Grace Gay

I’m an Associate Editor at St. Martin’s Press building a list in commercial and upmarket fiction and nonfiction. Though genre-agnostic, I love projects that impact and inspire, beyond just telling a great story. Specificity in setting and characters tends to draw me in, as I love a unique point of view or unusual plot. Those kinds of books are what make reading magical to me. As I read, I want my heart to be broken, mended a little, and then leave with the feeling there’s hope and love in the world, even when it seems bleak.

Some topics that I can’t resist in a book: grief, addiction, family systems, or animals (seriously, any animal. I even like snakes). Originally from Arizona, I’m a sucker for any books set in the Southwest. While at Northwestern University, I studied Creative Writing and International Studies and wrote a book column for a student-led arts and culture magazine. My time working on a thesis in poetry and researching modern depictions of female suicidality gave me an appreciation for nonfiction books that tackle complex topics in an accessible way. Right now, so many books seem to take place in an alternate world where it’s always pre-COVID. I’d love to see authors tackle the mood, concerns, and realities of the current day in a way that still feels warm and commercial.

Since joining the SMP team in 2022, I’ve assisted on bestselling fiction and mystery thrillers with authors such as Nora Roberts and Gregg Hurwitz. My own list includes Death on the Shooting Star by Carly Brown (sci-fi muder mystery with retro flair), When Dealing with Dragons by Dana Swift (romantasy and dragons meet James Herriot!), Bump, Set, Sparks by Jennifer Moffatt (lesbian Heated Rivalry plus volleyball), Solar: A History of Humanity and the Sun (nonfiction about the wild ways the sun has shaped human culture), and The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour (the memoir of an extraordinary female spy during WWII).

Currently fiction wishlist:

• #hopecore: if a book depicts the indominable human spirit it will have me in tears (Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir,  Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler)
• Weird, quirky concepts with great characters and a speculative element (Blob by Maggie Su, Babel by R.F. Kuang, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley)
• Literary, dynamic writing that contains chewy plots with real stakes (The Guest by Emma Cline, The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver)

I am not open to any books where cops, federal agents, politicians, or similar figures are the protagonists.

Current nonfiction wishlist:

• Pop culture and science books about sex, gender, biology, and other aspects the weird and wonderful spectrum of nature (Eve by Cat Bohannon, Period: The Real History of Menstruation by Kate Clancy)
• Juicy analysis of techno capitalism and other giant powers ruining our world or their historical antecedents (Enshittificaiton by Cory Doctorow, Doppelganger by Naomi Klein, How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr)
• Anything space related! (The End of Everything by Katie Mack)

A few hyperspecific books I want to read:

• Feminist retellings of Moby Dick set in the modern day
• Literary or horror book exploring the relationship between sex work and AI
• Fiction where a relationship to an animal is core to getting sober or processing grief
• An X-Files or Star Trek series behind-the-scenes book
• An approachable astrophysics book that brings the wonder of space to everyday life (or talks about the James Webb telescope)

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to grace.gay@stmartins.com

At this time, I am only accepting agented submissions.