V. Ruiz
D4EO Literary Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
V. Ruiz is a Lesbian, Mexican American agent, editor, and author, who aspires to make publishing more equitable by working as an advocate for their authors. With nearly ten years of editing experience across literary and commercial genres, they consider themselves an editorial and career agent. V. wants to work with authors who are eager to work on multiple projects and who are open to editorial guidance and feedback. Recently, they worked as an acquisitions editor and project manager with Row House Publishing (distributed by Simon and Schuster) for over three years. V. is always eager to hear from voices who have been systemically underrepresented in publishing.
They have worked on over 25 titles as an editor. Aside from editing, they have previously ghostwritten nonfiction and fiction titles (over 15) in topics ranging from finance to small town romance.
V. navigates neurodiversity as a self-realized autistic person raising an autistic teen. They also have OCD and always love hearing from authors that write about the vast facets of neurodiversity.
When V. isn’t writing or reading, they are studying astrology, playing video games, or trekking across the world to scream their heart out at a concert.
V. Ruiz recently joined D4EO Literary Agency.
Fun facts about me:
I didn’t get my passport until I was in my 30’s and now I really enjoy traveling even if it’s for a short trip or just for a concert. My writing path began in poetry so I have a deep love for other poets turned novelists. I’m a huge homebody and love playing video games, crafting, and cooking. I cook a LOT and absolutely love experimenting with new recipes but I’m terrible at sticking to the instructions. I’m also a parent to a book-addicted teen.
Submission Guidelines
Please send all submissions through Query Tracker.
For updated query timelines and the most up to date wishlist, please visit my website.
Current query timeline: Reviewing queries from January 2026.
For Fiction:
Please send a query letter, a one paragraph pitch, information about your identity if you feel so inclined, and information on any manuscripts you’re working on. Please upload an attachment with the first 20 pages or three chapters whichever feels best.
For Nonfiction:
Please send a full proposal with a query letter, a one paragraph pitch, information about your identity if you feel so inclined, and information on any manuscripts you’re working on.
Content Warnings: Please use the space in Query Tracker to inform me of any content warnings for violence against women and children.
Manuscript Wishlist
Fiction (Adult and Teens)
Fantasy
For fantasy, I enjoy magical worlds that tackle difficult subjects or incorporate some elements of our history/mythologies. While I do enjoy the occasional romantasy, I’m a better fit for romantic fantasy (where the romance is more of a subplot).
Some favorites: Babel by RF Kuang, Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark, or Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Romance
I adore tropey romance with witty banter and feet-kicking tension. I don’t mind heavy heat but don’t require it. I also enjoy romance that incorporates speculative elements or that walks the line of magical realism and low-fantasy. I’m generally not interested in stories that incorporate real-life armed forces in any capacity (no military, police, etc. romance). I’m only interested in historical romance that features Queer characters.
Some favorite writers in this space: Ali Hazelwood, Ashley Herring Blake, Danica Nava, Kennedy Ryan.
Triller / Horror
With thrillers, I especially enjoy stories where women play the villain. I prefer ones that don’t have sexual violence as a core element. Like with romance, I enjoy thrillers that incorporate genre or speculative elements.I’m open to horror that is more suspenseful or psychological in nature.
Some favorites in this space: The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim, folk horror such as CG Drew’s works, and Lisa Jewell.
Upmarket / Book Club
For Upmarket Fiction, I enjoy books that’ll shatter the heart with poetic language. I also enjoy stories that experiment with form and/or tell stories in a nonlinear way. I’m open to being surprised in this genre.
Some favorites in this space: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Red at the Bone by Jaqueline Woodson. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Science Fiction
I’m interested in accessible and engaging science fiction especially if there are strong romance elements, if it’s on the shorter side, or if it’s more literary in nature.
Some favorites in this space: All Systems Red by Martha Wells, The Principle Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, and This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Genre-Benders
I’m a huge fan of “weird girl lit” and/or stories that share insight into complex people at the center of a breaking point but told with a variety of genre elements.
Some favorites in this space: Otessa Moshfegh or Sayaka Murata. The classic I Who Have Never Known Men.
Nonfiction (Adult)
Esoteric / Spirituality
I’m open to seeing proposals for esoteric and spiritual topics. I prefer those that have a decolonized approach, are linked to ancestral practices, or make topics accessible. Keep in mind I have a background in folk practices and astrology.
Cookbooks
As a foodie who has many food allergies (so I’m always cooking) and a huge collection of cookbooks I’m open to repesenting cookbook authors. I prefer those that share cultural recipes, have a unique approach to an already done topic, or those that are linked to other popculture topics.
Memoir/Literary
I’m very particular about memoir as I have to have a very clear vision for it. I’m open to those that are fragmented or cohesive. I prefer those that connect to a larger topic/idea.
Some favorites: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, and Maid by Stephanie Land.
I’m generally not a good fit for . . .
I’m not looking for historical fiction (aside from those with Queer MCs), romance that features armed forces as a love interest, erotica (though high-spice is okay), hard sci-fi, autobiography/biography, poetry collections (though novels in verse are okay), short story collections, and children’s fiction (only YA).
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Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
#Dis, #ownvoices, #wndb, AAPI Fantasy, AAPI Horror, AAPI Sci-Fi, Absolutely all of them!, Accessible Literary Fiction, Activism, Adult, Adult Horror, Adult Rom Com, Adult Romantasy, Adult SFF, African Diaspora, African Fantasy, African Sci-Fi, Africanfuturism, Asian American Literature, Asian Diaspora, Asian Fantasy, Asian Horror, Asian Sci-Fi, BIPOC, BIPOC Fantasy, BIPOC Horror, BIPOC Mystery, BIPOC Sci-Fi, BVM, Beauty, Book Club, Books about books, California, Caribbean Literature, Category Romance, Character -Driven History, Character-Driven Horror, Character-driven SciFi, Chick Lit, Chicklit, Classic retellings with BIPOC characters, Cli-Fi, Climate Fiction, Commercial Women's Fiction, Commercial YA, Commercial adult fiction, Commercial and Literary, Complicated Relationships, Concept SF, Contemporary Culture, Contemporary Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary YA, Contemporary Young Adult, Cross-genre, Cyberpunk, Dark Female Friendships, Dark Humor, Dark topics with a light touch, Diaspora Narratives, Disability, Diverse Protagonists, Diversity, Domestic Fiction, Domestic Suspense, Domestic Suspense/Thriller, Dystopia, Dystopian, East Asian Literature, Engaged Activism, Ensemble Casts, Epic Fantasy, Epistolary, Expat/Exile Literature, Experimental, Fabulism, Fairytale Retellings, Family Drama, Fantasy, Fantasy Grounded in Reality, Fantasy Romance, Fantasy YA, Female Friendships, Feminism, Feminist, Feminist Horror, Feminist SF/F, Femoir, First Person, Folklore, Food, Food Writing, Found Families, Geek Culture, Gothic, Gothic Fantasy, Gothic Horror, Grief, Grounded, Grounded fantasy, Hauntings, High Concept, High Fantasy, High-Concept Literary Commercial Fiction, High-concept YA, High-concept YA/MG, Historical Fantasy, Historical Fantasy; Fantasy Grounded In Reality, Historical Fiction YA, Historical RomCom, Historical Women's Fiction, Horror Comedy, Humor YA, Hybrid, Immigrant Experiences, Immigrant Voices, Indigenous Futurism, Indigenous Sciences, Issue-Driven, LGBT YA, LGBTQ Contemporary, LGBTQ Romance, LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ Fantasy, LGBTQ+ Sci-Fi, LGBTQ+ rom coms, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIAP, Latine Diaspora, Latinx Fantasy, Latinx Horror, Latinx Sci-Fi, Latinx stories, Layered Family Stories with multiple narrators, Layered Rom-Coms and Comedy of Manners with a cultural component, Literary Crossover, Literary Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Literary Horror, Literary Science Fiction, Literary Thriller, Literary YA, Literary YA & MG, Literary YA/MG, Low Fantasy, Magic, Magic Realism, Magical Realism, Magical Realism YA, Magick, Marginalized Voices, Mental Health, Mind/Body/Spirit, Minority Voices, Modern Retellings of Fairy Tales, Modernized Mythologies, Monsters, Mothers and Daughters, Multicultural, Multicultural Romance, Multicultural and Diverse Thriller and Mystery, Multigenerational, Multiple POV, Multiple Timelines, Muslim, Mythic, Mythic Horror, Mythology, Narrative, Nature, Nature Writing, Near future, Near-future SF, Neo-Victorian, Neurodiversity, New Adult, New Weird, Novels in Verse, Occult, Occult Horror, Occult Nonfiction, Own Voices, POC, Paranormal, Paranormal Horror, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Thriller, Portal fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Psychological Horror, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thrillers, Racial Justice, Regency Romance, Retellings, Rom-com, RomCom, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Drama, Romantic Suspense, Romantic Thriller, SWANA Fantasy, SWANA Horror, SWANA Sci-Fi, Same-Sex Romance, Sci-fi Thriller, SciFi Romance, Science Fiction YA, Science Fiction and Fantasy Favorite sub-genres: Absolutely all of them!, Second World SF, Soft Fantasy, Soft Science Fiction, Solarpunk, South Asian, South East Asian Literature, Southern Fiction, Southern Gothic, Southern Literary, Speculative, Speculative Fiction, Speculative Thriller, Spirituality, Steampunk, Steamy RomComs, Study Abroad Stories, Subernatural Horror, Suspense, Tarot, Tech Thrillers, Techno-Horror, Thriller, Thrillers, Time Travel, Time Travel Romance, Underrepresented Voices, Upmarket Commercial Fiction, Upmarket Fiction, Upmarket Women's Fiction, Upmarket YA, Urban Fantasy, Verse, West African Literature, Women's Fiction, Women's Issues, Worldbuilding, YA, YA Contemporary, YA Contemporary Romance, YA Contemporary Romance with layers, YA Crossover, YA Fantasy, YA Historical Fantasy, YA Mystery, YA Nonfiction, YA Rom-Coms, YA RomCom, YA Romance, YA Romantasy, YA SF/F, YA Sci-fi, YA Science Fiction, YA Thrillers, YA fantasy/light sci-fi, YA horror, YA memoir, YA rom com, YA thriller/mystery, YA/MG graphic novel, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction (Historical Fiction only), Young Adult Narrative Non-Fiction (Both Contemporary and Historical Narrative Non-Fiction), Young Adult Non-Fiction, Zombies, afrofuturism, alternate history, bad at feelings, beach reads, bilingual, body horror, book club fiction, books in translation, campus novel, character-focused fiction, character-focused stories, classic retellings, comedy, coming of age, commercial, commerical, commerical women's fiction, contemp, contemporary, contemporary women's fiction, cook book, court intrigue, craft, crossover, crossover adult, crossover appeal, culinary, dark academia, dark fantasy, diasporic, diverse, diverse and own voices, diverse heroines, diverse voices, domestic thrillers, dramedy, eco-fiction, enemies to lovers, epic, epistolary novels, fairy tales, family saga, family stories, fantastical, fantasy of manners, feminine narratives, folklore history, found family, friendship, friendship stories, fun SF/F, gaslamp fantasy, gender, ghost story, gothic romance, groundbreaking structures, high concept fiction, high-concept science fiction, historical romance, hopepunk, horror, hurt/comfort, immigration, inclusive sf/f, indigenous futurisms, invisible disability, just one bed, just... all the tropes, light Sci-Fi, light fantasy, literary, literary mystery, literary suspense, love stories, memoir, mental illness, mythpunk, narrative non-fiction, narrative non-fiction YA/MG, near-future science fiction, pining, psychology, queer, queer horror, queer narratives, quirky, realistic fiction, rivals to lovers, rom-coms, romantacy, romantasy, romantic New Adult, romantic fantasy, romantic suspense/mystery, sci-fi, science fantasy, science fiction, science fiction epic, science fiction horror, scifi thriller, slow burn, slow burn romance, soft science, southern, space horror, speculative slice of life, stories that don't fit neatly into a genre, subversive, sweet romance, traditional fantasy, two people one bed, upmarket genre fiction, upmarket/book club with female protagonist, weird fiction, whimsical, who did this to you, witchcraft, witches, witty
I’d like the next…
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite ; None of This is True by Lisa Jewell ; Initiated: Memoir of a Witch by Amanda Yates Garcia ; Confessions by Minae Kinato
My favorites include…
Favorite Books:
In terms of recently, I love RF Kuang’s work on a deep level. I also really enjoy Carmen Maria Machado’s work. Lisa Jewell. The Legendborn Cycle. Hanif Abdurraqib’s They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us.
My life-changing, favorite books are likely The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón, How to Write an Autobiographical Essay by Alexander Chee, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
At least once a month I think about Erotic Stories for Punjabi Women despite the fact that I read it years ago. I think often about The Last Night at the Telegraph Club and how affirming it was.
Favorite TV:
I enjoy Kdramas. See You in my Nineteenth Life and A Time Called You are wildly good. I’m also consistently watching reality TV shows in the background. Lately, I’ve been enjoying Ginny and Georgia.
Favorite Movies:
I grew up obsessed with Donnie Darko. I still really enjoy it, but I also spend a lot of time watching animated movies. I love all things Studio Ghibli.
Favorite Music:
I’m a huge fan of Stray Kids (Bangchan and Han bias), P1Harmony, Ateez, TXT, and Aespa. Aside from KPop, I listen to a lot of Sabrina Carpenter, Chapel Roan, and RM. I really like Metric and Hozier too! Lately, I’ve discovered and fallen in love with flowerovlove and Rachel Chinouriri who are newer on my list but have a great vibe.
