Hello!
Ivan is a bilingual (Italian/English) graphic novel associate editor at Macmillan, First Second Books, experienced in creator-owned and IP/licensed children’s titles. He holds an MA in Children’s Literature and an MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons University. Ivan brings passion, creativity, a love for bold visual storytelling, and a deep commitment to creators and readers to everything he works on.
What I’m Looking For
General
- Children’s graphic novels across all genres and age categories
- Strong commercial hooks, craveable concepts, compelling characters, and series potential
- Creators with a deep understanding of the graphic novel format
Early Readers and Middle Grade
- Kid-centric, laugh-out-loud, full of heart, high stakes, and high energy
- Fast-paced adventures, mysteries, quests, and competitions
- A dash of magic or mayhem
- Quirky protagonists and playful, imaginative worlds
- Breaking the fourth wall
- Action-packed sequences & unforgettable dynamics
Comps: Pizza and Taco, Narwhal and Jelly, InvestiGators, Dog Man, Wings of Fire, Batcat
Young Adult
- Strong commercial appeal, layered characters, propulsive and cinematic feel
- Atmospheric fantasies with morally complex leads & unforgettable villains
- High emotional stakes & immersive visual worldbuilding
Comps: Moth Keeper, Unfamiliar, Nimona
Across All Age Categories
- Coming-of-age narratives
- Powerful, conversation-sparking stories
- Queer, BIPOC, bilingual, and immigrant representation
Comps: Flamer, Parachute Kids
Not For Me
- Nonfiction
- Historical Fiction
- Biographies
- Stories in verse
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to ivan.taurisano@firstsecondbooks.com
At this time, I do not accept unagented submissions.
Fiction:
Action/Adventure, BIPOC Literature, Children's, Commercial, Contemporary, Family Saga, Fantasy, Folklore, Gothic, Graphic Novel, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Magical Realism, Middle Grade, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Romance, Science Fiction, Speculative, Thriller, Young Adult
Favorite sub-genres:
#ownvoices, AAPI Fantasy, AAPI Horror, AAPI Sci-Fi, Action-Adventure, Adventure, African Fantasy, African Sci-Fi, Artificial Intelligence, Asian Fantasy, Asian Horror, Asian Sci-Fi, Author-Illustrator, Author-Illustrators, BIPOC, BIPOC Fantasy, BIPOC Horror, BIPOC Mystery, BIPOC Sci-Fi, Beginning Readers, Books about books, Character-Driven Horror, Character-driven SciFi, Children's, Children's and Young Adult Fiction and Nonfiction, Commercial MG, Commercial YA, Complicated Relationships, Contemporary Culture, Contemporary Fantasy, Contemporary YA, Contemporary Young Adult, Cozy Fantasy, Cozy Mystery, Cozy mysteries, Cross-genre, Dark Female Friendships, Dark Humor, Dark topics with a light touch, Detective, Disability, Diverse Protagonists, Diversity, Dystopia, Dystopian, Epic Fantasy, Family Drama, Fantasy, Fantasy Grounded in Reality, Fantasy Romance, Fantasy YA, First Person, Found Families, Funny MG, Gaming, Geek Culture, Gothic, Gothic Fantasy, Gothic Horror, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels (for all ages), Grounded fantasy, High Concept, High Fantasy, High-concept YA, High-concept YA/MG, Horror Comedy, Humor, Humor YA, Illustrated, Illustration (for all ages), Illustrator, Illustrators, Illustrators and Author/Illustrators, Immigrant Experiences, Immigrant Voices, Inspirational, LGBT YA, LGBTQ Contemporary, LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ Fantasy, LGBTQ+ Sci-Fi, LGBTQ+ rom coms, Latinx Fantasy, Latinx Horror, Latinx Sci-Fi, MG, MG Action Adventure, MG Fantasy, MG Horror, MG Sci-Fi, MG adventure, MG contemporary, MG mystery, MG/YA, Magic, Magic Realism, Magical Realism, Magical Realism YA, Mental Health, Middle Grade, Middle Grade Adventure, Middle Grade Contemporary, Middle Grade Fantasy, Middle Grade Graphic Novels, Middle Grade Horror, Middle Grade Humor, Middle Grade Mystery, Middle grade magical realism, Monsters, Multigenerational, Multiple POV, Multiple Timelines, Mysteries, Mystery / Crime, Mythology, POC, Pop Culture, Portal fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Robots/A.I., Same-Sex Romance, Sci-fi Thriller, Science Fiction YA, Science Fiction and Fantasy Favorite sub-genres: Absolutely all of them!, Steampunk, Superheroes, Supernatural, Time Travel, Upmarket YA, Urban Fantasy, YA, YA Contemporary, YA Crossover, YA Fantasy, YA Mystery, YA Rom-Coms, YA RomCom, YA Romance, YA Romantasy, YA SF/F, YA Sci-fi, YA Science Fiction, YA Thrillers, YA fantasy/light sci-fi, YA horror, YA rom com, YA thriller/mystery, YA/MG graphic novel, Young Adult, Zombies, action-packed graphic novels, animal fantasy, award-winners!, bilingual, celebrity, character-focused fiction, character-focused stories, children's diversity, children's graphic novels, comics, coming of age, commercial, commercial middle grade, contemporary MG, contemporary middle grade, crossover, crossover appeal, dark academia, dark fantasy, diverse, diverse and own voices, diverse heroines, diverse voices, family saga, family stories, fantastical, found family, friendship, friendship stories, fun SF/F, ghost story, high-concept science fiction, horror, immigration, inclusive sf/f, queer, queer horror, queer narratives, quirky, romantacy, romantasy, romantic fantasy, romantic suspense/mystery, sci-fi, science fantasy, science fiction, witchcraft, witches
I’d like the next…
- Dog Man
- InvestiGators
- Wings of Fire
- Batcat
- Narwhal and Jelly
- Unfamiliar
