Sera Rivers

I represent middle grade and young adult fiction and graphic novels, as well as very select picture books. I’m especially interested in inclusive narratives and authentic representation by children’s authors and illustrators who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and other underrepresented and marginalized identities and cultures.

Please don’t send me:

• adult fiction or nonfiction
• author-only graphic novels
• demonic possessions
• historical fiction
• high fantasy
• rhyming picture books

I’m specifically looking for:

Young Adult:  fast-paced, compelling, and mind-bending stories with unreliable narrators; stories that incorporate setting as a character (such as Stolen by Lucy Christopher) and twisting plots with endings that are surprising yet inevitable (such as They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera; Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chboksy). I’d love to see contemporary stories that tackle tough topics, especially if they incorporate a magical element to them (such as We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson); horror (no demonic possessions); psychological thrillers; speculative fiction, including magical realism, ghost stories, and fantastical worlds (no high fantasy).

Middle Grade:  voice-driven contemporary fiction; stories that tackle tough topics (such as From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks; Melissa’s Story by Alex Gino); adventure stories; horror (no demonic possession); speculative fiction, including magical realism, ghost stories, and fantastical worlds (no high fantasy).

Graphic Novels (author/illustrator only): I’d love to represent more graphic stories in all genres of the children’s market, especially stories with a parallel imaginative or magical world to them (such as Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani).

Select Picture Books: I’m only looking for specific picture books in the following categories: tough topics (such as Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty and Bryan Collier; The Breaking News by Sarah Reul); horror—author-illustrator only for horror (such as Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown; Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann); and authentic stories about historically excluded identities, communities, and histories.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to https://querymanager.com/query/serarivers

For novel submissions, please include your query letter and the first ten pages of your manuscript.

For graphic novel submissions, please include your query letter and the first ten pages of your script. Please attach any sample pages of art or character designs that you have or send a link of sample pages; please send a link to your portfolio.

For picture book submissions, please include your query letter and the full manuscript. For author/illustrators: please attach sample pages of art, or send a link of sample pages; please send a link to your portfolio.

PLEASE NOTE: I only accept queries via Query Manager. I respond to every query I receive, even if it is a pass. I’ll do my very best to reply to queries within 60 days and full manuscript requests within 8–12 weeks.

Guidelines & Details