, sports stories, stories that don't fit neatly into a genre, tropes tropes tropes, two people one bed, visible disability, who did this to you, whodunnit, witchcraft, witches, witty
I’d like the next…
Arsenic and Adobo!! I’m always on the lookout for a mystery or thriller headed by a BIPOC woman, and I’m always wanting more stories about BIPOC in the outdoors.
