Andrea Hurst & Associates Literary Management is purposefully selective in who we choose to represent, and we work primarily with queries by professional referral or through conferences and speaking engagements. We also actively scout self-published authors with strong sales and high visibility in the areas listed below.
At this time, please review each agent’s manuscript wishlist to see who is open
to submissions and what genres they accept.
Andrea Hurst’s Manuscript Wishlist
Andrea is currently seeking well-crafted, commercially viable fiction titles. Her preferred genres are women’s fiction, upmarket and book club fiction, domestic suspense/thrillers, family dramas, psychological suspense, crime fiction, historical fiction, rom-com, and romance. She is always open to working with underrepresented voices and stories. Below are some of her more specific interests:
- Crime novels that play games with the psyche – no police procedurals please
- Rom-coms with a diverse set of characters and an idealistic setting similar to novels by Abby Jimenez
- In terms of literary fiction, Andrea is drawn to works like Beartown by Fredrik Backman, which contain strong character development, powerful themes, and overcoming both internal and external conflicts
- Historical fiction set in the Georgian era (Jane Austen’s Era), Gilded Age, or early 1900s like Downton Abbey and WWII fiction
- Contemporary romance novels with strong tropes and series potential
- Fast-paced, twisty domestic suspense similar to novels by Freida McFadden or Harlan Coben
- Atmospheric, high-conflict, high-stakes thriller similar to The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- Dramatic thrillers with family dynamics similar to The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
- Psychological suspense with a surprise ending like The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
- Anything in the same vein as the series The Morning Show or Defending Jacob on Apple TV+
- Nonfiction – Narrative and prescription manuscripts with a high profile authors.
As always, Andrea is enthralled by stories that challenge her, where the mystery is seemingly impossible to figure out, and the reader never knows the truth until the very end. However, believability is of utmost importance!
Please keep in mind, she is not a right fit for titles that deal with espionage, the military, explicit gore or carnage, animal abuse, high-fantasy or sci-fi, erotica, poetry, young adult, or middle-grade.
Andrea is temporarily closed to queries at this time except through referral
If we are interested in reviewing your manuscript, we will request it. Unfortunately, due to the volume of queries we receive,
we regret that we cannot always respond to each submission.
Lydia Caudill's Manuscript Wishlist
Lydia is primarily looking for YA and Adult contemporary fiction, YA and Adult fantasy (she can appreciate both an urban setting or an immersive new world, and bonus points if there’s a romantic element, but the plot must shine regardless), light and cozy science fiction, mysteries with a strong and innovative protagonist, domestic suspense, and historical fiction that is not war-based or rooted in medical/medicinal history.
She is also an enthusiast of lyrical prose, atmospheric writing, emotionally complex and diverse characters, high-conflict stories with an unforgettable and witty heroine, and stories that explore deep and resounding themes. After she finishes a story, she wants it to linger in her head for days after.
As a hopeless romantic at her core, Lydia holds the romance genre close to her heart and is always on the lookout for raw and intimate depictions of love—all kinds by all voices. She also appreciates rom-coms with a good trope or two, and any period piece that provides a much-needed escape from reality. A few of her favorites include Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas, and Normal People by Sally Rooney.
A few more of Lydia’s favorites include: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, Go As a River by Shelley Read, and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
Lydia is temporarily closed to queries at this time except through referral
Please include a query letter and paste the first five pages into the email. Due to the high volume of queries received,
Lydia will only respond to those she is interested in. Check her socials for updates on her current query status.
Manuscript Wishlist
Lydia is looking for the following in Fiction (primarily in the Adult and New Adult spaces at this time):
- Contemporary
- Domestic suspense
- Historical (NOT war-based or rooted in medical/medicinal history)
- Horror/supernatural
- LBGTQ+
- Mainstream/commercial
- Mystery
- Mythic retellings & fairy tales
- Romance
- Romantasy
- Science-fiction (light and cozy only)
- Thriller
- Upmarket/book club
Lydia’s more specific wants include:
- Atmospheric writing
- Emotionally complex characters (think Normal People by Sally Rooney)
- High-stakes conflicts (make her genuinely question how the characters will resolve the situation they’re in)
- Lyrical prose
- Rivals to lovers trope (enemies to lovers is great too, but she loves when the two main characters are really good at the same thing—think Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross)
- Slow-burn trope (her absolute favorite)
- Stories that explore deep and resounding themes (she wants them to linger in her head for days after)
- Stories where travel and food/art/culture are at the forefront (think The Pairing by Casey McQuiston)
- Strong voice-driven narratives (bonus points if there’s a dash of humor…make her laugh even when everything is falling apart—her favorite book she read in 2024 was Seven Days in June by Tia Williams)
- Underrepresented voices
- Witty heroines (but not crossing that line into snarky and jaded)
She would currently love to find:
- Dark romance or romantasy
- Dystopian that touches on real-life issues in a unique way
- Historical that focuses on unique character conflicts within a moment in time, rather than revolving around a specific historical event (think Daisy Jones and the Six by TJR)
- Regency romance that also features a strong emphasis on the bonds between women/female relationships (think The Buccaneers on Apple TV)
- Romantic suspense
- Something that delves into Appalachian folklore and the mysterious legends that lurk in those mountains
Lydia is not accepting stories that feature explicit gore, sexual assault, or animal abuse on the page. These elements can be fine if referenced off the page as character backstory that’s essential to the story arc, but if they are used as devices for shock value, then Lydia is not a right fit.
She is also NOT the best fit for:
- Chapter or picture books
- Epic fantasy without a romantic subplot
- Espionage/military/political/legal thrillers
- Full erotica
- Hard science-fiction
- Memoir
- Middle grade
- Nonfiction
- Overly heavy, sad narratives (please nothing with the MC dying, receiving a diagnosis, or battling illness for the majority of the story—she doesn’t shy away from serious subject matter, but there needs to be an uplifting, hopeful tone somewhere in the story)
- Poetry
- Police procedural
- Plots with terrorism as the main conflict
- Short-story collections
- Stories that feature COVID or reference the pandemic heavily
- Young adult (UNLESS it has crossover potential with a fresh plot and a voice that stands out. For Fantasy, think An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir—one of her favorite series)
