Nightfire

(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.

(she/her/hers)

(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…

(he/him/his)

I joined Tor Books in August 2018 following five years at Orbit Books and nine years at Harper Voyager.

I love ambitious, original science fiction that illuminates truths about who we are and how we live, everything from sweeping space opera to accessible, visionary hard sf to high concept genre-bending novels which some might fail to see as SF; epic fantasy with grand, immersive worlds, absorbing and distinctive characters, and adventure with a breakneck pace; and the full range of exploratory, imaginative stories from unique voices that need to be heard.

I’ve had the good fortune to work with such authors as Ann Leckie, Kim Stanley Robinson, Christopher Paolini, Shelley Parker-Chan, T.L. Huchu, James Rollins, and the duo behind James S. A. Corey.

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.

(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.

(she/her)

I’ve been with TPG since 2017, and I want to give readers their deepest wishes. Whether that’s seeing themselves, trying out the inside of someone else’s head, or just a book that pairs well with an adult beverage after a hard day.

I love emotionally grounded adult genre fiction that runs from warmth and teamwork to nihilistic horror. Whether it’s hard or squishy, space opera or first contact, I’m looking for compelling characters in a cinematic book that feels like you’re watching it instead of reading it.

Things I love: snappy dialogue, complex world building, veins of weirdness and dark humor, ensemble casts and found families, cool people snarking and blowing things up then going in for a good ugly cry.

Secret wishlist: a Dark Academia book, but with a cut-throat faculty (think The Chair, but with magic), in system” sf, complicated first contacts, and stuff I didn’t know I needed until it fell into my lap in the best of surprises.

Science Fiction I love includes but isn’t limited to: The Expanse, Firefly, Andor, Severance, Foundation, The Last Watch, Semiosis, the varied permutations of Dune.

Horror I shudder to: folk horror (Wickerman, Midsomer), supernatural horror, gothic horror, ghost stories, Nope, Sf horror (Event Horizon, Alien), Housebound, Mary, Cassandra Khaw, S. A. Barnes.

But above all I want nuance—in the worlds, in characters, in dialogue. The books that I find most compelling engage with new ideas, alternate or immersive worlds, new science, and new spins on old tropes.

I have the pleasure of working with a number of talented Tor authors such as Sue Burke, J. S. Dewes, Nat Cassidy, L. E. Modesitt, and L. M. Sagas.

Both commercial and literary genre is welcome. I would love to see more diverse material in my inbox both in terms of authorship as well as characters.

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.

(he/him)

I joined Tor Publishing Group in 2014 in order to head up the editorial arm of the newly-formed Tordotcom Publishing imprint, though I now commission for Tor Books, Tordotcom Publishing and Nightfire.

I work with Nnedi Okorafor (Binti), Paul Cornell (Witches of Lychford), Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children), Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, Witch King), Becky Chambers (Monk and Robot), Adrian Tchaikovsky (Elder Race, Service Model) and many more. 

I’m looking for science fiction and fantasy of all flavors, with a minimum word count of around 20,000 words, though my novella preference is for books of 30k or longer. For novels, the only limit is the length the story needs, so anything up to—and beyond—150,000 words is fine, if that’s what makes the story work. 

I love a good techno-thriller, and I’m equally at home with an intriguing urban fantasy or space opera, or satirical SF. What matters to me is a strong authorial voice, with believable and compelling characters. Combine those with a strong plot and you’ll have me hooked.

(she/her)

I joined Tor in 2019, and since then I have had the privilege of working with terrifyingly talented authors like Catriona Ward, Gretchen Felker-Martin, Lucy A. Snyder, S.A. Barnes, and Chuck Tingle. I acquire adult horror for Nightfire, and am always searching for unique stories to keep me up at night.

I’m currently seeking the following types of nightmare fuel for my list:

Creatively reinvented nightmarish fairytales and folklore — preferably those outside the Western canon — like in Cassandra Khaw’s Nothing But Blackened Teeth and Alex Grecian’s Red Rabbit.

Cleverly subverted horror tropes with contemporary twists that add a unique or irreverent spin to the source material, like CJ Leede’s Maeve Fly, Anne Heltzel’s Just Like Mother, and Stephen Graham Jones’ My Heart is a Chainsaw.

High-stakes horror with a beating heart that centers marginalized or POC voices, like those found in Gretchen Felker-Martin’s Manhunt, Chuck Tingle’s Camp Damascus, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic.

Thrilling, heart-pounding stories that are impossible to put down and have a speculative bent, like Catriona Ward’s The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial, and S.A. Barnes’ Dead Silence.

“Monsters as metaphors” and “man as monster” that show the dark side of humanity, or what happens to us when we’re pushed into circumstances outside our control, like in Liz Kerin’s Night’s Edge, Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender is the Flesh, and Rachel Harrison’s Such Sharp Teeth.

Atmospheric hauntings of any kind — real, metaphorical, gothic, gruesome, contemporary — like in Leopoldo Gout’s Piñata, Johnny Compton’s The Spite House, Erika T. Wurth’s White Horse, and Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts.

No matter the subcategory, I’m always excited to see stories that really push the boundaries, or tackle themes like power imbalances or injustices in our current world, or highlight POVs of people outside the status quo. Horror with a message — good, bad, or ugly — is very important to me!

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)