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Lori Steel

SteelWorks Literary

My Manuscript Wish List®

What am I looking for?

For all projects, I seek stories with accessible, authentic, and unforgettable voices that reflect the diverse world we inhabit, instill the possibility of hope and change, and illuminate the shared human experience.

Across the board, I’m seeking:

  • voice and character driven stories demonstrate a deep trust and respect for their readers
  • fresh approaches to story structure; genre mash-ups
  • magical realism, fabulism, and folklore
  • historical and fantasy stories that hold a light up to contemporary issues
  • themes of family and found family
  • regional settings and voices
  • authentic, diverse voices
  • socio-economic diversity
  • nonfiction that taps into contemporary conversation

Young Adult / New Adult / Crossover markets

  • contemporary stories that flip conventional scripts and disrupt entrenched notions
  • genre-bending writing
  • grounded fantasy, folklore, magical realism, dystopian
  • endearing meet-cute stories
  • projects across genres with literary/commercial crossover appeal
  • New adult books that also appeal to a YA audience (think Alex Award titles)
  • romantasy, romance with a light heart (ie. vein of Emily Henry)
  • gripping historical fiction with unique perspectives we haven’t seen before
  • contemporary stories that tap into zeitgeists relevant to this market
  • non-fiction from writers who have a platform/expertise in subject relevant to teens

Middle Grade 

  • contemporary coming-of-age
  • accessible historical fiction, particularly non-western
  • propelling adventure stories
  • younger MG that bridges the gap between chapter book and MG
  • illustrative potential (think spot art, or heavily Illo’d novels)
  • fantasy with unexpected world-building, fresh approaches, and kid-friendly themes

Graphic Novels

  • considering chapter books, MG, and YA
  • author-illustrators with strong foundation in comic creation
  • fiction and nonfiction
  • unique perspectives and pallets
  • sorry, not looking for scripts only

Picture Books by Author/Illustrators

  • stories crafted with spare text and rich art
  • creators who play with structure and utilize collusion to engage participation
  • whimsy with intention
  • subversive, humorous, and quirky tales
  • cleverly conceived and STEAM-centered nonfiction projects

Illustrators:

  • unique aesthetics that embrace classic sensibilities with a fresh perspective
  • strong narrative storytelling that utilizes unexpected and evocative moments
  • range of human and animal characters and their emotions
  • school/library and commercial crossover appeal for both US and int’l market

I’m not the right agent for:

  • YA Horror (open to MG horror)
  • Hard sci-fi and space operas
  • Didactic, overly sentimental, and lesson-driven books
  • Board books, early readers, and chapter books
  • Vampires, werewolves, zombies
  • Rhyming PBs in the vein of Seuss or Silverstein

Fun facts about me:

  • Vinyl records were my first stories and I wore out the grooves in “Magic Man.”
  • If it has wheels and/or goes fast, my answer is yes!
  • I was first in my family to go to college.
  • Trifecta of awesomeness = baking, beer, and books.
  • I’ve called Appalachia, Washington DC, and Oxford, UK home.
  • I’m the only one in my immediate family not a dual national.

Submission Guidelines

Most queries are through conferences, referrals, or other submission opportunities, but I do occasionally open to unsolicited manuscripts.

Please check my Query Manager page or SWL’s website and instagram page (@SteelWorksLiterary) for more information on when I may be open.

Thank you for your interest!

 

 

Guidelines & Details

Vital Info

@steelworksliterary.bsky.app

Website

Agent

Favorite sub-genres:

#wndb, Children's, Children's Nonfiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction and Nonfiction, Clever picture book, Cross-genre, Fabulism, Fantasy Grounded in Reality, Fantasy YA, Feminist, Found Families, Graphic Novels (for all ages), High-concept YA/MG, Historical Fiction YA, Illustrators, Illustrators and Author/Illustrators, Immigrant Voices, LGBTQIA, Literary YA/MG, MG Action Adventure, MG Fantasy, MG adventure, Magical Realism, Multiple POV, Picture Book, Picture book non-fiction, YA, YA Contemporary, YA Contemporary Romance with layers, YA Crossover, YA Fantasy, YA Historical Fantasy, YA Nonfiction, YA Rom-Coms, YA RomCom, YA Romantasy, YA/MG graphic novel, children's diversity, children's graphic novels, coming of age, cook book, crossover, crossover appeal, diverse voices, groundbreaking structures, narrative non-fiction, narrative non-fiction YA/MG

I’d like the next…

  • books that surprise me and extend the conversation
  • illustrators working with traditional or hybrid traditional/digital mediums in unexpected ways
  • graphic novel author-illustrators in the YA/crossover space

My favorites include…

Books:

  • Officer Buckle and Gloria, Peggy Rathman
  • Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de la Pena, ill. Christian Robinson
  • I Talk Like a River, Jordan Scott, ill. Sydney Smith
  • Guts, Raina Telgemeier
  • This One Summer, Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki
  • One Crazy Summer, Rita Williams-Garcia
  • Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo
  • The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Kelly Barnhill
  • How It Went Down, Kekla Magoon
  • Still Life with Tornado, A.S. King
  • Far From the Tree, Robin Benway
  • The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese
  • Horse, Geraldine Brooks
  • Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver
  • The Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich
  • anything Kristin Hannah, Neil Gaiman, Ian McEwan

TV & Movies:

  • The Good Place, Shōgun, Modern Family, The Americans
  • Everything, Everywhere, All At Once; Forest Gump; Lord of the Rings; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon