Query Submission

James McGowan's MSWL and Query Form

Thank you for thinking of me on your search for an agent. Please note that I reply to all queries, and aim to do so within a week of receipt. For requested proposals and completes, my response is usually within 4-8 weeks. I look forward to reviewing your work. Here's what I'm looking for lately:

James is currently looking for adult fantasy, speculative fiction, thrillers, suspense, and book club fiction. In all genres, James is looking for works from diverse, marginalized, and/or underrepresented voices. James is eager to find the next novel that everyone is reading and recommending and loves plot-driven books with strong characters, commercial hooks, and a sentence that sticks with you.

In fantasy, James loves books that hook you in right off the bat, and plotting that doesn’t let you put the book down. He’s interested in unique magical elements, accessible world-building, and a fresh spin on familiar tropes. He’s a huge fan of NK Jemisin and The Fifth Season is his favorite fantasy series of all-time. James loves books that are deeply political like Masquerade, The Will of the Many, and The Poppy War. He leans towards fantasy but can be open to things with a science-fiction approach as well (like the Red Rising series). James loves books with an upmarket bent and a darker (academia) vibe, like Babel or Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and The Familiar. Some other recent fantasy reads that James enjoyed include: The Stardust Thief, Godkiller, Jade City, and anything by Sabaa Tahir and S.A. Chakraborty.

James is a huge thriller and suspense reader and would love to find books that feel fresh and different in this space. He loves exciting settings (like the swanky college vibe of I Have Some Questions for You and In My Dreams I Hold a Knife or the snowed-in cabin of The Overnight Guest). James loves a dark and unique set-up for a suspense novel like The Push and Night Watching, and loves books that have shocking twists that you don’t see coming (or enjoy immensely, even if you do). He’s a big fan of messed up family/friend dynamics (this Only If You’re Lucky or anything by Kate Alice Marshall), courtroom settings (like Kia Abdullah’s books) and cold cases (like More Than You’ll Ever Know). Also, he will never pass up a good missing person story. James loves commercial, fast-paced books but also loves a good upmarket slowburn. The God of the Woods immediately became an all-time favorite and he’s a huge fan of both Attica Locke and Tana French. Some other recent 5-star thrillers he read include: Listen for the Lie, House of Glass, and The Golden Couple.

In book club fiction, James loves books that have something to say about the world or culture that don’t sacrifice an unputdownable plot. He can follow a good character anywhere but wants to see things happening like in The Wedding People, True Biz, or Lessons in Chemistry. He loves family sagas (historical or contemporary) and bonus points if it’s multi-POV. Think Pachinko, Real Americans, Memphis, or Black Cake. James loves book club fiction that mashes genres together like crime in Portrait of a Thief, Miracle Creek and My Sister the Serial Killer or speculative elements like The School for Good Mothers and Emily St. John Mandel’s books.

Things James is not a fit for: books featuring creatures like elves or fae, military, spies, CIA/FBI/police main characters, and war stories. He’s not looking for nonfiction, true crime, short story collections, novellas, novels in verse, or hard science fiction.

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