Lori Steel
Red Fox Literary
My Manuscript Wish List®
What am I looking for?
For all projects, I seek stories with accessible, authentic, and unforgettable voices that reflect the diverse world we inhabit, instill the possibility of hope and change, and illuminate the shared human experience.
Across the board, I’m seeking:
- voice and character driven stories demonstrate a deep trust and respect for their readers
- fresh approaches to story structure; genre mash-ups
- magical realism and folklore
- historical and fantasy stories that hold a light up to contemporary issues
- themes of family and found family
- regional settings and voices
- authentic, diverse voices
- socio-economic diversity
Young Adult
- acquiring selectively in this space
- contemporary stories that flip conventional scripts and disrupt entrenched notions
- genre-bending writing (think A.S. King!)
- grounded fantasy, folklore, magical realism
- endearing meet-cute stories
- graphic novels (fiction or memoir)
Middle Grade (eagerly seeking)
- contemporary coming-of-age
- historical fiction, particularly non-western
- friends as family
- quirky humor and horror
- graphic novels (fiction, memoir, NF)
Picture Books by Author/Illustrators
- stories crafted with spare text and rich art
- creators who play with structure and utilize collusion to engage participation
- whimsy with intention
- subversive, humorous, and quirky tales
- cleverly conceived and STEAM-centered nonfiction projects
Illustrators:
- unique aesthetics that embrace classic sensibilities with a fresh perspective
- strong narrative storytelling that utilizes unexpected and evocative moments
- range of human and animal characters and their emotions
- school/library and commercial crossover appeal for both US and int’l market
I’m not the right agent for:
- Adult projects
- YA Horror (open to MG horror)
- Hard sci-fi and space operas
- Didactic, overly sentimental, and lesson-driven books
- Board books, early readers, and chapter books
- Vampires, werewolves, zombies
- Rhyming PBs in the vein of Seuss or Silverstein
Fun facts about me:
- Vinyl records were my first stories and I wore out the grooves in “Magic Man.”
- If it has wheels and/or goes fast, I’m usually in. Yes, still!
- I was first in my family to go to college.
- Trifecta of awesomeness = baking, beer, and books.
- I’ve called Appalachia, Washington DC, and Oxford, UK home.
- I’m the only one in my immediate family not a dual national.
Submission Guidelines
Most queries are through conferences, referrals, or other submission opportunities, but I do occasionally open to unsolicited manuscripts.
Please check in with my Query Manager page or my website (loristeel.com) for more information on when I may be open. Thank you for your interest!
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Literary Middle Grade, MG Fantasy, MG adventure, Magical Realism, Multiple POV, Novels in Verse, narrative non-fiction
I’d like the next…
- Picture books that straddle cultural experiences as found in Bao Phi’s A Different Pond
- Fantasy-historical mash ups such as Julie Berry’s Lovely War
- Heartfelt, voicey, and sustaining middle grade in vein of Kate diCamillo, Raina Telgemeier, Lynne Kelly, Rita Williams-Garcia, Pam Munoz Ryan
- Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein set in a non-WW2 conflict
My favorites include…
- Officer Buckle and Gloria, Peggy Rathman
- The Gardener, Sarah Stewart, ill. David Small
- Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de la Pena, ill. Christian Robinson
- I Talk Like a River, Jordan Scott, ill. Sydney Smith
- Outside In, Deborah Underwood, ill. Cindy Derby
- Balloons Over Broadway, Melissa Sweet
- Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan
- One Crazy Summer, Rita Williams-Garcia
- Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Kelly Barnhill
- Ghost, Jason Reynolds
- Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi
- Still Life with Tornado, A.S. King
- Far From the Tree, Robin Benway
- The Cruel Prince, Holly Black
