Natalie Edwards’s Wish List

In fiction, I gravitate toward smart and subtle voices that draw me in from the start, whether they’re snarky and sharp or soothing and meditative. I love characters with unconventional, quirky jobs, hobbies, or interests, especially when they let me in on a subculture I’ve never encountered before—or one that only exists in a future or alternate world. I tend to shy away from autofiction and books about writers writing about writing, since I love to see an author’s research and obsessions come through in their fiction: what’s the deepest rabbit hole you’ve gone down, and can you take me there with you? Overall, I look for stories that end on a note of hope, with characters that feel like they’re still living in the world once I finish the last page.

In fiction, I’m looking for…

  • Anything and everything queer, especially stories where sexuality intersects with diaspora, faith, and small towns where secrets don’t stay secret for long

    Think: Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn, You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat, Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, and anything in the vein of The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

  • Immersive historical fiction that feels at once relatable and escapist and/or unearths important truths, particularly from underrepresented perspectives

    Think: Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, In Memoriam by Alice Winn, The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

  • Complex family and friendship stories that interrogate how we define our relationships with others and what tests them most

    Think: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, On Beauty by Zadie Smith, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

  • Workplace sendups or satires that use biting humor to inflict ruthless social commentary

    Think: Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke, Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour, The Glow by Jessie Gaynor, The New Me by Halle Butler

  • Grounded speculative novels, whether whimsical or dark, that offer smart social commentary or prophetic warnings about human life on Earth and where are our choices are leading us

    Think: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, Severance by Ling Ma, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

  • Literary thrillers with smart voices and propulsive plots, possibly with elements of social horror

    Think: Reprieve by James Han Mattson, Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, and anything in the tradition of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

  • Selectively, short story collections with clear unifying themes that feel purposeful in their arrangement (i.e., not just all the short stories you’ve workshopped smushed together!)

    Think: Lot by Bryan Washington, Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen Kirby, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

I am not considering the following fiction at this time:

  • Slasher/overly violent horror

  • Sci-fi/high fantasy

  • Commercial romance (unless it’s queer)  

  • Romantasy

  • Commercial thrillers/procedurals

  • Cozy mysteries

  • Children’s books for any level (picture books, MG, YA) 

In nonfiction, I’m always on the hunt for narratives that make me look at everyday things in a new way or, similar to my fiction tastes, take me inside a community or subculture I’m unfamiliar with. Whether you’re a journalist expanding a feature into a book-length work, an academic hoping to publish in the trade market, a scientist looking to make your research accessible to a wide audience, or a cultural critic collating your analyses into a book of essays or a historical deep dive, I’d love to work with you on building the best possible proposal for the book you’re best positioned to write. I tend to prefer memoir that comes at a slant, issue-driven and backed by research and reportage, where the writer themselves is present on the page inasmuch as it serves the larger narrative arc.

In nonfiction, I’m looking for…

  • Journalistic nonfiction that explores historical truths and their impact on the present, exposes complex scams and skullduggery, and disrupts conventional wisdom

    Think: Say Nothing and Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams, Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker

  • Issue-driven hybrid memoirs that combine in-depth research and reportage—particularly about history, art/music, and the natural world—with the author’s personal story, to authenticate the larger message and make it personal

    Think: In the Darkroom by Susan Faludi, H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper

  • Accessible science and mental health titles written by experts that elucidate complex concepts about how our bodies and our world function, and offer solutions for their dysfunctions

    Think: Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski, Fuzz by Mary Roach, An Immense World by Ed Yong, How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

  • “Systems” books that blow open the hidden inner workings of everyday things we take for granted that shape our lives more than we think

    Think: Paved Paradise by Henry Grabar, The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr

  • Hidden histories that haven’t yet been told because their subjects and their contributions to the world have been marginalized or erased

    Think: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, When Brooklyn Was Queer by Hugh Ryan, The Rediscovery of America by Ned Blackhawk

  • Fun and fascinating cultural histories and essay collections that dive deep into the ways that language, art, sports, food, and entertainment inflect our lives with meaning

    Think: Cultish by Amanda Montell, I Like to Watch by Emily Nussbaum, A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib, Butts by Heather Radke, Let’s Get Physical by Danielle Friedman

I am not considering the following nonfiction at this time:

  • Prescriptive/how-tos

  • Celebrity memoir  

  • Cookbooks  

  • Business/finance

  • Craft/gift

  • Religion/spirituality  

  • Coffee table/photography

  • Poetry

  • Children’s books for any level (picture books, MG, YA)