Allegra Martschenko is a BookEnds Literary Agency agent laser-focused on marginalized writers, championing speculative fiction across adult, YA, and crossover spaces alongside adult romance and romcoms — with a particular appetite for queer stories, mythic worlds, and love plots that crackle with banter and yearning.
In brief
Allegra represents exclusively marginalized writers — this is a firm, non-negotiable gate, not a preference. If you do not identify as a marginalized writer, do not query.
Their definition of 'speculative fiction' is unusually expansive: any home genre (thriller, mystery, horror, book club, romance) that carries an imagined or magical element qualifies. When in doubt, it probably counts.
Their own favorites and stated comps skew heavily toward queer SFF with lyrical prose — Gideon the Ninth, This Is How You Lose the Time War, An Unkindness of Ghosts — signaling that literary ambition and queerness together are a strong match.
They are open to both novels and novellas in speculative fiction, but explicitly describe themselves as extraordinarily picky about novellas — only query with a novella if it is exceptional.
As of June 1, 2026, the submission form is confirmed open — but Allegra has closed seasonally before (late 2024 into early 2025), so verify the live form status close to the date you plan to submit.
Lately
Allegra announced they would be closing to all queries on December 13, 2024 and reopening February 3, 2025 — describing it as their first full closure ever and joking about the 'immense FOMO' it triggered. The post signals they take seasonal mental-health breaks and may do so again.
What Allegra is looking for
Allegra actively seeks romance and romcom manuscripts in the adult and crossover space from marginalized writers. The through-line they look for: highly competent protagonists, dialogue that earns genuine laughs, and emotional yearning that builds pressure. Silliness, quirkiness, and characters with specialized or unusual jobs are especially welcome. Think banter-forward, heart-forward stories.
This is Allegra's broadest and most passionate category, and their definition of 'speculative' is intentionally wide: fantasy, science fiction, fabulism, horror, mysteries, thrillers, book club fiction, and romance all qualify as long as an imagined or magical element is present. They are especially drawn to queer fiction, historical fantasy, light fantasy, found-family dynamics, mythologies (gods, myths, immortal beings making catastrophic choices), settings with a lived-in sense of place, love plots woven into the narrative, and what they describe as feral characters doing feral things. Lyrical, ambitious prose is a consistent signal across their stated favorites.
Allegra is open to novellas within the speculative fiction umbrella — a rarer openness among agents — but they flag themselves as extraordinarily picky in this format. Only submit a novella if you believe it is truly exceptional work.
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How to query Allegra
Use the agency's online submission form — do not query by email. Email queries are typically deleted without being read, regardless of how strong the manuscript is.
The form asks for your query letter and the first five pages of your manuscript. Have both polished before you submit.
You must be a marginalized writer to query Allegra. Their website provides more detail on what this means — read it carefully before submitting so you understand who this list is built for.
Lead your query with the speculative or imagined element of your book, even if the home genre is thriller, mystery, or romance. Allegra needs to see immediately that your project fits their broad 'speculative' umbrella.
If your book features queer characters, mythology, historical fantasy, found family, or characters with specialized jobs, call that out explicitly in the query — these are named areas of heightened enthusiasm.
For romance and romcom queries, highlight the competence of your protagonist, a specific example of the banter, and the core yearning dynamic. Generic 'enemies to lovers' shorthand is not enough — show the flavor.
If you are submitting a novella, treat the bar as significantly higher than for a novel. Allegra is open to novellas but has explicitly flagged being extraordinarily selective about them.
Check the live form status on the day you plan to submit. Allegra has closed for seasonal breaks before (with advance public notice) and may do so again.