LOOKING FOR: MG, YA AND ADULT SCI-FI / FANTASY, CHILDREN'S NON-FICTION
After graduating from St Andrews University with a degree in English Literature
and Art History, Maddy followed her love of literature to an internship at
non-fiction literary agency Graham Maw Christie. At GMC, Maddy worked her way
up to Agent and built a list of authors who wrote for both for adults and
children, spanning history, tarot, and nature writing. An avid reader of
anything magical, Maddy joined Madeline Milburn in 2022 to build a list
specialising in SFF.
Maddy would like to see SFF across all genres for all ages, including: grim
dark, thriller, historical, romance, cosy fantasy, sci-fi, epic, YA fantasy,
dark academia, contemporary fantasy, fantasy middle-grade, mythology, fairy tale
and queer fantasy. Inspiring children’s non-fiction.
She loves worlds to get lost in, adventures that transform what it means to be a
hero, and unique magic that offers as many problems as solutions. She likes
books that make her cry and books that change her mind. Above all, when she
finishes a story about another world, she wants it to have taught her a lesson
which helps her live in this one.
She loves all fantasy, but favours richly imagined, complex worlds with a
history to discover and a future to protect. Worldbuilding is one of her
favourite aspects of this genre and she is always looking for a new, dense world
with series potential. Think Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere or the Marvel Cinematic
Universe – the bigger the better! She also likes character-driven fantasy with a
diverse cast to root for (or root against) and she wants to see a range of
different relationships depicted authentically. She particularly like epics that
dip into big, universal themes such as grief, climate change, or war and which
ask impossible questions in the vein of R.F. Kuang or N.K. Jemisin. She is also
excited by authors that play with form and language in a fantasy setting.
In YA, she is looking for much the same as in an adult fantasy, but with younger
protagonists and a closer focus on relationships. She wants to see the tropes
she knows and loves in new and exciting forms and her favourite YA books often
centre around belonging and becoming. She likes a dash of romance in everything,
because she is sentimental that way, but it’s particularly important in the YA
space.
Sci-fi is a big passion of hers, especially when it comes with a strong hook.
She is a huge fan of Becky Chamber’s The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and
Michaiah Johnson’s The Space Between Worlds. She likes space as a metaphor, and
would love something that explores different alien species. Please send her your
space operas and sci-fi romances which combine space, magic and mayhem!
In fantasy middle grade, she favours whimsy and animal companions; she would
love to follow a group of kids through magic school. She tends to look for
plenty of humour with a strong friendship at the centre, and she wants middle
grade stories which engage with the concerns of children growing up as well as
offering an all-important escape (preferably on a dragon/unicorn’s back).
She is also looking for children’s non-fiction for all ages. In this space, she
wants something as creative as it is informative, and thinks diverse voices are
increasingly important.
Maddy would like you to submit a covering letter, one page synopsis and the
first three chapters (Max 5000 words) of your completed manuscript in a single
word document.
(In addition to the paid sessions, Maddy is kindly offering one free session for
low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk
[agent121@iaminprint.co.uk] to apply, outlining your case for this option which
is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print).
By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I
Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one
document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that
I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent
meeting.
The submission deadline is: Tuesday 7 May 2024