Hillary Sames

Orbit Books - Hachette Book Group

My Manuscript Wish List®

I am in the market for commercial science fiction and fantasy that feature a captivating voice, a quick pace, and a primarily character-driven narrative. I also dearly love books that exhibit particularly unique and innovative worldbuilding structures or magic systems, like the light-based magic system seen in The Black Prism by Brent Weeks.

I’m mainly interested in epic fantasy, though I’m keen to see other variations of the genre: quest fantasy, action & adventure, political fantasy, fantasy with a strong romantic arc, fairy-tale inspired, and dark fantasy. I’m also looking for fresh approaches to the classic fantasy genre (featuring fantasy races, dragons, etc.). Some of my favorite fantasy authors include Brent Weeks, Jenn Lyons, Jacqueline Carey, A. K. Larkwood, and N. K. Jemisin. K. S. Villoso’s The Wolf of Oren-Yaro and Nicholas Eames’ Kings of the Wyld are two of Orbit’s recent fantasy publications; I’d love to work on books similar to these.

For science fiction I am primarily looking for space opera and adventure stories, though I’m also open to near-future, cyberpunk, and any sci-fi featuring AI or aliens. Recent favorites include A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, Fortuna by Kristyn Merbeth, and Autonomous by Annalee Newitz. I am not the best fit for hard sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, or horror projects, but there are other editors on the Orbit team who would be happy to take a look.

For Redhook, I am interested in speculative commercial and historical fiction in the vein of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. For both the Orbit and Redhook list, I am looking for submissions from creators of diverse backgrounds.

Fun facts about me:

  • I used to be a bookseller at an indie bookstore!
  • I love D&D, and I’m involved in several campaigns.
  • I played the harp for ten years.

Submission Guidelines

Unfortunately, Orbit only accepts agented submissions at this time.

Guidelines & Details