Hannah Strouth

I’m looking primarily for nuanced and compelling work that digs deep into a wide range of emotions across all genres, including literary and upmarket fiction, and select romance. Also, I will always have a soft spot for speculative and magical realism. I’m automatically drawn to stories that help me discover and explore new aspects about people, the way we (dis)connect, what haunts us (literally and metaphorically) and how we confront it, and stories of resiliency. I love when a book makes me question human nature and confront grand concepts that have no defined answer. I also have a penchant for darker themes, specifically for stories that deal with mental health/trauma head on and how it weaves its way through a person or community. Any story that makes me spend hours falling down an internet rabbit hole of information, whether that’s learning about a historical figure or event, or about a subculture or community of people, will immediately captivate me. And if you can describe your story as “dark,” “edgy,” or “gritty,” chances are it’s up my alley. Across the board, I’m always looking for diverse voices and experiences.

I’m not a good fit for: traditional genre romance (I look for character development in addition to plot), historical romance, domestic suspense, hard sci-fi, deep fantasy with complex world building, middle grade, children’s, and YA

Some specifics things I like and/or want:

• Fresh re-tellings/re-imaginings, extra bonus if it’s a feminist spin (think Outlawed by Anna North or Circe by Madeline Miller)
• Family sagas (think Homegoing, Pachinko, or Sharks in the Time of Saviors)
• Coming-of-age stories (think Dominicana)
• Moral dilemmas with no right or wrong answer (think: The Pact by Jodi Picoult)
• Intersection of ideas at odds (ex: science and religion)
• Stories that highlight power dynamics
• Subversive women
• “Found family” stories (think The People We Keep by Allison Larkin or What Comes After by Joanne Thompkins)
• Examinations of isolated and/or tight-knit communities (think: Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson or Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn, which both also deal with both individual and collective trauma)
• Stories that use landscape almost as a character in itself (think: Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy or again, Sharks in the Time of Saviors)
• Working class issues
• Climate fiction
• Rom-coms that demonstrate healthy relationships and diverse experiences
• Stories that play with memories and other ways the mind takes over
• Anything set against an Italian landscape (think Sex & Vanity by Kevin Kwan)
• Would love, love, LOVE a book version of Jane the Virgin
• Anything that revolves around/examines fame and celebrities/celebrity obsession, Hollywood, social media, internet phenomena, music, etc. (think: Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Comeback by Ella Berman, We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman
• Historical fiction that brings new light to lesser-known events that focus on society and don’t directly involve wars (think Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate) 

My growing list of clients includes: Rachel Attias, Dr. Siggie Cohen, Michelle Gurule, Virginia Hanusik, Victoria Hulbert, Piper Lane, and Kalpana Negi.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to hstrouth@janerotrosen.com

YOUR SUBMISSION SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

• a concise description of your work

• relevant biographical information

• previous publishing history

• for fiction: a synopsis and the first three chapters of your work

• for nonfiction: a proposal and sample chapters

Please note, we do not currently accept plays, screenplays, children’s picture books, or any queries sent by mail. We thank you for your patience as you await our response.

If possible, please include trigger warnings. While I love darker themes and stories that don’t shy away from the difficult and heavy aspects of being human, on certain days I’m not always in the frame of mind to read that type of story. If you need help determining what you should list as a trigger warning, you can find a helpful list here.

Guidelines & Details