Whitney Ross
Irene Goodman Literary Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
Before joining Irene Goodman, Whitney worked as an editor at Macmillan for nearly a decade, culminating in her role as a senior editor for Tor Teen, Tor, and Forge. She joined Irene Goodman Literary Agency as an agent in January 2018. IGLA was established over 40 years ago, and represents a wide array of distinguished authors across all genres. She’s thrilled to partner with clients whose work she loves, and is always searching for new, exciting stories.
Whitney represents middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction across all genres, with an emphasis on historical, science fiction & fantasy, romance, and contemporary fiction. She’s actively looking for new and fresh takes on classic tropes, no matter the genre, as well as non-fiction submissions in the areas of design, cooking, and fashion
Whitney loves to read novels set in unusual time periods and locations, whether that involves a fantastical element or not. She is rarely able to resist the trickster motif, and has a weakness for read-between-the-lines subtle romances. Yet she’s constantly surprised by books not on her “wish list,” and is always open to stories with compelling characters and emotionally involving plotlines.
Fun facts about me:
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to whitney.queries@irenegoodman.com
Email a query letter and the first ten pages, along with a synopsis (3-5 paragraphs) and bio, in the body of an email.
Vital Info
I’d like the next…
My favorites include…
YA Wishlist:
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Lyrical and unique like The Bird and the Sword Chronicles by Amy Harmon
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Gritty and intense, like Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows
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A re-imagined take on history and mythology, like Margaret Rogerson’s Vespertine
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Retellings of classics with a twist, like the story of The Titanic found in These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
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Angsty and romantic like an old favorite, Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
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Read-between-the-lines passion such as the romance between Fire and Brigan in Fire by Kristin Cashore
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A bad boy narrator with a heart of gold, like you find in The Curse Workers series by Holly Black
Adult Wishlist:
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Original and compelling SF & fantasy (always with a romance!) such Uprooted by Naomi Novik, the Innkeeper series by Ilona Andrews, The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, or The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
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Time-bending tales with history and a taste of magic, like The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
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Funny and voicey contemporary romance such as Book Lovers by Emily Henry
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Romantic horror such as S.A. Barnes’s Dead Silence
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Unusual takes on classic tropes like Veronica Roth’s Chosen Ones
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Thrilling & with a unique setting, like Kelley Armstrong’s Casey Duncan novels
Middle Grade Wishlist:
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Second-world fantasies that feel unique and different, or contemporary-set magical realism/fantasy that provides an escapist read
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Contemporary adventures that are funny and sweet
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Stories that turn classic tropes upside down
