Stephanie Delman’s Wish List

In fiction, I look for books that are “many things at once”: i.e., a literary thriller that’s also a social satire, historical fiction threaded with folklore, a dark comedy that serves as a parable for something larger than ourselves. I’m not the best fit for anything too straightforward (for better or for worse!). I’m drawn to ambition and accessibility—immersive, inventive fiction intended for a wide audience. I like authors who are inspired by the strange and the fantastical, but remain grounded in their writing.   

In fiction, I’m looking for…

  • Sharp literary suspense/thrillers with something new to say about contemporary issues, like YELLOWFACE by RF Kuang, MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite, and THE OTHER BLACK GIRL by Zakiya Dalila Harris  

  • High-concept/speculative novels that dip a toe into magic but remain grounded in our world, often driven by a “what if?”; like THE HUSBANDS by Holly Gramazio (“what if your attic produced an infinite supply of husbands?”), THE MINISTRY OF TIME by Kailane Bradley (“what if time travel were real, but regulated by the government?”), THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by VE Schwab (“what if you could live forever, but you’re forgotten by everyone you meet?”) 

  • Spiky, funny, smart romps with insight into personhood/womanhood/motherhood, like THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach, SANDWICH by Catherine Newman, and MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES by Rufi Thorpe  

  • Rich, immersive historical fiction driven by exceptional characters and atmosphere, a la GREAT CIRCLE by Maggie Shipstead and THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT by Alexander Chee 

  • Ghost stories, folklore, and literary horror; think Carmen Maria Machado, Angela Carter, Silvia Moreno-Garcia 

  • Ambitious international fiction that spans the political and the personal, like A BURNING by Megha Majumdar and THE STORM WE MADE by Vanessa Chan 

I represent a very limited selection of narrative nonfiction: authors who use their own experience as a jumping-off point for further investigation.  

In nonfiction, I’m looking for…

  • Speculative memoir—nonfiction that uses folklore, fairy tales, or other forms of speculative storytelling to examine the author’s own life, like IN THE DREAM HOUSE by Carmen Maria Machado or THE NIGHT PARADE by Jami Nakamura Lin 

  • Memoir plus, i.e. nonfiction threaded with true crime, or food writing, or something else entirely, like THE FACT OF A BODY by Alex Marzano-Lesnevich and WILD GAME by Adrienne Brodeur  

I am not considering the following at this time:

  • Military thrillers/police procedurals/traditional or masculine crime fiction 

  • Nonfiction, with the exception of superb hybrid memoir 

  • High fantasy/hard sci-fi 

  • Children’s books/YA/new adult 

  • Anything dystopian/bleakly post-apocalyptic or featuring a Covid-like virus 

  • Books where a baby or young child is endangered/books about traumatic pregnancy or postpartum recovery