Katie Grimm

Don Congdon Associates

My Manuscript Wish List®

Most generally, I focus on adult literary and upmarket fiction, narrative and creative non-fiction, and literary fiction for young adult and middle grade audiences. Across all genres and ages, I’ll always be interested in the darker and weirder side of the human condition, stories that can be classified as tragicomic, and previously under- or misrepresented experiences and voices.

In adult fiction, I look for unique voices and plot that evokes a strong emotion and necessitates a conversation–including contemporary, historical, mysterious and speculative. I always want books with a heartbeat, and I’m delighted when an unusual structure or form functions at a higher level.

In non-fiction, I’m also looking for distinct voices (from lyrical to humorous) and new perspectives. I enjoy narratives that blend the personal and investigative, are nerdy deep-dives into a particular topic, and/or use individual stories as a lens to analyze a systemic problem or timely issue.

In children’s fiction, I love the idea of finding a new middle grade classic that I wished I had as a child to guide me through complicated feelings or take me to faraway lands. I’m also looking for contemporary and speculative young adult novels that use genre tropes and form to create an emotional space to work through issues in a new way. In MG and YA, I’m open to every genre–from magical realism to horror to high fantasy to sci-fi–as long as the focus is on the characters’ personal growth and relationships, with an emphasis on creating wonder and building empathy.

Topics that always get closer look: beauty and brutality of the natural world, ecological grief, friendship as romance, the many forms of desire, weird history, cults, abductions, the Reformation, the Plague, the sea, Space, twins, monsters, fairy tales, witches, reversal of fortune stories, lies we tell ourselves, and magic in our world or those imagined.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit your query letter and first chapter or 15 pages (if you have a prologue, you can include both, for alternating POV, please include a chapter from each) via Query Manager: https://QueryManager.com/KGRIMM

Guidelines & Details

Vital Info