Kindness. Integrity. Patience. Profit. Enthusiasm. Matthew’s love of literature began as a teenager when his mom handed him a copy of TWILIGHT after years of being a reluctant reader. Then, in college he took a Young Adult Literature class and was immediately hooked on reading YA. In fact, it was that professor who encouraged him to attend YALLFest- that conference is what launched Matthew into the world of publishing. With over a decade of volunteering at conferences and interning at literary agencies, Matthew brings a very behind-the-scenes perspective to his job as agent. Matthew holds a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education from the Metropolitan State University of Denver, and is currently attending The University of Central Florida to obtain his Master’s in Educational Leadership. He lives in sunny Florida where he teaches High School English and hopes just a sliver of his passion for books rubs off on his students. I am always looking to champion stories from writers of all marginalized backgrounds, especially voices from the LGBTQ+ community!
Fun facts about me
I’ve been a loyal Lady Gaga fan since 2008 and have seen her in concert 8 times in 5 different states. I’ve been playing both Genshin Impact AND Honkai: Star Rail since launch I have 2 dogs, Bentley and Bella, and 1 cat, Leia (who goes by Kitty). Submission Guidelines Submissions should be emailed to matthewquery@
STATUS
OPEN until June 1st 2026.
UPDATE
To help balance my workload and to lessen my reading time, I am continuing to limit my query window to only half the month. I will be open the 15th through the end of the month starting in January, 2026! Also, I am refining my to be a bit more succinct. Please double check what I’m looking for before submitting a query.
QUERY STATUS
All queries sent prior to 1/17/26 have been answered aside from roughly 60 in my maybe pile. If you sent a query prior to this date and have not heard back from me, please nudge me! Kindly send your query letter and the first 10 pages of your manuscript in the body of the email, along with your author website if you have one (not a deal-breaker if you don’t). Note that my response time is currently elevated due to being a full-time graduate student and a full-time teacher; Please allow around 6-8 weeks for a response and note that no critiques or feedback are included in passes. Communication is very important to me, so please know that absolutely all queries will be read by me and will receive a response. I do not ghost authors, so if you submitted before the above date under “query status” and you haven’t heard back from me, please nudge. I currently don’t accept pitches via social media, phone, snail-mail, or any other platform other than email. Queries should be sent to ma ********** @ ************* with the subject “QUERY – MANUSCRIPT TITLE”. SPRING 2026: (Updated 5/15/26) Please note that as of May 2026 my main focus will shift to genre fiction. I will be exclusively seeking Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, and Romance.
Adult
Fantasy All subgenres including: Romantasy, High/Epic, Cozy, Dark, Historical, Folklore Retellings, Dark Academia, Portal. I am desperately looking for LGBTQ+ and marginalized MCs in fantasy! Some recent favorites: THE HURRICANE WARS by Thea Guanzon, IN THE VEINS OF THE DROWNING by Kalie Cassidy Science-Fiction All subgenres welcome, just keep in mind I’m very picky and looking for super high concept! I am desperately looking for LGBTQ+ and marginalized MCs in Sci-Fi! Some recent favorites: THE HURRICANE WARS by Thea Guanzon, IN THE VEINS OF THE DROWNING by Kalie Cassidy Horror Paranormal, Demonic Possession, Historical, Folklore, Dark Academia, and Gothic. LGBTQ+ and marginalized MCs are a plus! Some recent favorites: INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE by Josh Malerman, DIAVOLA by Jennifer Marie Thorne Romance Contemporary, New Adult, Dark Romance, Paranormal, Romantic Comedy, Romantasy, Holiday, Sports LGBTQ+ preferred, but all a