My Role and What I'm Doing
I’m an acquisitions editor looking to acquire speculative Adult and New Adult fiction titles for CatStone Books. We are open to both agented and unagented submissions.
Well, what exactly is an acquisition editor?
To be more specific, I read through manuscripts to assess the editorial strength. I provide the rest of the CatStone team with an assessment of strengths and weaknesses as well as an estimation of how much editorial work may be required. I also see where your manuscript will fit into the publishing marketplace and ultimately decide whether or not I recommend it for publication. I also assist with behind-the-scenes slush pile reading and am active on Twitter during pitch contests throughout the year.
To give a sense of my broad tastes, I love voice-driven stories with interesting plots. I also prioritize diversity across the board, as seen represented by both authors and characters themselves. I am passionate about amplifying historically marginalized writers. I would especially love to see submissions from BIPOC and/or chronically ill authors.
In terms of marketing ages, CatStone is specifically looking for adult stories. However, in addition, I would love to see New Adult stories and upper YA that has crossover appeal as well.
I love speculative sub-genres that include mystery and romance.
I’m not the best fit for traditional horror with gore or sports-centric stories.
Well, what exactly is an acquisition editor?
To be more specific, I read through manuscripts to assess the editorial strength. I provide the rest of the CatStone team with an assessment of strengths and weaknesses as well as an estimation of how much editorial work may be required. I also see where your manuscript will fit into the publishing marketplace and ultimately decide whether or not I recommend it for publication. I also assist with behind-the-scenes slush pile reading and am active on Twitter during pitch contests throughout the year.
To give a sense of my broad tastes, I love voice-driven stories with interesting plots. I also prioritize diversity across the board, as seen represented by both authors and characters themselves. I am passionate about amplifying historically marginalized writers. I would especially love to see submissions from BIPOC and/or chronically ill authors.
In terms of marketing ages, CatStone is specifically looking for adult stories. However, in addition, I would love to see New Adult stories and upper YA that has crossover appeal as well.
I love speculative sub-genres that include mystery and romance.
I’m not the best fit for traditional horror with gore or sports-centric stories.
Submission Guidelines:
CURRENTLY OPEN TO SPECULATIVE FICTION BY MINORITY AND HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED VOICES.
Please include a query letter with spoiler-filled synopsis of your novel and third-person author bio. In terms of length, your synopsis should be no more than 2.5 pages. Submissions without a cover letter will be rejected without being read.
In addition to your cover letter, please upload the first 10 pages. If you have a prologue, please include that as well!
QUERY LINK HERE: https://catstonebooks.moksha.io/publication/1/2/submit
If you have questions, I’m available on by Twitter DM or you can reach out directly by email: lauren@catstonebooks.com
Manuscript Wish List (#MSWL)
- portal fantasies
- Very niche myths specific to marginalized cultures (must be representative of your culture)
- Anything that has the energy of a fix-it fic or AU fic
- Mermaids. Give me all the mermaids. Spooky, sweet, or somewhere in between
- Treasure planet or Atlantis adjacent
- Enemies to lovers energy included but not limited to: Reylo, Zutara, Dramione, Bellarke, CatraxAdora, JaimexBrienne, and SwanQueen. Tbh anything enemies to lovers, send my way. I'm not picky with this trope because I love it so much.
- Eco horror of any sort! Sentient plants and flowers! On a power/vengeance trip! YES
- Ballet inspired anything. I'd love to see something inspired by Coppelia or the Firebird or the Nutcracker
- Art history/Renaissance/museums
- Heist stories but make it speculative
- Bridgerton but speculative. Any and all historical romance that’s spec. Think The Wisteria Society of Women Scoundrels.
- Short story anthology pitches!! If you have a strong theme, send it to me!!
- Found family
- GOTHIC HORROR GOTHIC HORROR GOTHIC HORROR
- Chronic illness, disability, and/or neurodivergent rep!!
- Pirates!! I'm really loving Our Flag Means Death.
- Chosen one trope but make it interesting!!! How could this trope be complicated?
- High court fantasies! Try not to make it fae but I'm not opposed if you absolutely must
- Anything at a magical university!! Give me dark academia magic! ALA The Order or The Magicians (but it ends well).
- If you can comp it to a Taylor Swift song, send it to me immediately. Especially anything off of folklore or evermore.
- I have a soft spot for superhero stories. Way more MCU than DC though. Give me all the superhero trauma!! If you can comp your characters to Wanda or Loki or Natasha, give me them!
- Magical realism from Latinx/Latine authors; open to surrealism or fabulism from all other BIPOC communities
- Lovecraft but not problematic– I love terrifying monsters without a side of racism
- Arthurian retellings of any sort. Fix the hole that Merlin left in my heart.
- Witchy everything!
- If your book could be turned into a guilty pleasure CW show aka Reign or The 100 or Roswell, I want to see it!
- Dark Disney retellings
- Sirens and selkies and sea nymphs
- Time loops! Time slips!! Historical figures misplaced in modern times!!! Weird things with time in general!
- Anything to do with bands or music
- Right person, not enough time trope
- Reincarnated soulmates trope
- Classic literature retellings and honestly, any retellings in general! Make them so diverse the canon writers would gasp!
