Add Event To Calendar
(Click Your Calendar Icon Below)
For closed captions, click the [CC] box.
For transcript, click the magnifying glass over the piece of paper.
To view full screen, click the four outward arrows.
Event Timestamps
0:00 — Jessica Sinsheimer welcomes attendees; introduces the event as the first single-genre Manuscript Wish List® live panel on LGBTQIA+ works.
0:21 — Jessica Sinsheimer introduces herself: agent at Context Literary, co-founder of the Manuscript Wish List® (ManuscriptWishlist.com) and The Manuscript Academy®.
0:48 — Julie Kingsley introduces herself as co-founder of The Manuscript Academy® and longtime screenwriting teacher. Sets up the event: understanding how agents think about taste and trends within queer genres.
1:13 — Agent introductions begin.
1:21 — Rebecca Matte (Bradford Literary). She represents romance, SFF, and some horror, and describes her 2026 wishlist: magical queer romances, underrepresented identities (bi, ace, trans), and personally authentic books.
2:12 — Allegra Martschenko (Bookends Literary). They cover speculative fiction and romance/rom-coms in adult, crossover, and YA, with a wishlist of wild, wacky, wonderful concepts from marginalized authors.
2:52 — Stephanie Winter (KO Media Management). Graphic novels, adult nonfiction, genre fiction. Looking for queer thrillers, horror, slasher, dark academia, and plotty books.
3:47 — Kiana Nguyen (Donald Maass Literary). YA and adult fiction: SFF, horror, domestic suspense/thriller, women’s fiction. Looking for perspectives outside the aspirational norm.
5:33 — Jessica gives the event overview: three mini-classes, a quiz with prizes, a data presentation.
6:01 — Mini-Class 1 begins: Rebecca Matte on Motivation and Pacing.
6:29 — The “$5 bill principle,” adapted from Quinta Brunson.
7:27 — The two layers of motivation and the stake sentence framework.
9:07 — Case study: The Fake Divination Offensive by Sarah Rash.
11:15 — Why motivation drives pacing.
12:39 — Rebecca wraps her section.
14:20 — Mini-Class 2 begins: Allegra Martschenko on Structure and Plot Escalation.
26:48 — The trap of over-twisting.
27:09 — Allegra on foreshadowing — their most frequent editorial note.
28:04 — Risks of introducing new magic systems too late.
28:44 — Reassurance: you’re probably not being too obvious.
29:10 — Jessica recommends finding a critique partner in the chat
29:15 — Mini-Class 3 begins: Kiana Nguyen on Reading the Market.
30:45 — Marrying creative vision with market awareness.
31:47 — Kiana’s personal reading lens.
33:39 — The landscape of queer fiction on the market.
35:37 — Adult SFF and horror trends.
37:12 — YA trends.
38:15 — Kiana’s own market positioning.
40:28 — Q&A opens on books with multiple elements beyond romance.
41:34 — Kiana: “There are more agents now than ever.”
42:13 — Julie’s summary: “That’s why we read.”
42:28 — Stephanie Winter’s quiz with prizes.
45:24 — Q&A session begins.
45:35 — On retellings.
46:06 — On writing queer joy in a hostile political climate.
47:10 — On YA vs. New Adult.
48:52 — On sex scenes in YA.
49:40 — On “rom traum” and trauma in queer romance.
51:22 — Allegra on pressure to write “model citizen” characters.
53:07 — Data presentation: the numbers on queer fiction demand.
55:49 — On queer nonfiction.
56:03 — On whether queer adult contemporary must center romance.
57:29 — Final question: what genres are doing well at acquisitions right now?
1:01:47 — Closing remarks, Facebook community plug (ManuscriptAcademy.com/Facebook), replay info.
What does it actually feel like to be inside a room with four literary agents who are genuinely excited about queer fiction? Hit play and find out!
At this Manuscript Wish List® live panel, we brought together Rebecca Matte (Bradford Literary), Allegra Martschenko (Bookends Literary), Stephanie Winter (KO Media Management), and Kiana Nguyen (Donald Maass Literary Agency) for over an hour of honest, practical, warm conversation about what they’re looking for — and what they’re not.
Rebecca taught a masterclass in character motivation and pacing, including a $5 bill exercise that will change how you write every scene. llegra broke down foreshadowing and plot escalation with a clarity we’ve never heard from any agent anywhere. Kiana mapped the landscape of queer fiction on the market right now — and told us exactly what’s missing from it. And Stephanie explained what makes her stop reading and what makes her keep going.
There’s also a quiz with prizes, a data presentation that will genuinely make you feel hopeful, and a Q&A that covers everything from YA vs. new adult to whether queer romance has to have a happy ending.
This is the kind of event we made The Manuscript Academy® to create: real information, real agents, real warmth. Whether you’re drafting, revising, or querying, there is something in this recording for you.
Most importantly: Your stories are not only needed, but wanted.
Stick around to the end for a micro presentation on how the data supports it: agents love and want these works.
