Submissions.

I am only open to receiving submissions in the first week of every month (the 1st through the 7th).

Thank you for visiting my wishlist page! 

Please note that I am only actively seeking to consider projects of MG and YA fiction (and/or just the right nonfiction project for those age categories) at this time. Altho I sometimes sell picture books, graphic novels, novels-in-verse, and adult projects, I am not accepting those from new clients and reserve those sales for my current client list. I’m interested in contemporary, fantasy, magical realism, speculative, romance, light horror, and thriller/mystery. I am particularly looking to work with authors from marginalized communities (BIPOC, queer/trans/enby, religious minorities, disabled folks including neurodivergent, etc); please refer to the WNDB definition of “diversity” for more info here.

I am not a good fit for books about school shootings, self harm, disordered eating, animal cruelty, or anything promoting copaganda. Please include content warnings if any of the above are even incidentally mentioned and definitely content warnings for anything about suicide. 

I am not interested in any material generated by AI, nor do I care to work with any authors who still support/enjoy JK Rowling or don’t see the issue with book bans or the genocide of Palestinians by the Israeli state.

My “Taste”

I’m looking to be swept away by new worlds, dynamic characters, compelling relationships, and absorbing settings. Books that feel super specific with a ripped-from-the-headlines, high-concept kind of vibe. I feel deeply, and I want books that meet me there. I’m in particular interested in championing intersectional, marginalized voices, pushing boundaries, and seeing if we can shake things up a bit! These are some overarching themes/ideas I would be interested in seeing:

Stories where the protagonist builds their own community/family. 

Books that will radicalize teens/kids—stories that pull no punches when criticizing oppressive systems of power.

Truly escapist fantasy with a world I become absolutely obsessed with! 

Experimental (but not tooooo gimmicky) storytelling that just works!

Anything that tackles capitalism in an unexpected way.

Unique, random, niche subculture stories… Hobbies, events, traditions, games that you never could have guessed existed.

Fun voicey fantasy NOT about the world ending!

Fat BIPOC! 

Trans femme voices!

Stuff that is genre-bending/mash-ups, unexpected but effective!

Ripped-from-the-headlines timely stuff, but not necessarily murder tho—but def jaw-dropping scams and scandals.

Monsters, real and imagined—especially from cultures/mythologies we’ve not seen much of before in mainstream publishing.

Something that feels… moody.

I want to feel shocked by a plot twist… 

Ambitious, unique storytelling, taking narrative risks, with singular voices.

I laugh loud and I cry easily, so have at it!

More Specific Wishlist 

Middle-Grade

I represent middle-grade fiction that embraces whimsy as well as serious topics. The projects I would like to work on most will have both sides of the coin, with the scales set at varying balances. Some of the specifics on my wishlist follow, but I am open to all sorts of middle grade work that speak directly to the heart.

Humor! Not slapstick necessarily, but just… FUNNY. Funny voice, funny characters—maybe a slightly ridiculous but totally high-concept plot. 

Madcap adventures!

Contemporary family stories.

Queer and trans/nonbinary characters in fun, joyful settings.

More fantasy adventure! Commercial, fun, wild, and magical.

Also literary-voiced fantasy with a classic feel and sophisticated worlds, but not too dense.

Tough subjects handled sensitively.

Ensemble casts that may or may not include a talking animal or two.

Hooky, character-driven contemporary series.

Something for that tricky space between MG and YA… Let’s break the mold. 

Young Adult

I represent young adult novels all over the spectrum from light rom-coms to fantasies to darker topics. At the end of the day, I want to fill my YA list with memorable characters that inspire readers to pick up a new genre, to stand up for themselves and their friends, to change the world in some way. I want hope in different packages.

Super high-concept contemporary.

Surreal, speculative contemporary.

Older YA, especially about teens who decide against college. 

Super hopeful, joyful, romantic YA. I like romance, but I especially love when the romance plot is super layered and there are other things going on. 

Emotionally-fraught domestic thrillers and mysteries, crimes! But deeply personal, grounded—particularly if it incorporates social commentary.

Fantasy about a layperson in the magical world (as opposed to royals); the underdog—and voicey fantasy!

Tough topics through a hopeful lens.

Once-in-a-lifetime, constricted timelines.

Experimental, inventive storytelling devices! 

Stories that tackle issues of mass incarceration and the school-to-prison pipeline.

Elements that carefully destigmatize sex work.

Please keep in mind that although these are super specific wants, they are not exclusive! If your work does not match exactly with something on my wishlist, that’s okay. As long as it’s MG or YA, I’m happy to receive your submission. My wishlist is just extra. :)

How To Submit

To send me a submission, use the form on QueryManager here. This is the primary method of querying for me. However, in cases where accommodations due to disability are needed, I accept queries by email at bethqueries@galltzacker.com. Just send me your query letter and first 10 pages, both pasted in the body of the email. For your subject line, please put your book title and the category and genre of the work you are submitting, i.e. [TITLE]: [Category] [Genre]. 

I am open to receiving submissions in the first week of every month.