Tara Gilbert

Associate Literary Agent

Tara joined The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency as an Associate Literary Agent in 2020. She has been a part of the publishing industry since 2017, previously working as an Associate Agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency and as an intern with Entangled Publishing. Tara spent over a decade learning the art of negotiation as a staffing professional in the aerospace industry before finding her passion as a literary agent. When Tara isn't reading manuscripts and working with her clients, she is usually caught wandering around Portland with her partner or loving on her fur-babies. To learn more about Tara, please visit her website at www.taragilbert.com.

 

What I'm looking for

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I'm looking for prose and graphic novels in upper middle-grade, young adult, and adult fiction—some non-fiction. I'm particularly drawn to light fantasy and speculative fiction, romance, horror, and contemporaries.

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I'm always looking for stories by traditionally underrepresented creators. POC, LGBTQ+/QUILTBAG, neurodiverse, body diverse, and disabled creators are highly encouraged to query me.

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​Middle-Grade (ages 9-13):

  • I'm open to most genres in upper middle-grade books.

  • Funny, heartfelt stories—best friends stories, family stories, and anything that will make me laugh and cry

  • Books with a literary bent

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Young Adult (ages 14-19):

  • I am open to most genres in young adult, although sci-fi is my least favorite category.

  • I tend to love authors with a literary bent to their prose unless it's romance or a funny contemporary.

  • I'm open to anything from light-hearted comedy to really dark, gory stuff.

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Adult Fiction:

  • My taste in adult fiction is much more limited (see "do not want" below). I don't enjoy heavy world-building or dense books.

  • Dark speculative fiction with a literary bent is my favorite.

  • I love funny, heartfelt RomComs, and dramatic, emotional romances. 

  • I enjoy upmarket fiction and some literary fiction, especially if they contain magical elements.

  • I love historicals, but I would prefer to see historicals about and from underrepresented communities (LGBTQ+, POC, neurodiverse).

  • I'll consider some fantasy and sci-fi, but it needs to be very grounded and accessible. 

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Artists/Illustrators:

  • Please review my Pinterest board to get an idea of the types of illustrators I'm looking for.

 

Non-Fiction*:

  • YA and MG from diverse backgrounds

  • Metaphysics, spirituality, witchcraft, crystals, tarot, etc.

  • LGBTQIA+ topics

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*Non-fiction authors must have a strong platform (social media/blog) to be considered.

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I Do Not Want:

  • Anything set in space or with aliens

  • Anything over 120K

  • Political/military/crime thriller novels (especially in adult categories)

  • Romances with cops or military men

  • Westerns

  • Time travel

  • Pirates

  • Mermaids, vampires, werewolves, zombies. I'll take monsters based on these creatures (like THIS SAVAGE SONG), but not in the traditional sense.

  • Romances based on musicians or actors (I get so many of these)

  • Picture books and chapter books

  • Plots revolving around cheating/infidelity, suicide, rape, or abuse

  • Memoirs or biographies

  • Novellas, short story collections, poetry collections/verse, or screenplays

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How to submit

 

Queries should be submitted through QueryManager: http://QueryMe.Online/TaraGilbert

 

Fiction Authors: Please submit a query, 1-2 page synopsis, and a 5-page sample of your manuscript.

Nonfiction Authors: Please submit your proposal.

Graphic Novel Authors: Please submit your graphic novel proposal, and make sure that it includes an overview of your book, outline, and a 5-page sample of your script. If you're also an illustrator, please include a link to your portfolio.

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