Joanna MacKenzie

I owe my love of books to the librarian of my childhood bookmobile, who, after I had worked my way through The Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High, lifted the velvet rope and let me into the grown-up section, where I discovered V.C. Andrews. And to my father, who gave me Cat’s Cradle, Wuthering Heights, and One Hundred Years of Solitude for my fifteenth birthday.

A seasoned publishing professional with more than twenty years on the agenting side, I’m driven by the stories my authors tell, both with the novels they write and with the careers they build. I represent New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, Edgar and Anthony Award winners, and critically acclaimed storytellers writing in all areas of adult and young adult fiction.

Visit me at Publishers Marketplace and follow me @joannamackenzie.

#MSWL

I’m looking for stories that surprise and delight, characters I can’t stop thinking about, tropes turned on their ears, and, above all, sharp writing.

I’d love to find the charm, wit, and twists of The Wedding People by Alison Espach. The pace and stakes of First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. The cutting commentary of When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole. Other recent reads that have stuck with me include Northern Spy by Flynn Berry, Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon, and This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel.

While my MSWL highlights what I’m looking for, I am often delighted by manuscripts that surprise me, stories I didn’t have the words to ask for and didn’t know I was missing until they came across my desk.

#MSWL

High-concept, twisty stories with a strong voice in the areas of women’s fiction, thriller, and speculative.
Timely commercial fiction in which the personal intersects with the world at large, offering a biting commentary on the times we’re living in and making readers sit up and say, “Yes, that, exactly!”
Stories that explore complex and challenging family dynamics and unlikely (and possibly toxic) friendships.
Stories about reinvention and second acts—especially with touches of magic, time slips, or other speculative elements.
Voicey, confident, atmospheric mysteries set in close-knit communities; creepy islands and Midwest-set stories are a plus.
Because I came to Chicago by way of Poland and Canada, I’m always looking for stories about the immigrant experience.
Elin Hilderbrand and/or Louise Penny for the Third Coast—I’d love to see a clever sleuth out of a resort town in Michigan.

Query Joanna