Melissa Manlove

I can only take agented submissions.

I am a children’s book editor at Sourcebooks, working across Jabberwocky (fiction picture books), Explore (nonfiction for children), and Young Readers (middle grade fiction).

I’ve been a bookseller for as long as I’ve been an editor, and that’s given me a strong sense of how books can break the rules, challenge expectations, and still stand out in the bookstore and succeed in reaching readers.

So my wishlist is mostly about finding books that surprise—not the things we’ve seen before, but rather books with exceptional, distinctive voices (both in text and art!). I want books that honor the imaginative, intellectual, and emotional lives of children, and treat them like the whole people they are.

I adore audience participation and great read-alouds, and it thrills me when nonfiction finds a way to connect emotionally to readers, to compel them. I love graphics–both fiction and nonfiction–and think there are amazing opportunities in that space (and I’ll acquire manuscripts without art attached).

I most often acquire illustrated books, but now is an amazing time to bring back shorter fiction like some of some of the great short fiction storytellers (I’m a personal fan of Natalie Babbit), and I’d love to see more of that. I also love early readers and chapter books, and verse of all kinds.

My favorite thing is to figure out a way to publish gorgeous work that doesn’t quite fit what anyone expects of a section, an age group, or a format. My decades as a bookseller help me see how unusual projects can find their audiences and blaze new trails. So much is possible! Don’t worry if it feels like a long shot in the market–my track record is clear: I have great aim.

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