Kesia Lupo

Thank you for your interest in my MSWL! Please note that right now I am closed to most fiction genres and age groups in order to catch up with a backlog of queries. I’m open to middle-grade, women’s/upmarket fiction, and non-fiction. However, I’m leaving this MSWL up here for the future – I hope to reopen in a few months!

What I’m looking for
In general, I’m looking for fiction for middle-grade, YA and adult readers. Across age-groups (where applicable), I would love to see:
Fantasy: High fantasy, low fantasy, cosy fantasy – I love it all. I’m particularly interested in fantasy inspired by underrepresented cultures with unique world-building. Romantasy is fine but the fantasy elements MUST be strong!
Horror: Psychological and paranormal horror in particular but will consider slashers. Love gothic horror. Generally not fazed by gory content.
Science fiction: My taste tends towards futuristic thrillers however I do enjoy the occasional space opera, particularly if it feels accessible and original e.g. Becky Chambers.
Bookclub/women’s fiction: Voice-driven, high-concept novels across these categories. I’m particularly interested in finding women’s fiction offering hope, adventure and reflection for women over the age of 35!
Thrillers: Upmarket thrillers with a unique spin on the genre.
Romance: Upmarket romance with a great one-line pitch. Happy with spice.
Historical: I was a history major so I love the subject – but I’m picky when it comes to historical fiction! I’m open to everything with a strong hook and informed by excellent research. Would especially love to find non-Eurocentric historical fiction.
Literary fiction: I’m not generally a huge literary fiction reader and honestly I’m not a huge fan of the commercial/literary divide. However I’m open to all novels in the ‘literary’ space (any sub-genre) and I’ll consider novellas in this category as well.

Genre mash-ups welcome – as well as the inclusion of sub-genres not covered specifically in this list. If I haven’t mentioned something here or in my ‘What I’m not looking for’ list below, please feel free to try me.

If often get asked if I represent authors outside of the US. I’d love to build an international list with authors and inspirations from all over the world. My current authors are based in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Belgium.

My focus is fiction but I’m considering narrative non-fiction with broad appeal – briefly, I enjoy non-fiction about psychology and big political, cultural or historical topics.

Specific wishlist items:

• I would really like to find a middle-grade author or two as this is a glaring gap on my list!
• Underrepresented voices, always
• I’m interested in books (fiction or non-fiction) involving Croatia/the Balkans due to a family connection

What I’m not looking for:
I may not be the best fit for the following

• YA and adult fantasies involving fae/fairies – I receive a lot of these and sometimes struggle to see the wood for the trees. However, if you feel your approach is a little unique or different, I would be happy to take a look!
• portal fantasies unless very original in concept
• children’s books where the cast consists mainly of talking animals – ever since childhood, for reasons I can’t quite fathom, I have generally disliked stories dominated by talking animals with some important exceptions (e.g. I loved the Duncton Wood series which is high fantasy and consists entirely of talking moles…!)
• dense or very technological science-fiction world-building
• contemporary police procedurals/detective crime series – where the ‘procedural’ aspects dominate the story. This does not mean I don’t want ANY detective stories, especially when combined with other genres
• anything overtly religious/spiritual in nature
• poetry collections (though I will consider novels in verse)
• short story collections
• picture books or younger (5-7) chapter books
• graphic novels
• novellas except in the category of literary fiction

Non-fiction: I’m not the best fit for anything too academic or local interest, mass market only please. No non-fiction which might be best placed with a Christian or spiritual publisher – there are several agents at my agency better suited to this kind of project!

About me and my publishing career:
I’m currently an Associate Literary Agent at the Bindery Agency and am based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Although I started at the Bindery in May 2023, I have over ten years of experience in the publishing industry. I submit across the US and the UK and my publishing clients include Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Bonnier.

I started my career as an assistant at Pan Macmillan London back in 2013, largely working for wonderful SFF/Horror imprint Tor – I loved the authors I worked with there who included Adrian Tchaikovsky, Adam Nevill and Genevieve Cogman.

In my last job, I was Senior Editor at UK children’s book publisher Chicken House, where I’d been working my way up from Junior Editor since 2015. Here, I acquired and edited children’s fiction for middle-grade and YA readers and worked with loads of bestselling, award-winning and internationally successful authors.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit to me directly via Query Tracker: https://querytracker.net/agent/15349

I am committed to responding to everyone who submits and use a semi-personalized form rejection system.

For updates, please follow me on Twitter (@keslupo) and/or Instagram/Threads (@kesialupoauthor).

(Please note, if you submit to the general agency inbox as listed on our website there is a high chance I won’t see it!)

Guidelines & Details