At THE McVEIGH AGENCY, I'm looking for the following:

On the adult side–

• Fiction of all kinds, from the super-literary to the ultra-commercial.
• Nonfiction, especially biographies and history.
• Select memoirs that take the reader somewhere they’ve never been before, geographically or emotionally.
• Nonfiction books that show us a new angle on a familiar subject.
• Graphic novels.
• Detective novels that feature unusual protagonists and settings.
• Biographies.
• Genre mashups, a book that mixes two common but disparate themes and combines them to comic or dramatic effect.

On the children’s side–

• Picture books that are character driven, funny, and with a totally kid-centric hook. (If your book doesn’t have a child in it, think carefully before sending it to me.)
• Chapter books, especially those with school settings, quirky (even difficult) protagonists.
• Middle-grade books for both boys and girls, especially manuscripts that have series potential.
• Mysteries for middle grade.
• Young adult of all sorts, from comic to angst-y, from envelope-pushing, issue-based to swooningly romantic.
• Graphic novels.
• Scary novels of all kind, even those with vampires. (But do you really want to go there?)
• Fantasy with a twist, particularly Historical Steampunk.
• Unusual or very topical nonfiction, history with a unique spin.

For both adult and children's–

• Illustrators with an arresting look and a versatile style who are capable of illustrating picture books, covers, and interior art.
• Photographers with the skill to handle both commercial and more literary projects.

And finally, one important note–

• Books with particular appeal to children and adults of color. This country is based on the idea of a melting pot, and I want my clients and their books to reflect that. No matter what color you are, I want to represent books that resonate with you and your world. Writers shape the books they write, but these books shape the people who read them: I’m totally aware of this and committed to growing the list of successful authors and illustrators of color.

If a person has a unique idea, concept, or vision and a voice, I'll do what I can to help them shape it into a manuscript that can work in today’s market.