Tor

(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)

(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/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)

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

Across sub-genre, 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, sports team) [Leverage, Haikyu, Sufficiently Advanced Magic].

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

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 Books in 2019, and I’m thrilled to be building my list. I’m acquiring secondary world speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, and cross-genre books. 

I’m especially interested in acquiring books that have richly imagined worlds (whether or not they’re explained on the page) that explore power structures and hold intersectional understandings of experience (the Broken Earth Trilogy, An Unkindness of Ghosts, A Memory Called Empire) and books by authors who are marginalized in some way, especially BIPOC authors and authors who are disabled, queer, and trans.

Other elements I love:

—Stories that are driven by character, and where themes and interpersonal intrigue drive narrative tension more than plot (The Goblin Emperor, A Memory Called Empire)

—Politics and court intrigue, where people speak in subtext, especially when the power dynamics involved are related to empire and class (The Traitor Baru Cormorant, The Goblin Emperor, The Hands of the Emperor)

—Sentience in different forms, such as hive minds, unusual POVs, and non-humanoid aliens (Arrival, Ancillary Justice, Leech)

—Protagonists who are middle-aged or older, polyamorous, who are experts at something and apply those skills, or who have complex morality or are villains (Some Desperate Glory)

—Queernormative worlds and gender subversions

—Gorgeous, poetic language

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

(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.

For the most part, I’m a genre omnivore. That said, my heart belongs to science fiction and horror. I love emotionally grounded adult 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 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, not the students (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 like 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 Brian Staveley.

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.

(she/her)

I’ve been with Tor Publishing Group since 2017, where I have the privilege of working with bestselling and award-winning authors like Joe Abercrombie, Cixin Liu, Veronica Roth, Ryka Aoki, and Olivie Blake. I am looking for adult SFF for our Tor list, and below are just a few of the elements I’d love to see in my next reads —

Dark contemporary fantasy with clear writing, instantly compelling voice, and high intensity pacing like in Sunyi Dean’s The Book Eaters, V. E. Schwab’s Vicious, and Scott Hawkins’s The Library at Mount Char.

Voice-y as hell adventures like Christopher Buehlman’s The Blacktongue Thief and Annalee Newitz’s Autonomous (bonus points if the read makes me laugh but isn’t ‘comedic SFF’)

Epics that have All The Stuff — wizards! gods! monsters! thieves! legends! curses! journeys! betrayals! awakenings! the whole high fantasy shebang — yet feel wholly original, like in A.K. Larkwood’s The Unspoken Name, Jenn Lyons’s The Ruin of Kings, and Nicholas Eames’s Kings of the Wyld.

Novels where the power of words and stories, books or libraries, is a central part of the narrative and/or where these elements are used in an original, fantastical way, like R. F. Kuang’s Babel and Jo Walton’s Among Others.

I’m a sucker for original and dimensional portrayals of magical creatures — orcs, goblins, trolls, bone dogs, war birds — both as main characters or in supporting roles, like in C. M. Waggoner’s Unnatural Magic and Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes. 

Unexpected magic in our real world, paired with prose that sweeps you away, like in Ryka Aoki’s Light From Uncommon Stars.

Subversive and engaging retellings and reimaginings.

Original stories that feel like instant classics, reads with something bone-deep and timeless to them, like T. Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone and N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season.

Subtle, creeping dread and ratcheting tension found in seemingly everyday situations, like in T. Kingfisher’s A House with Good Bones & Hildur Knútsdóttir’s The Night Guest. I am intrigued by settings and situations where the familiarity of it all adds to the horror of what is going wrong in the book. 

All things witchy, particularly sisterhoods and covens that center POC and aren’t strictly tied to the gender binary.

I’m currently looking for reads more on the fantastical side of speculative fiction rather than outer space/technological side. Voice that hooks you right away and pacing and tension that won’t let you go are very important to me – with clear stakes and deeply felt consequences along the way ideally. But I’m always very open to falling in love with something I didn’t even know I wanted until I’ve seen it.

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.

(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.

As a voracious reader of all things SFF and a lifelong fan of the Tor list, I am thrilled to be joining the crew of the mothership, where I’m looking to build an inclusive list of epic fantasy and science fiction for adult readers.

My favorite reads are stylish, confident, immersive, built on a bleeding cool premise, and savvy about the tropes of the genre they’re in. Across all genres, I’m always on the hunt for work that aims to carve out space in—or argue with—the rest of the canon, especially from LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, neurodiverse, disabled, or other marginalized perspectives.

In fantasy, I’m looking for epic sagas and sword-and-sorcery adventures, emphasis on the and sorcery. Give me hard magic systems heavy on categorization and rules, gods and dragons, mages and mythmaking, all in richly imagined worlds. What do you get the commercial fantasy reader who’s already read everything? I want the next must-read for fans who think they’ve seen it all. I’m a fan of Sanderson, Weeks, Rothfuss, Jemisin, Guy Gavriel Kay, RF Kuang, Fonda Lee, Naomi Novik, and VE Schwab. I’m also interested in the intersection where lush historical fiction crosses fantasy (Susanna Clarke, Circe, Babel).

In SF, take me to space: I’m looking for universes that are teeming with human diasporas and creatively imagined alien life. I love space battles, the Prime Directive, mecha anime, and science that will break my brain and reconfigure it (Arrival, The Future of Another Timeline). Current obsessions include the Imperial Radch, The Expanse, Red Rising, the Wayfarers series, and the Vorkosigan Saga.

I’m also partial to romance/romantasy that uses speculative elements to heighten the emotional stakes. Think immortality, time slips and time loops, cheating death or journeying to the underworld, or soulmate tropes. I will always be looking for queer love stories, and prioritize slow-burning tension. If it reads like fanfic–with emotional immediacy and a clear love for its characters–or if it used to BE a fanfic, I will probably adore it.

A few of my favorite things to see across genres:
• Settings and plotlines that imbue a book with an elevated sense of structure and atmosphere: think magical schools (The Poppy War, The Name of the Wind) or space academies (Red Rising), secret societies, tournaments and competitions, or courts full of fealty and hierarchy and betrayal.
• Writing that plays with language, POV, and/or form to drive its themes (The Fifth Season, the Imperial Radch). Epistolary fiction like The Tiger’s Daughter or This Is How You Lose the Time War, and frame stories fueled by strong narrators’ voices and complex motives.
• Stories from other genres told expansively in SFF settings: retellings, disaster epics, heists, mysteries, mob movies. “X, but in space/but with magic”–yes, please.
• Compelling villains you find yourself rooting for just because you want to see what they’ll do next (think Grand Admiral Thrawn). Send me new Problematic Faves… and set them against hypercompetent protagonists that the plot finds new and exciting ways to challenge (Murderbot, The Witcher).
• I love a strong thread of humor: banter and snark, a sly or wry voice, or meta/self-/genre-aware comedy a la Redshirts, The Princess Bride, or your wisecrackingest friend’s D&D campaign. And if you could somehow find me a successor to Terry Pratchett, I would happily make a deal with any demon you like.

I come to Tor from a decade in middle grade and YA publishing at Harper Children’s, where I had the pleasure of working with acclaimed and bestselling authors like Ava Reid (A Study in Drowning), Andre Norton Award finalist Shveta Thakrar (Star Daughter), and Sarah Underwood (Lies We Sing to the Sea). For the Tor list, I’m still interested in “cross-under” adult fiction with broad appeal to adult and YA readerships. If you’re not sure whether a book would fit best in the adult or YA market, send it to me and I’d love to help you decide!