A bestseller-making, editorially hands-on agent and Folio senior VP who lives at the intersection of commercial and timeless — big hooks paired with voicey, upmarket writing across YA, adult, and middle grade.
In brief
The deals tell the real story: Spieller's list is stacked with NYT and USA Today bestsellers and book-club picks, with two especially hot lanes — romantasy/fantasy and adult suspense/thrillers.
Spieller is a self-described editorial agent and career strategist who thinks in terms of an author's whole brand and the full slate of foreign, audio, and film/TV rights — not a single book.
Across every age category the through-line is consistent: a strong, marketable hook married to distinctive voice, with a standing commitment to diverse and underrepresented perspectives.
Windows shift. Spieller deliberately opens and closes specific categories to track the market and keep the list balanced, so the live submission form is the source of truth.
Lately
Gave writers advance notice of a temporary closure to queries, with reopening planned for the following year — a reminder that Spieller's windows open and close, so check the current status before sending.
What Lauren is looking for
The center of the recent sales. Spieller wants upmarket and book-club fiction, diverse and female-driven suspense and thrillers, immersive upmarket or literary SFF and horror, romantasy, and spicy, funny rom-coms alongside swoony upmarket romance. Genre blends and underrepresented points of view are always welcome. The deal record shows this lane already producing bestsellers, so the bar is commercial and proven.
Drawn to a strong voice and a great hook above all. Especially keen on speculative stories (fantasy of all kinds, magical realism, and horror), contemporary novels with a big hook, romance and rom-com, suspense and thrillers, and graphic novels. Spieller has specifically asked for more rom-coms from underrepresented voices and likes smart, genre-bending tales.
High-concept contemporaries, magical fantasy, kid-friendly sci-fi, vivid historical, and spooky horror. Spieller would also love MG graphic novels, with a particular soft spot for ones grounded in our real world.
The occasional unique nonfiction project — but only with an existing, established author platform behind it.
Not the right fit
Threads through Lauren's deals
The single strongest pattern: Spieller repeatedly places fantasy and romantasy that breaks out commercially. Mai Corland and Nisha J. Tuli both hit national bestseller lists, and Alexandra Moody's series charted on both the NYT and USA Today lists. When Spieller's wishlist names romantasy and upmarket SFF, the deals prove it's a lane they actually sell at scale.
A second clear lane: female-driven suspense and thrillers that land book-club and bestseller status. Kate Alice Marshall appears twice — both titles became bestsellers and Book of the Month Club picks — confirming that the 'diverse and female-driven suspense/thriller' wish is backed by a repeatable track record.
Consistent with Spieller's stated focus on long careers over one-off sales: multiple authors recur across the deal list — Kate Alice Marshall, Nisha J. Tuli, and Alexandra Moody each appear more than once — a signal they invest in clients book after book.
On Lauren's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Lauren
Query through Spieller's online submission form — do not email. The form also lists which age categories and genres are open right now, since those rotate.
Lead with the hook. Spieller rewards a big, marketable concept paired with a distinctive, voicey style — commercial and timeless at once.
If you write romantasy, fantasy, or female-driven adult suspense, you're aiming at their proven, bestselling lanes; comp accordingly.
Underrepresented voices and genre blends are an active, standing want across every age category.
Expect a response to every query; if none arrives within about 60 days, nudge through the same submission form rather than by email.