Sarah N. Fisk is a former mechanical engineer who made the switch to publishing in 2011. They have worked in the publishing industry as an editorial assistant, author’s assistant, publicist, and art director. Sarah is a former Pitch Wars mentor, board member, and Agent Liaison. They host the podcast Queries, Qualms, & Quirks and have a passion for spreadsheets. Sarah is one of the founding members of Disability in Publishing. Updated info and a full FAQ can always be found at. In 2025, Sarah will be open to queries on the first five days of every month.
Basics
Young Adult (all fiction genres) Middle Grade (all fiction genres) Adult Romance Adult Science Fiction, Fantasy, and everything under the speculative fiction umbrella except gory horror Adult Book Club Fiction Upmarket Women’s Fiction Adult Mystery/Thriller Select Adult nonfiction
Particular Areas of Interest
books that are fun to read atmospheric fantasies or contemporary stories that feel like atmospheric fantasies speculative mysteries or mysteries woven into other genres books that challenge societal norms, especially gender norms personal interest in stories featuring queer characters personal interest in characters with disability, neurodiversity, chronic illness, or mental health challenges incredible or unhinged sibling relationships (think: siblings who will kill for each other or kill each other (or both!)) authentic small town, southern, midwestern, or Appalachian settings weird Florida from Florida residents intriguing villains vibrant characters I can’t get out of my head smart heroines con artists who are not cis men books that are compulsively readable social justice issues woven into commercial plots themes: anticapitalist, pro-labor, conservationism, anti-disaster capitalism, etc For Adult SFF I especially love grounded fantasy and near-future sci-fi. I am particularly looking for books with a strong hook and plot, but also very strong writing (aka upmarket SFF) No Military Sci-Fi, please Not for me: anything that comps Game of Thrones, Goblin Emperor, or a Memory Called Empire I’m open to cozy fantasy but it must have a strong hook Time travel is difficult for me No: Sci-fi concepts about AI For Adult Romance Pretty much all subgenres that are traditionally published but historical needs to have a high concept, a nice hook, and/or a great voice for me I prefer romance books with a medium or high heat level, or a lot of sexual tension No pregnancy or baby-based storylines, please (it’s not triggering, I’m just not interested!) Romance has a happy romantic ending, by definition Not particularly interested in celebrity or writer main characters For nonfiction Primarily interested in books with a social justice angle, progressive thought leadership OR Books that provide a new perspective on culture, food, current affairs, finance, food, history, science, nature, or relationships. Author platform is very important Especially interested in disabled or neurodiverse creators, especially those writing from an intersectional lens If the book could’ve been an older You’re Wrong About episode, I’d like to see it Other areas of interest: scam/fraud, capitalism, labor interests, chronic illness, environmental/climate change, cryptids, non-murder mysteries, relationship equity, or books that make me FASCINATED with a topic I previously didn’t care about (a la THE JOY OF SWEAT) Nos: parenting, religion, memoirs without one of the first two bullet points. For Adult Mystery/Thriller I’m most interested in either: books that really have something to say (Kellye Garrett, Alyssa Cole, Nita Prose) AND/OR: books that are capital-F Fun. Not for me: anything extremely military or CIA-focused
Not for me
Gory horror (psychological & some horror elements are ok! Horror in MG is great) I am not interested in stories that center around who gets to rule an empire I cannot read stories that center around sexual assault or have on-the-page rape scenes Stories whe