#MSWL

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I am currently CLOSED to unsolicited queries.

I am actively growing my picture book, middle grade, young adult, and adult lists.

Please take a look at the manuscript wish list below to see if your work may be a good fit!

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What am I looking for? Picture book author-illustrators, picture book illustrators (who hope to write one day!), a wide range of middle grade and YA, and more speculative-leaning or genre-bent adult works.

I’m committed to working with writers from diverse backgrounds and am looking to put forth a list of outstanding creators who will be able to provide windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors (thank you, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop) into all kinds of experiences. I’m particularly looking for own-voice stories about historically underrepresented identities and cultures.

No matter the genre or age-range, I crave a distinctive voice and strong thematic point behind the work—I want to run screaming to my friends and family about your book because there is so much to discuss. I love character-driven stories that revolve around BIG topics (discussing things like mortality or grief in a new and hopefully somewhat uplifting way is always an instant lightbulb!). I'm not looking for 'issue books,’ rather I’d like to represent authors and stories that stand for more than just a good yarn; I’d like to represent creators who provoke conversations around important and necessary topics in our world today. I don’t just want contemporary versions of these stories, either. Send me your fantasy, your sci-fi, your genre-bender!

Some words that describe my favorite kinds of stories: transportative, authentic, heartfelt, magical, empowering, breathless, hopeful, timeless, innovative, adventurous, audacious, and honest.

I work with authors at every stage of their career—from guiding debuts through their first publication, to helping mid-career authors who are looking to break out in new ways, and finding untapped avenues to help launch established authors into lasting success.

I’m including a list of some of my favorite published books below to give you a sense of my taste. The books that have * are titles I worked on as an assistant early in my career.

Picture books

I love humor when it comes to picture books! Give me the belly-laughs that make you snort until your face turns red! Subvert the expected! Some of my favorites include: 

• Oh, Olive! by Lian Cho

• We are Definitely Human by X. Fang

• Spider in the Well by Jess Hannigan

• The Hat Series by Jon Klassen

• The Food Group Books by Jory John and Pete Oswald

• Grimelda: The Very Messy Witch by Diana Murray

• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

• *Snail Crossing by Corey R. Tabor

• Accident by Andrea Tsurumi

• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

• The Napping House by Audrey Wood, Illustrated by Don Wood

I also love sparsely designed books: 

• The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

• Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni

• Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh

I love interactive books:

• Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley

• The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

And sometimes, you can totally hook me with a transcendently beautiful and meaningful story:

• Drawn Together by Minh Lê, Illustrated by Dan Santat

Some illustrators whose style I love include:

• Carson Ellis

• The Fan Brothers

• Blanca Gómez

• Marc Martin

• Daniel Miyares

• Oge Mora

• Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey

• Felicita Sala

Please note: I am only accepting picture books that are author-illustrated by the same individual and illustration portfolios.

Middle grade

I’m an enormous fan of all things spooky/scary/strange, but particularly so in the middle grade space! Give me all the middle grade horror! I also love a touch of the speculative in an otherwise grounded setting. Books that take on big topics and don’t shy away from the evils of the world feel particularly important to me in this age range.

• The Landry News by Andrew Clements

• Beatrice Zinker, Upside-Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes

• Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

• The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

• The Skull by Jon Klassen

• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

• Love, Sugar, Magic: A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano

• The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

• Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

• Sideways Stories from Wayside School / Holes by Louis Sachar

• Bomb by Steve Sheinkin

• A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

• *Skeleton Tree by Kim Ventrella

young adult 

Young adult is truly one of my favorite spaces; I love everything from contemporary to grounded fantasy to sci-fi (and everything in between!) Unique perspectives, bold voices, and searing questions are what I look for in YA.

• Literally anything written by Laurie Halse Anderson

• Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

• Contagion by Erin Bowman

• A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

• Private by Kate Brian

• The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

• Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

• Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

• The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

• *Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

• Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

• *Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart

• *Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis

• Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

adult 

I really love literary novels that that don’t quite fit the mold, that are more than they seem at first glance. Some of my favorites include Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, and a novel I worked on called You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce. I also have a soft-spot for literally anything by Shirley Jackson, Octavia E. Butler, Helen Oyeyemi, and Jorge Luis Borges. 

The weird, the strange, and the speculative are my focus in adult works, but it doesn’t always have to be something dark. I also love lighthearted, more whimsical magic in this category. Usually my taste in adult falls more in the upmarket/literary realms.

Particular topics/ideas I’m intrigued by for any age…  

• ‘I do not write dark books. I write candles. I write fire.’ - Laurie Halse Anderson

• I had a wonderful conversation with my client, Nic Yulo, about dark books and she said something very astute: ‘I like dark, but I like hope. Don't put me in the pit without giving me a ladder!’ This is exactly what I’m looking for!

• Books that ask BIG questions

• Complex characters and layered narratives (this goes for side characters, too!)

• Unapologetic and intersectional feminist narratives

• Healthy, nuanced portrayals of masculinity

• Humor, most particularly in the midst of darkness

• Atmospheric YA horror

• Literary and socially-conscious horror

• Anything inspired by myths, folklore, or legends particularly those that have been born out of diaspora or are non-western in origin

• Dark futures / apocalypse with a touch of hope

• Outbreak / contagion discussed in a new and innovative way

• A novel in seasonal movements

• A YA that takes a nuanced and hard look at relationship violence

• A confined setting (ex: a cargo ship)

• YA space book a la CONTAGION by Erin Bowman

• Adventurous middle grade taking on the great, wide world

• Rural stories that rebuff stereotype

• Anything involving the ocean

• Please note, a touch of whimsy is always, always welcome.

Are you a visual person? Me too!

Take a peek through my #MSWL Pinterest board.

I’ve also been trying to collect all my #MSWL tweets in a moment (though I will admit they are not all there!). You can find them here.

Anything I should NOT send you? 

Yes, your racist, misogynist, ableist manifesto. Don’t send me that. 

I'm not the right agent for soapy books about murder (see below), crime scene investigations, police procedurals, true crime, satire, military thrillers, or erotica.

I’m also not the best fit for short story collections (a novel in stories is fine!), novellas, or novels-in-verse.

I am not accepting submissions for picture book text-only authors or screenplays.

Does your book involve murder? Some things you should know before submitting to me:

• If your book is about a murder investigation or is a police procedural, it is NOT right for me.

• If your book is about a serial killer, it is NOT right for me.

• If your book includes murder in the background, but isn’t ABOUT murder, it is likely fine. Particularly if it falls in the SF/F space.

• If you have personally lost someone you love to murder and you’re writing about what that feels like, I may be a good fit for you.

• I do ask that if your book includes murder in any capacity that you please include a trigger warning in your query.

This sounds great! I'd like to query you. What are my next steps?

Thank you for thinking of me—seriously! I feel incredibly honored when writers select me to submit their work to.

Please note: 

I am currently *CLOSED* to unsolicited queries.

• You may only query ONE agent within Writers House at any given time. If/when they pass, you may send a query to another Writers House agent.

• I will only review one project per person at a time, though you're more than welcome to mention other projects you're working on.

• Trigger warnings where appropriate are appreciated.

• I will try to be back to you within six weeks; if at such time you haven't heard from me, please do feel free to check in.

• If you receive an offer of representation, please let me know as soon as possible. If you are still open to hearing from other agents at that point, please let me know the date by which you’ll need an answer.

• I do not accept physical/mailed submissions and any that are received will be recycled unopened.

  Please send your personalized query letter along with your first ten pages (both of which should be pasted into the body of the email, NO ATTACHMENTS) to me through QueryManager https://QueryManager.com/QueryAlexandraLevick or if you need accommodation to alevicksubmissions (at) writershouse.com.

• I love hearing a bit about the intention behind your work/why you’ve written what you have.

You can find more information on my Publishers Marketplace profile.

A running collection of translation/export covers: