Shannon Snow

First the boring stuff. I worked in finance and marketing for 18 years before turning to my childhood first love… books and writers. I started my career in publishing 2018 and and then joined Creative Media Agency, Inc. as an Associate Agent in 2020. I hold a B.A. in English Language and Literature, and also manage the Audio rights department for CMA.

Now to the fun stuff! I have a very eclectic reading taste. I look for books that have a unique angle, and authors that have a wonderful, engaging voice that makes me want to read a sentence again and say “wow” just because of how you worded something. Characterization is a top draw for me because if I can’t connect to a character, I can’t fully engage with a story. So, I’m looking for vivid, well-developed characters with clear goals, motivations, conflicts. (And some of my favorite books have been ones where an author was able to have only one character facing and surviving a situation. To do that without it being boring…wow!) I absolutely love when an author can make me laugh, make make me pull out my tissue box, or just make me feel emotion in general.

I am actively acquiring right now and looking to build up my list. This is what I’m looking for in 2024:

Fiction: Adult

– All romance fiction and all its sub-genres, but especially those listed below:
– Romance Fantasy – Yes, Sarah J. Maas a Court of Thorns and Roses series…but adult
– Contemporary romance – Can be cute, steamy, erotica, paranormal, or even those riding the edge of Women’s Fiction, etc. (Think Mary Beesley’s The Second Time Around; Rosie Walsh’s The Love of My Life; and/or Vi Keeland’s The Rules of Dating; and for more serious, think Mia Sheridan’s Archer’s Voice.) Favorite tropes: enemies to lovers and/or forced proximity (think Sarah Adams’ Practice Makes Perfect); mistaken identity, older woman/younger man (for both of these in one book, think Vi Keeland’s All Grown Up); and professional sports heroes with either sparkling banter, or ones with darker tones (think RJ Prescott’s The Hurricane; or for an older favorite, think Katy Evans’ Real.)
– Thriller/Psychological Thrillers/Suspense – Can have a touch of the paranormal. (Otherwise, think Laura Nowlin’s If He Had Been With Me…but adult; Karin Slaughter’s After That Night)
– Horror/Thriller – The eerie/creepy kind. (Think Dean Koontz’ The Big Dark Sky; Jason Rekulak’s Hidden Pictures; Riley Sager’s Home Before Dark; Megan Goldin’s The Escape Room)
– Speculative Fiction – Especially with a touch, or a lot, of romance
– Some Historical romance – I have a warm fondness for medieval, and historicals set in ancient times/place such as Rome, Greece, or Egypt, as well as Regency.
– Fantasy – Mainly low to medium fantasy with a touch of romance being an added bonus!
– Science Fiction – Love it all but especially love space operas
– Mythological or fairytale reimaginings rather than straight retellings
– Reverse Harem/why choose romance in either contemporary or fantasy settings (Very selective in this category. Not so much on dubcon or seriously heavy bullying)

Fiction: Young Adult

– Contemporaries – Love them all, but have a fondness for bad boy, unpopular girls getting the unattainable guy, enemies to love interests, and darker stories like One of Us Is Lying. Some amazing LGBTQ+, asexual, non-binary romances, etc. (Also love age crossovers with serious messages like Mia Sheridan’s Archer’s Voice and Katy Evans’ Real series.)
– Dark boarding school/academia stories, contemporary or fantasy setting (Think Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti’s Zodiac Academy series)
– Fantasy Romance – Thinking Sarah J. Maas, Julie Kagawa. (Newer example: Stephanie Garber’s Once Upon a Broken Heart)
– Horror – More eerie/creepy type – (Think Natalie D. Richards’ Five Total Strangers)
– Thriller/Psychological Thrillers/Suspense – (Think Laura Nowlin’s If He Had Been With Me)
– Speculative Fiction – (paranormal, etc.) – (Think Richelle Mead, Jennifer Estep, Cassandra Clare, etc.)
– Mythological or fairytale – more reimaginings rather than straight retellings (Love Greek gods, Egyptian or Roman gods for myths, etc.)
– Dystopian – Think Delirium, Matched, The Culling, and Marie Lu! (But this really needs to bring something new and different to what’s been done before.)
– Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic, in whatever form…but must be new take or unique/original
– Science Fiction – Love all types, like space academies, space out stories, space operas in general. (Think Beth Revis’ Across the Universe; Vera Nazarean’s The Atlantis Grail series)
– Reverse Harem/why choose romance in either contemporary or fantasy settings (Very selective in this category. 18 years old+ characters (Not so much on dubcon or seriously heavy bullying; dark academia setting is good: Think Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti’s Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac series.)

I’m also looking to represent POC and LGBTQ+ authors, and stories with diverse characters!

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to query@cmalit.com

We are no longer accepting queries sent by mail. We are only reviewing queries sent by email.

Please email Shannon your query at (query@cmalit.com) and include the following in the body of the email:

* The query letter
* First five pages pasted into the body of your email
* Remember to write “query” in the subject heading.
​
Normally I respond within 4-6 weeks but due to the pandemic backlog, I have been responding a bit more slowly. If you have interest or an offer, please make sure you check in with me so that I can have an opportunity to review and respond.

Guidelines & Details

Consultations