Daniele Hunter

YA and MG – Contemporary

This is my top priority. My favorite published books I’ve worked on are TOGETHER WE CAUGHT FIRE by Eva V. Gibson (YA) and THANKS A LOT, UNIVERSE by Chad Lucas (MG).

-Literary, lyrical writing. Prose or novels-in-verse welcome!

-“Dark and gritty”, “issue-driven”

-I also always appreciate moments of triumph and joy, especially for marginalized characters!

-Slice-of-life and coming-of-age

-Protagonist ages: 11-12 and upward (love college-aged protagonists, on the opposite end!)

-Voice-driven, character-focused

-BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ experiences

-Chronic illness and/or disability

-Mental health, neurodivergence

-Multiple POV or mixed-perspective

-Mixed media or multiple timelines

-Romance as a subplot

-Non-romantic relationship focus—friendship and found family, “friend break-up”, complicated family dynamics

 

 

YA and MG – Genre

–Fantasy/speculative: Foremost, contemporary fantasy with lyrical writing and character focus. I’m open to near-future dystopian (but not post-apocalyptic) involving social critique and/or magic. Sparingly open to higher fantasy, if the world-building is detailed, atmospheric, and accessible. And though I’m not a fit for most supernatural or fantastical characters, I love ghost stories!

-Historical: Sparingly open; I prefer stories set in the nearer-past. Lesser-told times in history, with a human-interest element alongside the historical education. 

-Thriller/suspense: Must be character- and voice-driven–I like more focus on character and lyricism than is most common for these genres. I like murder mysteries, especially with unconventional formats.

-Anthology: Sparingly interested, for both fiction and nonfiction.

 

 

Picture books

 This will be the smallest part of my list. My favorite (soon-t0-be) published picture book I’ve worked on is THE HOLE by Lindsay Bonilla.

-Grief – Honest about the heavy parts; hopeful but not saccharine

-BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ – Anything from slice-of-life, to celebratory, to informative, to issue-based!

-Disability, in both fiction and nonfiction

-Diverse cultures, holidays, traditions, identities

-Sparingly open to bios; women, LGBTQIA+, and/or BIPOC subjects preferred

-Author-illustrators/teams!

-I prefer human narrators over animal narrators, but I’m not totally closed to the latter.

 

 

Random/specific topics of interest—many of these asks are inspired by my own identities and experiences!: 

-Death/grief, specifically loss of parent or friend

-Endometriosis, adenomyosis, hearing loss, brain tumors, trouble walking/balance disorders

-Fat characters who are *not* interested in weight loss

-Asexual characters

-Pets, especially cats, and especially if the owner was hesitant at first

-Beach settings

-Retellings (but not necessarily of popular fairy tales)

-Singers, music, musical theatre

-Characters who don’t want kids

-Knitting

-Gymnastics

-Holidays

 

 

I am *not* a fit for:

-Racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, xenophobic, misogynist, or otherwise discriminatory content

-Rhyming picture books (unless the author mainly writes free verse or prose)

-Early readers, chapter books, lower MG

-Adult books (unless the author mainly writes, and is querying me with, kidlit)

-Third-person. I’d work on occasional third-person books (especially picture books!), but have a strong preference for first-person, as I personally often find it easier to connect with a character’s voice and interiority in first-person. To be clear, I have nothing against third-person; this is just my own taste!

-Art-only submissions

-Graphic novels or comics (but I enjoy hybrid/illustrated novels!)

-Christian religious themes (except for stories about leaving the religion) or parables

-Pirates

-Court fantasy

-Sci-fi (especially aliens, space)

-Time travel or portals

-Insects

-Prehistoric settings

-Assassins, the mafia, organized crime, etc.

-Animal narrators or talking-animal characters, outside PBs

-Supernatural/fantastical characters other than ghosts, including faeries, vampires, werewolves, elves, dragons, mermaids, etc.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit to me via Query Manager only: http://querymanager.com/ddhunter/

I require a query letter, synopsis, and either your full picture book manuscript or the first 3 chapters of your novel. I also ask questions about your potential market!

Guidelines & Details