Amy Nielsen
The Purcell Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
As of July 2025, I’m shifting my focus to Kid Lit only. I’m super excited to dive deep into the age ranges where I first fell in love with literature.
I’m opening on Monday, September 1st, 2025, for Middle Grade only! Looking specifically for differently-abled, LGBTQ+ representation, and/or BIPOC in characters and/or authors. All genres welcome. Note: I’m not the best fit for epic Fantasy or Hi-Concept SciFi.
Fun facts about me:
I spent nearly twenty years on the other side of the writing aisle as a youth librarian both at the elementary and middle school levels. Daily immersion in story took root and I began penning my 2024 Young Adult debut Worth It at my checkout desk. When my youngest son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, I left the library to be home while he was little. That led me to write It Takes a Village How to Build a Support System For Your Exceptional Needs Family and Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder. All three books are published with Wild Ink Publishing.
Now that he’s a big boy, he and I do big things together! We were recently in the upcoming short film about nonverbal autism Mandy’s Voice featuring autism advocate and supermodel Rachel Barcellona and actress Karen Sillas. It’s currently hitting film festivals!
Being a librarian most of my adult life, I’m extremely disheartened at the book-banning epidemic in our country. This inspired me to become the lead anthologist on the upcoming anthology Uncensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired-Anthology. You can find submission guidelines for it here.
When I was a librarian, I was fortunate enough to also teach Television Production, and one project I always had my students complete was to make a book trailer for a favorite book. This led me to start Mayflower Media to help authors create trailers for their books.
I also run the Author(ish) podcast with author Dana Hawkins where we work to share practical advice and tips to aspiring and emerging authors.
You can find out more about me on either of my websites Big Abilities or Amy Nielsen Author
When I’m not reading or writing I’m usually cruising the waters of Tampa Bay with my family and our boat dog, Sandy!
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to https://querymanager.com/query/AmyNielsen
When open for submissions, please review my POLISHING YOUR SUBMISSION PACKET BEFORE QUERYING at www.amynielsenauthor.com at the bottom you’ll be able to see my free query template webinar.
Vital Info
I’d like the next…
- As the mother of an autistic child, I’d appreciate any story that features characters across the autism spectrum written authentically and free from stereotypes.
- I’d swoon over a Gilmore Girls retelling with a paranormal or speculative element, anything that could comp my favorite song of all time, “Never Surrender” by Cory Hart or a story set in a coastal boating town.
- I’m also always game for any fairy-tale retelling or re-imagining, especially if pulled into a contemporary setting.
- I would love a YA where a dystopian plot mirrors a current social issue. Think Handmaid’s Tale versus the current political landscape of abortion. Or how the political landscape is impacting marginalized communities such as the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC.
- If you can comp ANYTHING Dav Pilkey, we are best friends.
My favorites include…
A Few Favorite Authors by Age Range & One Favorite Book from Each
Picture Books
- Crockett Johnson, author of Harold and the Purple Crayon
- Dav Pilkey, author of Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis
- David Shannon, author of No, David!
- David Wiesner, author of Hurricane
- Harry Allard, author of Miss Nelson is Missing
- Jon Scieszka, author of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
- Judy Schachner, author of Skippyjon Jones
- Mary K. Brown, author of Sally’s Room
- Mo Willems, author of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
- Robert Munsch, author of Thomas’ Snowsuit’
Middle Grade
- Dav Pilkey author of Dog Man and a bazillion other books.
- Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of The Shadow Children
- Aaron Blabey, author of The Bad Guys
- Gordan Korman, author of Schooled
- Kate DiCamillo, author of Because of Winn Dixie
Young Adult
- Abigail Wild, author of More Than One Way to Breath
- Amber Smith, author of The Way I Used to Be
- Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing
- Ginny Myers Sain, author of Dark and Shallow Lies
- Jodi Picoult, author of The Pact
- John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars
- Lois Lowery, author of The Giver
- Neal Shusterman author of Unwind
- Sally Lotz, author of The Truth is a Lie
- S.E. Reed, author of My Heart is Hurting
- Scott Westerfield, author of Uglies
- Sharon Draper, author of The Jericho Trilogy
- Sorboni Banerjee and Dominique Richardson, authors of The Everbeach Series
- Susan McCarthy, author of Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands
- Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games
