Jenny Ly

I’m an assistant editor who is selectively acquiring picture books through YA, including graphic novels, with a specific emphasis on submissions from BIPOC and marginalized creators. Across all age groups, I’m interested in stories about immigration, the first-generation experience, Asian American identity, and intersectional representation.

In picture books, I’m looking for:

• Uplifting stories celebrating identity and culture like A Different Pond, Watercress, When Aiden Became a Brother, Bodies Are Cool, and In My Mosque 
• Funny, clever, weird stories that deliver laughs and a bit of heart, like Mina, On the Account of Gum, Memory Jars, Are You a Cheeseburger?, Knight Owl, Oh Olive!
• select nonfiction (STEM topics or history from a fun, accessible angle, not pb bios)

For MG and YA, I am open to all genres and stories with a captivating voice, heart, humor, adventure, and action, but I am particularly drawn to:

• realistic contemporary like Kelly Yang’s Front Desk series, From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks, Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
• fantasy like The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Nightbooks, and Witchlings 
• slice of life GNs like: New Kid, Measuring Up, Swim Team, Miss Quinces, Himawari House, The Magic Fish, Check, Please
• fantasy GNs that bring us to exciting, beautiful worlds like This Was Our Pact, Garlic and the Vampire, Nimona 
• adaptations of adult nonfiction for younger readers like Born a Crime, Stamped, and Making of Asian America 
• clever, resourceful protagonists like the kids from A Series of Unfortunate Events, Greenglass House, or The Mysterious Benedict Society
• Stories that revolve around the protagonist’s hobby, whether that’s sports or band camp or whatever, and bonus if it involves a team rather than an individual
• Big family centered stories, like the Vanderbeekers or Penderwicks

In YA: I love stories that hit you hard in the emotions, like Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School and Last Night at the Telegraph Club – these both have distinct voices, are queer, and are grounded in a very specific setting

• other topics I like to see woven into stories: self love, body image, mental health, found family, romance

Not the best fit for:

horror or thrillers – I like books that incorporate suspense but not as the center of it

Submission Guidelines

HarperCollins does not accept unagented submissions.

Agents, please email your pitch and manuscript to me at HarperCollins.