Starscape / Tor Teen

(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.

(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.

(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)

Having been at Macmillan since 2017, I joined Tor Publishing Group in 2022 and am thrilled to be building my list. I am actively seeking fantasy fiction across subgenres. In particular, I enjoy—

Fairytale-inspired fantasy, whether imaginative retellings and continuations that cleverly employ, invert, or critique classic fairytale tropes to create fresh narratives or tales that embrace fairytale form and style to tell wholly original stories. I especially appreciate stories integrating elements from lesser-known mythologies, legends, and folklores.

Epic fantasy that tells large-scale stories with fate-of-the-world stakes and features rogues, thieves, and assassins teaming up with or facing off against wizards, gods, monsters, and other larger-than-life figures.

Romantasy that takes the fantasy and the romance equally seriously. The fantasy setting and plot enhances the romantic relationships rather than overshadows them, and the romantic relationships do not sideline the fantasy plot.

Historical fantasy that skillfully interweaves real historical periods and events—especially rarely represented periods and events from all corners of our world—with fantastical elements in clever and surprising ways.

Contemporary fantasy where magic merges seamlessly with the real to address issues of our modern world. 

No matter the subgenre, I’m most excited by worldbuilding and settings that are so rich they feel like characters in and of themselves. Whether it’s a version of our world or a completely secondary world, I appreciate when worldbuilding feels lived-in and allows for in-depth exploration. I want worlds with unique cultures, histories, and magics, and I particularly enjoy worlds that are influenced by under-explored cultures and historical periods. And I adore distinctive, innovative magic systems, especially magic systems that interact with language and culture in interesting ways.

I am strongly interested in stories that reflect the diversity of the world we live in and feature underrepresented voices and perspectives. 

Compelling, complex characters are a must. I love characters with moral gray areas, and I really love ensemble casts with varying personalities. +1 if they make me laugh, +2 if they make me cry. 

I love love! If your manuscript combines the grandeur and expansiveness of a fantasy plot with compelling romantic relationships—whether it’s a subplot or central to character development and plot progression—I probably want to read it. And I always appreciate well-wrought tropes!

While I read widely across genres and enjoy genre-bending narratives, I am not currently looking to acquire science fiction, horror, or contemporary romance.

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.