What 15 Literary Agents Are Seeking in RomCom Submissions Right Now
Don't despair if you've heard the market is oversaturated! These romcom lit agents are still looking...
Last week I shared a round-up of what literary agents are seeking in women’s fiction right now based on the recent Manuscript Wish List BlueSky #MSWL event where agents and editors are invited to share exactly what they hope to find in their inboxes. This week I’m sharing a round-up of what 15 more lit agents are hoping to find in romcom submissions right now.
Although there has been some chatter that the market is possibly becoming oversaturated with romcoms, as you’ll note below, many literary agents are still actively seeking them. (And all those romance-only bookstores popping up around the country can’t only be serving romantasy readers.) Here’s a round-up of exactly which types of romcoms 15 literary agents are seeking now . . .
Samantha Wekstein, Thompson Literary Agency, @swekstein.bsky.social. “I'd love to see books featuring characters with celiac disease (which I have)--especially in the rom-com space. How does one navigate kissing on a first date when your partner has had gluten? This also goes for other autoimmune diseases and chronic illnesses.”
Shannon Snow, Creative Media Agency, @ssnow-litagent.bsky.social. “Hungry for adult, NA, and YA. Genres. Send me your romcoms, sweet, steamy or dark romances. Favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, slow burn, sports heroes, forced proximity, mistaken identity, fake dating, tortured hero, etc.”
Stephanie Winter, KO Media Management, @stephaniewinter.bsky.social. “In graphic novels, I'd love to see the next contemporary swoony YA or adult romance/romcom, as well as stories set in the workplace or internships.”
Laura Mazer, Wendy Sherman Associates, @lauramazer.bsky.social. “Intelligent romcom. Commercial and upmarket stories.”
Elana Roth Parker, Laura Dail Literary Agency, @elanaroth.bsky.social. “I'm always looking for high-concept, commercial reads. Great plots and hooks. Strong voices and characters in those well-drawn worlds and situations. I'm up for some genre blending. A rom-com in a dystopian world?”
Danielle Egan-Miller, Browne & Miller Literary Associates, @daninoel25.bsky.social. “Still searching for a tennis rom-com!”
Claire Harris, P.S. Literary Agency, @clairemharris.bsky.social. “I love romances with:
-emotional vulnerability
-any level of steam (no erotica)
-any level of humor
-sweet, loving relationships
-lovable side characters
-main characters who are figuring it all out
-contemporary settings
Pretty much any kind of love story (contemporary romance or rom com)”
Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency, @ljrennert.bsky.social. “I’d love to see fantasy, spec fic, SF, comedy of manners, Rom-Coms, historical with a twist, and contemporary fic based on Japanese culture and/or set in Japan. I spent two years each in Tokyo and Osaka, and have an ongoing love affair with all things Japan.”
Erica Bauman, Aevitas Creative Management, @ericabauman.bsky.social. “Right now, the largest % of queries I receive are for the fantasy genre. Which is great, I love fantasy, but I also want my list to be balanced. So I would *really* love to see more queries in other genres: romcom, horror, mystery, historical, magical realism, graphic novel, etc.”
Alex Grana, Corvisiero Literary Agency, @alexandragrana.bsky.social. “trans characters in any setting, any genre. but especially if you’ve got a trans rom com!”
Rosecliff Literary, @roseclifflit.bsky.social. “Thriller rom-com? Mystery rom-com? Say less. High stakes, sharp banter, and just enough danger to make the romance hit harder?! If your book feels like a heist, a scandal, or a crime gone delightfully off the rails with kissing? Yes.”
Arianna Siddiqui, FinePrint Literary Management, @ariannasidd.bsky.social. “Authors I’d love to find:
🧟 horror of all kinds
✨ a South Asian romcom
😈 something so darkly funny I’ll feel bad for laughing”
Jessica Mileo, InkWell Management Literary Agency, @jessmileo.bsky.social. “In the romance space, I'm looking for it all: rom-coms, rom-drams, and any other romance genre blend you can think of.”
Marie Lamba, The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency, @marielamba.bsky.social. “Also always looking for smart and funny rom-coms. One that can become the next clever chick flick”
Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency, @michellegrajkowski.bsky.social. “I would love to connect on romance: romcoms, paranormal, suspense, something new but different”
You can find the full thread here. And remember, plenty of literary agents will post exactly what they’re looking for online. So many in the literary world have made the jump from Twitter/X to BlueSky, so if you haven’t yet, now is the perfect time to get on there and follow agents in your genre. (You can find me there, too, at @heathergarbo.bsky.social, although I’m more of a lurker there than a poster!)
Super interesting content! Thanks for sharing :) I am new here and I am very happy to connect to so many interesting and creative people!