Manuscript Wish List 2026

This year I’m setting myself a kind of manuscript wish list (you know, like the ones acquisition editors typically post?). Mostly for fun, but also to put the call out to the authors I'd love to work with.
If you're going to pursue a career doing what you love, you may as well find ways to make it even better, right?

Image By PiccoloNamek at English Wikipedia - Own work (Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Maksim.), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=528340

My preferred genres to edit can be summed up into a few categories:

• Fantasy
• Sci Fi/Dystopian
• Literary Fiction/Speculative Fiction
• Literary Nonfiction/Memoir

I've also enjoyed editing academic work, romance, and poetry, but deep down I know that these narrative styles are the ones I feel most comfortable with--my personal elements.

That said, I love some specific dynamics and also want to see more experimental ones this year. Here are my top ten:

1. Fantasy - Unique magic systems
2. Fantasy - Morally grey hero/main character
3. Fantasy with queer characters
4. Villain who thinks they're the hero
5. Story wherein the main character leans heavily on a platonic best friend who is pivotal to the story
6. Nonfiction that deals with complicated family dynamics
7. Nonfiction about an education journey
8. Nonfiction about queer identity
9. A story that uses unconventional narrative elements (case study excerpts, epistolary entries, folklore inserts, poetry asides, etc.)
10. A story told in reverse

Of course the list of manuscripts I'd love to see is lengthy and I love surprises but maybe this short list will give an idea of what I'm after.

As always, ask me anything and let me know if you or someone you know has one of these literary unicorns!