Forge

(he/him/his)

For over forty years, Tor Books, Forge Books, Tor Teen, and Starscape have been dedicated to publishing the best in genre fiction for adult, teen, and middle-grade readers. In 1979, when I founded the company, our intent was to focus on fiction, often grounded in science past, present, and future, starting with prehistoric fiction—which would be science fiction based on anthropology—and stretching across history and the present into a future which is often extrapolated from possibilities suggested in physics and other scientific fields of today.

The resulting list not only includes books from a wide range of genres, but has managed to win recognition in all of these fields. A diverse list like ours comes from an editorial staff with diverse interests. I want editors to reach beyond those founding concepts. To have the freedom to do work that interests them with authors that they enjoy reading. Our editors bring passion to every project and are dedicated to finding and publishing the best books in every genre. It is a pleasure to introduce them to you.

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I have had the honor of working with the talented team of editors acquiring for TDA/Forge for many years, first as VP of Marketing and Associate Publisher for Tom Doherty Associates, and now, as publisher of Forge.  I am proud to be a part of Forge’s continuing tradition to publish accomplished, bestselling and award winning authors across multiple genres including: contemporary and historical fiction, suspense, thriller, magical realism and nonfiction.  I feel honored to have worked on or to have contributed in some part to bringing many wonderful books to readers.  I currently work with a great team of people who all have a passion for working with wonderful storytellers and bringing their works to the broadest possible market.

(she/her/hers)

They say that those who can’t do, teach. In college, I envisioned becoming a professor in medieval studies, teaching generations of students and toiling away as a nameless handmaiden of history. But the editing life called its siren song and for more than thirty years I’ve worked at Tor, indulging in my many passions in genre fiction – fantasy, science fiction, horror, and mysteries. I’ve had the honor of  working with such wonderful authors as Jacqueline Carey, Juliet Marillier, Ramsey Campbell, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gene Wolfe…and many others, too many to count. 

I’ve spent the better part of my adult life working with authors to (hopefully) make their stories and dreams the best that they can be, becoming that “third eye,” general nudge, and all around pain in the butt to accomplish this feat. I give encouragement when I can, instruct when possible, and, again, hopefully contribute in some small way to sharing in the dream, giving readers new worlds and delightful puzzles.

And the best part? I still get to do this and every day feels as fresh as my very first day at Tor did. There is no other feeling like that in the world…

(she/her)

Monique Patterson is vice president and editorial director of Bramble. “With over 25 years in the publishing business, it’s safe to say I found the career of my dreams!” 

The quote “All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town,” by Leo Tolstoy is one of her favorites, because it immediately sets to mind all the possibilities of a fantastic story. Finding books and authors that reach across the breadth of our experiences as humans is important to her. Publishing a wide array of romance and commercial women’s fiction allows Monique to explore all of those experiences. She is drawn to high concept commercial fiction that embraces genre, including the blending of genres, and strong stand out characters.

(he/him)

I’ve been with Tor Books for nearly thirty-five years, during which time I had the good fortune to work both with some of the great figures of SF and fantasy’s past—writers I grew up reading, like Arthur C. Clarke, Poul Anderson, and Damon Knight—and also with some of the best younger writers to emerge in the last quarter-century. I’m particularly proud of the debut novels I’ve published, by writers including Maureen F. McHugh, Susan Palwick, Cory Doctorow, Jo Walton, John Scalzi, Ada Palmer, and Charlie Jane Anders. Novels I edited for Tor have won Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards, and, to my amazement, I’ve won three Hugo Awards and a World Fantasy Award for editing.

There are certain storytelling qualities that always grab me. One of them is a strong distinctive voice. Another is the sense that in reading this story, I’m learning something real about the world. Works set on alien planets, or in invented fantasy universes, can tell us things that are as true as stories bounded by the here-and-now. Joanna Russ’s Whileaway doesn’t actually exist, but then, neither did Madame Bovary. What’s important—to me—is saying something real, and meaning it.

I also run Tor Essentials, a line devoted to new quality editions of selected classics from the history of science fiction and fantasy. Many of those come from Tor’s own backlist, but I’m also interested in hearing about the availability of rights to genre classics that were originally published by others.

(he/him)

I’ve been with Tor Publishing Group since 2015, where I’ve had the opportunity to work with many talented authors, as well as major franchises including The Wheel of Time and Dune. I am currently acquiring adult fiction for the Tor and Forge imprints.

I love a book that grabs me and doesn’t let go, and with that in mind, I am on the hunt for high concept commercial fiction, especially those that straddle (and sometimes cross over) the line into speculative, similar to The Midnight Library, Remarkably Bright Creatures, and Sea of Tranquility.

I’m also looking for near future fiction in the vein of Andy Weir and Blake Crouch; contemporary fiction with speculative elements—grounded in the real world—like the thrillers by Michael Crichton and Douglas Preston; as well as myth and legend inspired fiction similar to She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan and Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi.

I’d especially like to see more manuscripts from the point of view of erased and underrepresented voices.

(she/her)

Since 2013, I’ve been HEA with Tor Publishing Group where I’m actively acquiring speculative fiction for adults, teens, and middle-grade readers, as well as humorous nonfiction for adults. 

I’m a big fan of comedy in all genres so please send me the manuscripts that make you laugh and I love to see submissions from BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ writers. 

FOR TOR, NIGHTFIRE, BRAMBLE, TOR TEEN, AND STARSCAPE: I’m interested in diverse and inclusive commercial speculative fiction with off-the-charts character chemistry, truly original world-building, and strong opinionated voices. 

I’ve been a Tor fangirl since high school when I read Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart and Juliet Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest. Iconic. These days my manuscript wish list includes new and original takes on folklore, possession, rivals-to-lovers, fake dating, witches, magic that requires tangible spellcraft, classic little guy aliens, and more. I’m into romance of all spice levels—from zero to four chili-pepper emojis—and I’m eager to see more gender and body diversity. Historical and dystopian settings generally don’t hit for me.

On the adult side, I acquired, edited, and debuted work from TJ Klune (The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, and repackages of the previously published Green Creek Series), Everina Maxwell (Winter’s Orbit, Ocean’s Echo), and Ananda Lima (Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil). I manage Ursula K. Le Guin’s backlist with Tor and I’m working with Jennifer L. Armentrout on Fall of Ruin and Wrath, the first-ever book to be published under Bramble!

On the kids’ side, I’m currently working with Terry J. Benton-Walker (Blood Debts, The White Guy Dies First), P. Djèlí Clark (Abeni’s Song), Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman (All of Us Villains, A Fate So Cold), TJ Klune (The Extraordinaries Series), Kristen Simmons (Find Him Where You Left Him Dead), and more to be announced! 

FOR FORGE: I’m interested in feel-good, humorous nonfiction. I love niche cultural explorations with vulnerability and heart. 

I acquired and edited #1 New York Times bestseller Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered by comedians Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, co-hosts of My Favorite Murder, as well as A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape by comedian Joe Pera and illustrator Joe Bennett, I Will Not Die Alone by Dera White and illustrator Joe Bennett, and Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs by comedian and podcaster Jamie Loftus.

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.

(he/him)

I’ve been with TPG since 2019. I acquire books for Forge, Nightfire, Tor, and Tordotcom. I am open to novels as well as novellas longer than 20,000 words.

When considering a manuscript for acquisition, the following stylistic considerations are most important to me:

1. A compelling narrative voice.
2. A character-driven structure.
3. Strong pacing.

I am most excited by worlds, landscapes, and settings that exhibit a subtle, surreal, and unexplainable “otherness” as is seen in The West Passage by Jared Pechaček and Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. I’m also interested in writing that possesses a strong grasp of human emotion as is found in the works of Isaac Fellman, Anthony Doer, and Jesmyn Ward.

More specific qualities I’m looking for are:

Near Future SFF: I love stories that feel like they are set only five minutes in the future with relatable characters whose deeper complexity is exposed to the reader through situations of the fantastic, the uncanny, the surreal (a big one), or the terrifying. Examples include Kate Elliott’s The Keeper’s Six, Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, Kelly Link’s “The Summer People,” and Vajra Chandrasekera’s The Saint of Bright Doors.

Everything Weird: I am looking for all things weird fiction, especially if there is a psychological element. Examples include VanderMeer’s Ambergris Cycle, George Saunders’ “Escape from Spiderhead,” and Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. 

Deeply Emotional Stories: I am interested in fiction that deals with intensely emotional situations such as A River Runs Through It by Norm Maclean, Twice Lived by Joma West, and the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. 

Understated Magic Systems: Stories in which it’s unclear if what’s happening is just out of the ordinary or is caused by magic. Think Naomi Salman’s Nothing but the Rain.

Humorous Epic Fantasy: I’m only interested in epic fantasy if it has a sort of tongue-in-cheek D&D tone.

I am not interested in romance or hard science fiction. 

Finally, I love baseball. Send me a book with baseball in the pitch I’ll almost always read it.

(she/her)

While I have always read widely, my focus is on commercial fiction. I enjoy crime, suspense, historical, and women’s fiction. I am especially looking for novels with a diverse cast of characters and strong female voices. The things I loved about my first acquisition, the award-winning A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell—a strong, yet sensitive, female sleuth; a rich historical setting; a thrilling mystery—still resonate with me today.  Domestic/psychological suspense is also a particular sweet spot for me, and I love books that surprise me, or that force me to think about the world in a new way. The short pitch is: “Suspense goes to book club.” I would also love to see mainstream commercial fiction with speculative elements (think The Midnight Library or Oona Out of Order). 

Some authors that I am honored to have worked with are W. Bruce Cameron, Julie Carrick Dalton, Candice Fox, Matt Goldman, Loren Estleman, Rachel Howzell Hall, T. Jefferson Parker, Spencer Quinn, Lev AC Rosen, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Patrick Taylor, Aggie Blum Thompson, and Heather Webber.

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.

(she/her) Erika Tsang blames Judy Blume for turning her into a romance reader. She read Forever at an inappropriate age, followed by Wifey, and has been on the hunt for books with happy (or happy for now) endings ever since. Her publishing career started with Doubleday Book Club where she was the romance expert, and continued with Avon Books for the last 20 plus years.

She has worked with beloved and bestselling authors such as Ally Carter (The Blonde Identity), Alyssa Cole (When No One Is Watching), Jennifer Estep (Kill the Queen), Beverly Jenkins (A Christmas to Remember), Lynsay Sands (Bad Luck Vampire), and Julia Whelan (Thank You For Listening).  She is constantly on the lookout for stories with heart, stories that are unexpected, and stories that will make her fall in love.