Ali Herring is a Spencerhill Associates agent with unusually wide age-range coverage — MG through adult — who hunts for high-concept, commercially hooky fiction with diverse voices, a particular appetite for science fiction, middle grade, and romance across both the general and inspirational markets.
In brief
The sales record and wishlist together reveal a genuinely cross-category agent: Ali Herring actively works MG, YA, adult SFF, romance, and inspirational fiction — rare breadth that gives clients room to grow across age groups.
Diverse creators and culturally specific settings are not a checkbox for Herring — they appear repeatedly and with specificity (African-inspired space-faring societies, POC-centered MG) suggesting this is a genuine curatorial priority.
Science fiction recurs across every age level on the wishlist — generation ships, near-future dystopia, futuristic MG — signaling an SFF appetite that extends far beyond a single category.
The inspirational/Christian market is a meaningful lane: Herring explicitly welcomes sweet, inspirational, and category Christian romance and women's fiction, which sets them apart from most agents at general-market agencies.
Query status was confirmed closed as of December 9, 2025 — verify the live submission form before sending anything, as this may shift.
Lately
Herring posted a lighthearted observation about the nail-biting experience of waiting for editor responses on submissions, likening it to the classic road-trip plea from the backseat — a candid window into the active, on-submission side of their work.
What Ali is looking for
Herring describes a genuine enthusiasm for nearly all of middle grade. Top priorities include: joyful MG featuring characters of color written by diverse creators; high-concept, commercially appealing MG with literary-quality prose (especially material suited to imprints known for adventure and high-energy reads); MG with bold, underexplored settings; dark fantasy or non-gory horror; magical realism or paranormal; futuristic or tech-forward premises; and comedy — the funnier the better. Also welcomes coming-of-age, grief, first love (even in unexpected settings like a post-apocalyptic world), and STEM themes. Specifically interested in upper-MG for girls that moves beyond romance without feeling childish, as well as Hallmark-style preteen romance in the vein of Carols and Crushes by Natalie Blitt, and adventure-driven boy-centric MG reminiscent of Hatchet.
Herring is open across virtually all YA subgenres: contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative, horror, suspense/thriller, romance, and issue-driven stories. Highest enthusiasm right now is for contemporary fantasy, horror or horror-adjacent work with real edge, YA suspense and thrillers, vibrant rom-coms, and fun teen romance. Also actively seeking dystopian and failing-utopia worlds — particularly near-future settings that feel genuinely grimy and frightening rather than sanitized, but without gratuitous gore. Bold, underexplored settings are a consistent plus across all YA. Issue books are fine but Herring already has several, so they're a lower priority.
This is a dream category. Herring specifically calls out generation-ship narratives — either the voyage itself or the arrival at a new planet — and is especially eager to see SFF written by diverse creators exploring their own cultural perspectives. A standout wish: an adult sci-fi in which African culture and aesthetics are dominant, imagining that beauty transposed onto space exploration. Space opera, first contact, speculative, paranormal, urban fantasy, and portal fantasy also welcome.
Contemporary romance is the comfort zone, but Herring can be won over by a very hooky historical. Actively wants tropey, fun romance, rom-coms, romantic suspense, and dual-timeline stories with a past/present structure. Sweet and inspirational romance are explicitly welcome. No erotica; high-heat romance is not a fit. Category Christian romance is also on the wishlist.
A genuine lane, not an afterthought — Herring works in the inspirational market and is looking primarily for inspirational romance and women's fiction here. Christian YA and MG are not sought. Inspirational or Christian historical romance is explicitly not a fit.
Southern settings get a special call-out, as do women's fiction novels that weave in suspense elements. Both general-market and inspirational women's fiction are welcome.
Beyond science fiction, Herring is open to the broader SFF spectrum at the adult level: fantasy, speculative fiction, paranormal, urban fantasy, and portal fantasy. No specific sub-genre is singled out here — strong concept and voice will be the deciding factor.
Not the right fit
On Ali's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Ali
Confirm the form is open before doing anything else — it was confirmed closed as of December 9, 2025, and Herring has noted this can change; check the live submission page directly.
Herring covers MG, YA, and adult — make absolutely clear in your query which age category and genre you're pitching; do not make them guess.
Lead with concept and hook. Herring repeatedly signals a desire for high-concept, commercially hooky premises — your first paragraph should make the idea impossible to put down.
Diverse creators writing from their own cultural experience are an explicit and recurring priority. If that describes you, say so plainly and early.
For science fiction, specificity of world-concept matters enormously — vague 'set in space' pitches will land flat. Name the structural premise (generation ship, first contact, failing utopia) upfront.
If pitching inspirational or Christian fiction, clearly identify it as such; Herring works in this market and has specific criteria — don't bury the faith element.
Comp titles should be specific and real. Herring has named mashups of classic films and books as a useful framing device — two well-chosen comps that capture tone and concept will serve you better than vague genre descriptors.
Issue-driven YA is acceptable but Herring already has several — if your book leans heavily on a single issue, make sure the story and voice are the dominant selling point in the query.
Avoid leading with animal protagonists, chapter books, or very young MG — these are explicit non-fits.
Do not query historical romance unless it has an extraordinarily strong commercial hook; be ready to articulate exactly what makes it stand out.