Tordotcom Publishing

(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)

I have been with TPG since 2019 and am excited to be building my list. I am seeking science fiction, fantasy, and romance, at novel- and novella-length, with a preference for character-driven stories.

Across SFF, I tend to be drawn to books that are ultimately hopeful, and that carry a sense of adventure and exploration—whether that means setting off on a quest, delving into secrets of the past, or uncovering new corners in one’s own home.

Some of my particular interests include:

Deep dives into religion. Hook me with an interesting take on the god-king, immortals, false idols, reluctant deities, dead gods, or another angle. I am especially interested in set-ups that are not a direct analog to an extant religion or to the Greco-Roman pantheon [Brandon Sanderson’s work, Kushiel’s Dart].

Myths, folktales, legends, and epics. A good retelling will absolutely catch my attention, but I am even more excited about fiction that feels like myth or folklore without necessarily being based on a specific tale [The Tiger’s Daughter], as well as fiction that draws on a body of lore and makes it its own [The Bird King, On Fragile Waves].

I love an ensemble cast that makes me change my mind about my favorite character depending on who’s currently on the page; stories centering families, born or made; a diversified group with niche roles that comes together to make a united whole (think heist team, D&D party, spaceship crew, Anime sports team) [Leverage, Haikyu, Sufficiently Advanced Magic].

I have a weakness for books that can’t decide if they’re fantasy or science fiction [Light From Uncommon Stars], and also enjoy SFF stories that stretch into adjacent genres, particularly romance or historical fiction [This Is How You Lose the Time War, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street].

I am also considering romance submissions without any SFF elements. In this area, I am most likely to be interested in Queer stories, especially those featuring characters with specific professions, hobbies, or niche interests that play a notable role in the fabric of the story (athletes, D&D players, blacksmiths, monarch butterfly hatchers). I personally take a broad view of “Queer” in this context, including the diverse LGBTQIA+ spectrum and beyond into sexualities, genders, and ways of loving that may be considered non-normative or marginalized by our societies, such as polyamory or kink.

In addition, I tend to have a preference for stories in which primarily external factors keep characters apart, as opposed to factors internal to the relationship (especially repeated miscommunication); I have a soft spot for Sapphic love stories, especially if they include one or more butches; and I would love to see an actively anti-misogynistic take on the isekai genre in the form of a romance novel.

Across all genres, I love to see BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ characters as well as fiction that looks beyond Western norms. I am eager for all sorts of these stories, but those with South Asian, East African, or Japanese touchstones; immigrant and refugee narratives; and frameworks that defy or subvert gender and gendered societal roles will hit personal notes for me.

I am actively seeking submissions from authors of underrepresented backgrounds. Above all I am looking for stories that push the borders of genre from within. And I am always open to falling in love with something I didn’t even know I wanted!

(they/them)

I joined Tor Publishing Group in 2019, and I’m thrilled to be building my list. I’m acquiring adult speculative fiction (including science fiction, fantasy, and cross-genre books) at novel and novella length, especially secondary world, character-focused, and theme-focused stories.

I have the pleasure of working with Katherine Addison (author of fantasy cornerstone The Goblin Emperor), Daniel M. Ford’s Warden series (a headstrong bi necromancer who’s learning to rely on others), and my first acquisition, Seth Haddon’s Volatile Memory (a transsapphic revenge tale as fast-paced as it is gorgeous). I’m particularly interested in acquiring books that have richly imagined worlds that explore power structures and hold intersectional understandings of experience (N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy, Rivers Solomon’s An Unkindness of Ghosts, Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire, Shelley Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun) and books by BIPOC, disabled, neurodivergent, queer, and trans authors.

Here’s what I’m looking for:

Stories where interpersonal intrigue drives narrative tension, like Ann Leckie’s Translation State and Victoria Goddard’s The Hands of the Emperor. I want to be wholly invested in the character’s emotional arcs, to be flipping through the pages because I need to know how they’ll feel by the last page. Special request: time loops. I adore the forced character study that time loops so frequently become.

Smart protagonists, introspective protagonists, protagonists who are trying to think three steps ahead. Think Elijah Kinch Spector’s Kalyna the Soothsayer. Hand in hand with my love of smart protagonists is my love of political and court intrigue. Give me the layered subtext, give me the 4D chess where no one’s even drawn a weapon yet. Especially when said court and politics are related to empire, class, and investigating systems in some way, like Seth Dickinson’s The Traitor Baru Cormorant and Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor. 

Weird sentience. Hive minds, unusual POVs, non-humanoid or non-terrestrial beings. Looking at you, Arrival, Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice, Hiron Ennes’s Leech, and Sue Burke’s Semiosis.

Protagonists who are middle-aged, old, or elders. I desperately want to see more coming-of-age stories about retirement, more protagonists who have been an expert at something for decades and now use their expertise for something new, protagonists with a rich understanding of the wider context of what’s going on. 

Complex morality, villains as main characters. Emily Tesh’s Some Desperate Glory explored this beautifully, as did (to look outside of genre) everything left unspoken in Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day. 

Books that center the prose as much as the world. Gorgeous, poetic language can make me fall head over heels. I’m a sucker for a beautiful sentence. Bring me a book with excerpts that could be taken to an open mic, like Hiron Ennes’s Leech.

Cross-genre books. I’m a fan of science fantasy and when spec fic dips its toes into atmospheric horror or romance.

Queernormative worlds, gender subversions, polyamorous characters. I want worlds where the main conflict isn’t homophobia or transphobia, where there’s space for characters to get weird with gender and express identity without systemic pushback. And I would love to see more polyamorous relationships of all formations.

I am actively seeking submissions from authors of underrepresented backgrounds, especially BIPOC authors.

(they/them)

I joined Tor books in 2022 and I’m excited to build my list. I am actively acquiring SFF and romance novels for adults, with a specific interest towards works by authors from underrepresented backgrounds.

In SFF, I am looking for high concept, experimental work that’s grounded, fundamentally political in nature, with a distinctive, accomplished voice. I cut my teeth on fanfiction, and as such, any novel that uses genre as a language, to make arguments and play tricks on the reader (Cadwell Turnbull’s The Lesson, Yuri!!! On Ice) is wonderful. A one-sentence rocket launch of a premise, such as that of Ancillary Sword, gets me like nothing else, and I cannot get enough of a truly perverse central relationship (Lilith Saintcrow’s Dante Valentine series, The Fortunate Fall, The Fifth Season). I am a huge nerd for ecology, history, and zoology so I love cli-fi, and authors like Ada Palmer and Jacqueline Carey are central to my taste. And if your book makes me laugh, I will fall in love. 

Please of me when you find works that feature:

• Decay–of mind, body, world
• If your author is a specialist: ecologist, economist, farmer, historian, linguist
• Alternative forms of consciousness
• Middle-aged or older protagonists 
• “Passing” as a concept and biracial Black characters and authors 
• The extremely strange, discomfiting, and virulently creative
• Work that examines deep colonial roots of SFF 
• Unique narrative forms, such as The Raven Tower
• Futuristic fantasy
• Themes of physical transformation
• Organic, biological worldbuilding, see: Scavengers Reign

I’m not interested in acquiring for children’s/YA, and I’m not the right editor for work featuring very structured settings, such as magic schools or reality television competitions. Epic and cozy fantasy are a hard sell, but then again I adore Queen’s Thief, so don’t trust me. 

The romances I love are witty, sweeping, or genre-savvy. I adore a whipcrack high concept pitch, but need characters, voice, and expert execution to sell the premise. I read contemporary, historical, futuristic, and secondary world, but extremely strong worldbuilding and a rich sense of place are critical (The Friend Zone Experiment, The Devil Comes Courting, Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen). I appreciate a romance novel that overlaps with other genres, takes place in less well-trodden settings, or involves characters not typically centered in romances (An Extraordinary Union, You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty, One Last Stop). Strong B-plots, immersive character voices, and messy power dynamics will have me obsessed (A Gentleman’s Position, A Lady for a Duke, One Last Stop).

Specific things I’m looking for in romance:

• Knight/squire romance
• Not romantasy but the next evolution of the genre
• High concept vampires behaving badly
• Interracial/cultural relationships
• The funniest thing you’ve ever read
• Fanfic roots, in the vein of Captive Prince
• High-heat lesbians
• Trans, nonbinary and intersex leads
• Dark science fiction romance–less romp, more gut-wrenching
• Dark romance and unredeemed villains
• Bildungsroman-level development of protagonists
• Romances of the mind, involving destabilization of identity, mind-meld, bodyswapping, genderswapping, etc
• Grounded takes on folklore and legend, think East 

For romance, I’m not a great fit for stories that involve witches, rom-coms that are more quirky than hilarious, or worldbuilding that is more numinous than grounded. I’m not seeking out YA or erotica.

(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.

(they/them)

I started at Tor Publishing Group in 2019 as Reactor’s first ever short fiction coordinator and later joined the editorial team of TPG. I previously worked at the New Press and Ooligan Press, the latter in connection with Portland State University’s book publishing program, of which I am a graduate. 

I am actively acquiring adult SFF, both novel and novella-length, and building my list. I’ve had the fantastic fortune of working with authors such as Sofia Samatar and Marion Deeds as well as co-editors Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and Zelda Knight on the groundbreaking anthology Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction.

I am a character-reader first and foremost, and my favorite stories feature emotionally compelling characters who leap to life off the page and I can’t stop thinking about long after I’ve finished reading. Equally important to me is that characters and world-building go hand-in-hand, and characterizations are firmly embedded in and simultaneously a result of and a direct response to the world in which they live. 

My favorite books feature messy, complex characters (bonus points if they have a questionable, arbitrary relationship to morality, fictional or otherwise); thorny, complicated interpersonal relationships of any kind that tug at my heartstrings; found/forged/blended families; and intricate plotting & storytelling.

I am actively seeking/open to submissions from authors from underrepresented backgrounds.

Other things I love:

• Sweeping, multilayered stories with complicated politics and intrigue, shifting alliances, and/or subterfuge that play out on a grand scale, with world-building that feels immersive, lived-in, idiosyncratic, and/or truly fantastical (e.g. James S. A. Corey’s The Expanse series; Lara Elena Donnelly’s Amberlough Dossier; Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series; Frances Hardinge’s A Face Like Glass)
• Multigenerational sagas, but make it SFF (e.g. Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga, N. K. Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy; Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga)
• Stories that interrogate power and the power dynamics and narratives underlying a culture, an empire, a society, a family, etc., whether they’re set in in a fully made-up world or the world we live in (e.g. N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy; Micaiah Johnson’s A Space Between Worlds; R.F. Kuang’s Poppy War trilogy).
• Stories rooted in Jewish history, culture(s), and/or narratives (e.g. Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, Leigh Bardugo’s The Familiar, Veronica Schanoes’s Burning Girls and Other Stories). 
• Queerness that doesn’t necessarily look like “our” understanding of queerness (for varied definitions of “our”) regarding how gender, sexuality, and/or relationships are imagined, embodied, and lived (e.g. Shelley Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun; Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch trilogy; Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim; Sacha Lamb’s When the Angels Left the Old Country). 
• I’m also especially interested in stories with trans and/or gender-nonconforming protagonists; protagonists on the aromantic and/or asexual spectrum; stories that de-center the primacy of romance and/or center around non-romantic relationships of any and all kinds; and stories in which sex and/or eroticism is a central part of the world-building while standing separate from romance (e.g. Yoon Ha Lee’s Empires of Machineries series; Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart).

And of course, I am always hoping to fall love with something I never even knew I wanted or needed in my life!

(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.

(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.