Hillary Jacobson

I am actively building a list consisting of upmarket, literary, and commercial fiction, select young adult and middle grade, as well as narrative non-fiction and memoir. I read widely and am on the hunt for any and all writing that provokes a strong emotional reaction, adds an important perspective to the cultural conversation or forces the reader to challenge what they think. (Or ideally all of the above!)

I’ve been told that my brand is “complicated women” and I think that’s accurate! An eclectic assortment of favorites includes: THE PAPER PALACE, THE RACHEL INCIDENT, SHARK HEART, NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT, THIS TIME TOMORROW, THE GUEST, THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY, I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN, MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES, FRIENDS & STRANGERS, TRUE BIZ, THE MOTHERS, THE NEW ME, and MARLENA.

More specifically, I’m looking for:

• Epic love stories
• Fiction that immerses the reader in a glamorous world in service of either pure escapism or biting social commentary
• Books about books! And other art forms (painting, film, music etc.)
• Upmarket romance or rom-com in the vein of GHOSTS, THE HUSBANDS, SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE, or EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER
• A sweeping family saga with a compelling hook like BLACK CAKE, HELLO, BEAUTIFUL, REAL AMERICANS, THE LATECOMER, ASK AGAIN YES, THE LAST ROMANTICS, PACHINKO, or SAINTS FOR ALL OCCASIONS
• Smart, moving stories with a touch of whimsy, like LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, THE STORIED LIFE OF AJ FIKRY, REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES or everything by J. Ryan Stradal (Bonus points for the emphasis on the food!)
• Speculative fiction that features a world like ours with a twist or just a touch of the unreal, like THE IMMORTALISTS, THE FERRYMAN, STATION ELEVEN, THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE, SEVERANCE, THE AGE OF MIRACLES, or NEVER LET ME GO
• Suspense, or what I like to call “secrets & lies” novels. I definitely gravitate towards the dark and disturbing, and I love feeling unsettled…
  • Think THE BANKER’S WIFE, THE PERFECT NANNY, THE QUIET TENANT, LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, THE PLOT, THE EXPATRIATES, COUNTERFEIT, NOTES ON AN EXECUTION, GREENWICH PARK, MY SWEET GIRL, or WATCH ME DISAPPEAR
  • Suspense where you adore getting to know the characters, something Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth do so brilliantly
  • Literary suspense as serious and topical as LONG BRIGHT RIVER, or as playful and satirical as SOCIAL CREATURE
  • I’d especially love to see these stories told from diverse perspectives!
  • And I’m open to all of the above veering into the horror space

• Memoirs that read like tightly plotted and suspenseful fiction a la BRAIN ON FIRE, WITHOUT YOU, THERE IS NO US, WILD GAME, or THE FACT OF A BODY.

• For YA:
  • I am a sucker for anything that can be (accurately) pitched as GOSSIP GIRL meets X, like ANNA K or THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR
  • High-concept contemporary
  • Grounded fantasy/speculative
  • Historical with a magical twist

• #ownvoices! I’m committed to promoting underrepresented voices. I’m also always eager to read stories not set in the US.

But sometimes I surprise myself with what I fall in love with, so please do query me even if your manuscript falls outside these guidelines!

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to hillary.jacobson@caa.com

Submissions should be emailed to Hi**************@ca*.com. Any emails sent to my previous ICM email will still be forwarded.

Please send me your pitch and the first ten pages of your manuscript in the body of an email. I respond to every query, and my average response time is about a month.