#MSWL - Historical

Greyhaus Literary Agency focuses exclusively on publishing traditional romance and women's fiction. Every now and then I like to post things that I am especially interested in finding. 

I am going to keep this one short and simple.

I would love to see projects in the Late Victorian era and WWII projects. 

Stories should ne no less than 75K/80K in word count. 

These stories need to be traditional romances with the focus on the relationship building to a happily ever after. These should not be time travels or parallel times. These are historical!

I will give you a hint. I am not a big fan of 1st person. Just a word of warning. 

#MSWL - New Adult (Discovering Self in College)

Greyhaus Literary Agency focuses exclusively on publishing traditional romance and women's fiction. Every now and then I like to post things that I am especially interested in finding. 

Like Women's Fiction, I am looking for New Adult projects where the reader can truly relate to what the characters are going through. Specifically, I am looking for New Adult projects that focus on the heroine finding herself in college.

Please understand that New Adult stories are not simply YA's with sex. These are stories about people who are truly finding, seeing and discovering a new world they have likely not seen before. Please also understand that New Adult stories DO NOT have to be in first person. I am someone who has found most first person stories to be flat and lacking depth.

As I said, I am specifically looking for stories about characters in college. These might be stories about people going to a college that is really different from the life they lived at home. These might be stories about students who are now facing graduation and are lost as to what to do next. 

Like women's fiction, I want stories with a focus. Don't try to take on too many topics. Focus is key. I also want stories that everyone can relate to.

Yes, you can take on challenging topics, but be careful to not "stereotype" these tropes. Topics like date rape, alcoholic binges and so forth become a bit forces.

Please note, I DO NOT WANT stories about students having relationships with professors (and even Graduate Teaching Assistants). 

#MSWL - Women's Fiction With A Message

 Greyhaus Literary Agency focuses exclusively on publishing traditional romance and women's fiction. Every now and then I like to post things that I am especially interested in finding. 

WOMEN'S FICTION: I define women's fiction as stories looking at the world through the female lens. It is the chance to see how the world looks different, while at the same time, giving the reader a chance to see how someone, in a similar situation can solve problems. Women's fiction can be serious or straight forward, but needs to have a strong focus. These are stories of exploration and discovery. These are stories where the reader walks away learning something new, but without having that message shoved down their throats. These are stories that should encourage discussion.

I am especially looking for stories that focus on single issues. It might be returning home, returning to work, travel stories, relationship issues and so forth. The key is to focus on one. I am always finding myself rejecting stories because the author is trying desperately to cover too many things. 

I am not interested in stories that start with the standard trope that the protagonist found her husband cheating on her and they are divorced. I want stories to come across as "real people." Please understand, though, I DO NOT want fictionalized stories of true things. I want fiction.

I want characters that the reader can relate to and cheer for. If your character does things that would turn someone off, this is not the place for you.

Finally, while these stories can deal with present day issues, I do not want 9/11 stories, Covid-19 stories and "Me-Too" stories. Yes, these are VERY IMPORTANT and need to be talked about, but I have found recently that far too many authors focus more on the terminology and the jargon and the message gets lost.

Following Up With Agents and Editors

 I have to admit that living in this "new normal" during the Covid-19 thing has made keeping up with digital connections tough. The amount of emails we have to go through on a daily basis is often challenging. I know that I work with a minimum of 5 email accounts daily. Ugh! I bring this up because as authors, it is also important to keep up on your end, especially with submissions.

Think of it this way, you send out submissions to editors and agents. You are awaiting, hopefully, great news from that submissions. You know it will take a bit so you wait, and wait, and wait. Now the questions comes, did that email ever make it through?

At Greyhaus, I tell people it can be up to 3 months, but in all honesty, I try to keep it to 1 month. I let everyone know of either a thumbs up or a thumbs down. I am not someone who says a no answer is a no. Yes some do that, but I don't. Still, it is important to always follow up.

Look first at their submission guidelines. If they have a time when they say they will respond, be courteous and give them that time. After that, reach out. Be polite and do not be pushy. Remind them of the submission and the project. I always like to forward my sent message with a "Just checking in" message. 

Do we miss submissions some times? Yep! I fully admit it. Do we need a nudge every now and then. Yep!

It is OK to do this. Sometimes mistakes do happen!