Amy Nielsen
The Purcell Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
Hi! Thank you for your interest in my manuscript wish list. It is an honor to be a part of the publishing industry. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.
Across all age ranges, I’m looking for pacey, plot-driven, and succinct stories that take place in immersive settings. My favorite genres are:
- Contemporary
- Dystopian
- Horror
- Issue-driven
- Paranormal
- Political
- Romance
- Speculative
- Suspense
- Thriller
Picture Books will make up about 15% of my client list. I’m looking for:
- Hyperbolic, zany storylines that teach a life lesson—even subtle
- Laugh-out-loud stories to simply entertain
- Comps to Robert Munsch and Michael Marchenko
- Supplementary educational materials
Middle Grade will make up about 15% of my client list. I’m looking for:
- Characters who think, act, and talk like real middle graders
- MG main characters who have unique hobbies or whose parents have unique careers
Young Adult will make up about 35% of my client list. I’m looking for:
- Contemporary issue-driven plots where teens find themselves in situations they aren’t equipped to handle, but eventually figure it out.
- YA main characters who have unique hobbies or whose parents have unique careers
Adult Fiction will make up about 35% of my client list. I’m looking for:
- Contemporary women’s fiction where main characters are shattering glass ceilings despite obstacles and defying stereotypes
- Male leads who also defy stereotypes.
I wouldn’t be the best fit for:
- Epic fantasy (if your story features a dragon or fae—probably not for me)
- High-concept sci-fi (if most of your story doesn’t take place on Earth—probably not for me)
- Historical fiction (unless it’s the 80s or 90s then bring it on) I’m fine with dual timelines if the majority of the plot is in a contemporary setting.
- I’m fine with some on-page-steam, but not if the plot centers around it.
- Literary (If your story isn’t plot-driven—probably not for me.)
- Nonfiction (I will take the odd NF especially if it’s about social injustice, parenting, and neurodivergency.)
For all queries, I recommend checking out these resources I created so you know what I’m looking for craft-wise.
Ten Steps Authors Should Consider Before Querying
Polishing Your Submission Packet Before Querying
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
You are welcome to email me to ask questions, but please send all queries to my Query Manager.
I will be open on Friday, October 6th through Sunday, October 8th, 2023 for my first round.
I hope to get back to all authors within twelve weeks. If you haven’t heard from me, feel free to give me a nudge.
Thank you for trusting me with your precious words.
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 any age range 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.
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
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
- Margaret Peterson Haddix author of The Shadow Children
- 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
Adult
- Dan Brown author of Deception Point
- Dana Hawkins author of Serving Love (coming soon)
- Dean Koontz author of Odd Thomas
- Emily Henry author of Book Lovers
- George Orwell author of 1984
- John Grisham author of The Client
- Katherine Center author of Happiness for Beginners
- Kristin Hannah author of Night Road
- Lisa Wingate author of Before We Were Yours
- Michael Connelly author of The Lincoln Lawyer
- Stephen King as Richard Bachman author of The Bachman Books
- V.C. Andrews author of Flowers in the Attic
