Stories I Love

Below is a non-comprehensive, always-in-flux list of things I love to read and see in stories. In general at Disney Hyperion, we are looking for high-concept and commercial fiction with franchise potential (but this is not an absolute).

*Please note: I am unable to even look at unagented submissions. If you are unagented and interested in being published traditionally, here are some Tips for: Traditional Publishing Path. Any submissions sent to me through the contact page of this website will be deleted without being read and the sender will be blocked.*

A Note on Representation

I am a firm believer in the importance of representation. As such, I focus on stories by and about people from marginalized communities, particularly disabled/neurodiverse people; trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming people; a-spec people; BIPOC; and people with intersectional identities that are under-represented.

Age Categories/Formats

  • Middle Grade—prose novels; graphic novels (must have both an illustrator and author attached)
  • Young Adult—prose, graphic novel (must have both an illustrator and author attached)

Genre

I’m a big ol’ scaredy-cat, so straight-up horror/thriller is probably not for me. Other than that, I’m open to just about anything! Some favorite genres of mine, though, are:

  • Fantasy, and just about any sub-genre therein
  • Romance: I particularly look for LGBTQ+ romances (and especially in middle grade)
  • Crossover: I love stories that can sit between two (or more!) genres

Elements I Love

  • Stories about transition periods and characters caught in the in-between
  • Stories that explore what we owe to one another
  • Stories (and characters!) that are messy but kind
  • Stories featuring non-Christian holidays
  • Stories with dragons or fae
  • Stories that take tropes and lore and twist them on their heads
  • Stories that do not feature any romance, or in which the romance doesn’t overtake the main character’s life
  • Stories where a character from a marginalized community becomes Over It and decides to tear the system down
  • Stories full of queer joy and/or POC joy
  • Stories set in queernorm worlds
  • Stories that make me laugh (please!)
  • Stories with voice-y narrators (this is a near-must for me in middle grade!)
  • Stories that will make a kid/teen reader think “Hey, wait a second! I should have rights!”

Things That Aren’t for Me

  • Nonfiction
  • Horror or thriller
  • Horse stories (nothing against horses in stories, but I am not the Horse Girl you’re looking for)

Things That Will Be Automatic Passes

  • Girl main characters who are ~not like other girls~
  • Stories with main characters from marginalized communities that center trauma
  • Stories about sexual assault (stories with characters who have experienced sexual assault/harassment are okay)
  • Stories that feature explicit/graphic self-harm or eating disorders
  • Stories in which someone’s problems are magically solved/disappear once they’re in a relationship
  • Stories in which a disabled character’s HEA (happily ever after) means they are “cured” of their disability
  • Stories that include unnecessary references to/appreciation for the 1997 boy wizard series
  • Romances between Character A (a teenager) and Character B (an immortal being) with an age difference that would generally be deemed inappropriate if Character B weren’t immortal

Comps (in no particular order)

Books:
  • The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon
  • Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
  • Almost Flying by Jake Maia Arlow
  • Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
  • Hildafolk series by Luke Pearson
  • Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler
  • Loveless by Alice Oseman
  • Malice by Heather Walter
TV/Movies:
  • Schitt’s Creek
  • Ted Lasso
  • Kevin Can F*ck Himself
  • Steven Universe
  • She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
  • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
  • Legally Blonde
  • Practical Magic
  • Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
  • Dead End: Paranormal Park