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Where to Query Your MG Horror Novel (Part 2)

The Where to Query series is now off to a running start and if I’m lucky, I’ll have about as many addendums to this as there are Land Before Time movies. I wanted to do this because sometimes your eyes start to cross when you’re researching agents. I know that sometimes I find myself wishing that someone would just make a list for me.

So, here you go friends. A magical list put together just for your middle grade horror novel!

 

I’ve written one post previously on this, titled: Where to Query Your YA Horror Novel. That post is helpful for anyone to read, I suppose, but is specifically helpful for writers who have finished writing a horror book that is geared toward young adults (high school age).

For part two, this one, I wanted to showcase agents who have mentioned wanting scary, spooky, or humorous middle grade horror.

Let’s dive in.

 

Where to Query Your Middle Grade Horror Novel

 

Moe Ferrera – She has tweeted more than once to send your spooky or horror MG and YA novels to her (but no jump scares). Check out her submission guidelines here and query her here. She’s made sales to Entangled Publishing, Feiwel and Friends (an imprint of MacMillan), and a few others.

 

Christa Heschke – I’m taking this directly from her Twitter. “All the (literary, commercial, mystery, horror, adventure, magical realism–dark or light) Almost anything!” and “As always, I’m still looking for all things creepy and horror!” and “I am in the mood to read and take on some horror projects of the creepy, eerie variety for YA and MG! Send, send send!”  You can see her profile on her agency’s website here. At the time of writing this, she has 40 deals on Publisher’s Marketplace.

 

Carlisle Webber – On her Twitter, Carlisle says, “My always includes ” As I mentioned previously in part one, her bio mentions RL Stine and Stephen King, which of course, I love! Though she has made many specific calls for MG and YA horror or mystery, she is open to any genre according to her bio page on her agency website. You can learn more about her here and submit to her here.

 

Brandie Coonis – Brandie has tweeted, “I’d love to see some gritty/darker – historical, horror, fantasy or crossover – not necessarily with happily ever afters.” She is currently an assistant to Rebecca Friedman and an associate agent. You can read more about her here and read submission guidelines here.

 

Laura Zats – Laura is currently an agent at Red Sofa Literary. Taken from her Twitter, she’s tweeted, “MG and YA horror. Scare me!” You can read more about her tastes and submission guidelines here. At the time of this posting, she has 16 sales total listed on her Publisher’s Marketplace.

 

Lorin Oberweger – Lorin has tweeted that she’s looking for, “horror that makes use of unique cultures/mythologies; a heartbreaking literary MG.” She has a background in ghostwriting and editing. I don’t see any sales listed to her on Publisher’s Marketplace but perhaps she just doesn’t post them there.

 

Rena Bunder Rossner – Rena has tweeted, “I like creepy thrillers/suspense and I’m not afraid of a little horror. Especially literary horror. Give me chills. Adult, YA, MG.”  Rena is currently an agent at The Deborah Harris Agency and is also an author.  She has her own website where she lists that she’s “desperately seeking middle grade.” You can learn more about her agency guidelines here.

 

Saba Sulaiman – At the time of writing this, she is closed to queries BUT for when she opens again, her website calls out her love of middle grade. It says, “Middle grade: anything that’s smart, accessible and written with flair. Whether it’s quirky and funny, dark and creepy, or just plain sweet and heartwarming — it’s no big secret that this is my favorite category. Also, I’d love anything Roald Dahl-esque.” You can spy her submission guidelines here.

 

Whitley Abell – This agent has multiple calls out on Twitter for middle grade horror but most specifically on her wish list, slender man inspired! “I still want that Slender Man YA or MG horror (or, Adult through parent lense).” She is an associate agent and you can learn more about her here.

 

Erica Bauman – Erica is an associate agent that is recently re-opened to queries. You can read more about her tastes here and her wishlist tweets here. Erica has recently tweeted, “eerie + haunting and horror, and funny horror (I REALLY like scary stories).”

 

Maria Vicente – Ahh, she’s one of my favorites and one of the only agents to consistently post about how much she wants to read your horror. Taken directly from her Twitter, “All types of horror.” She has her own website where you can spy her books and wishlists, and she’s tweeted recently about an upcoming workshop she’s running. You can check out those details here.

 

Patricia Nelson – I love that I often see Patricia asking for more horror. She tweets, “I wish I was seeing more MG queries! Realistic, fantasy, magical realism, creepy/horror. Only genre I don’t love is slapstick humor.” You can read more about submissions here and her bio on her agency’s website.

 

 

I think this is a good start and I think for now, I’ll leave you to check out these agents and their agencies. You can use tools like Publisher’s Marketplace to see what kind of sales they have, but remember that Publisher’s Marketplace is a paid subscription. Free tools include AgentQuery and QueryTracker, and many more if you just Google a keywords on what you’re looking for.

Please remember, you should always do your homework and learn more about agencies and agents before you submit your work. Tastes change and so do what an agent may want.

 

If you have any questions or agent suggestions, or if this has been helpful, please leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you.

 

We’re all in the query trenches together, so I wish you good luck and happy querying!

 

 

 

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