Andie Smith is an Associate Agent at Creative Media Agency whose wheelhouse spans picture books through adult fiction, with a strong personal investment in climate/sustainability themes, disability representation, and character-driven fantasy and romance.
In brief
Her wishlist is unusually wide — picture books through adult fiction — but several clear throughlines unite it: ecological urgency, disability and chronic-illness visibility, and emotionally resonant storytelling over pure plot mechanics.
She is typically closed to queries, but runs a publicly announced one-day eco-fiction open window every Earth Day (April 22); writers with climate or eco-themed projects should mark that date.
Her stated exclusions are unusually specific and numerous — fae, vampires/paranormal, pirates/water-centric settings, AI/VR as characters, animal POVs (except picture books), space operas, heavy religious elements, and on-page depictions of abuse, cheating, or self-harm — which makes mis-targeted queries easy to avoid.
She brings a journalism and editorial background (Central Florida newspapers/magazines plus her own editorial services company) that likely makes her a line-level-engaged collaborator, not a purely deal-focused agent.
No confirmed deal record is available in the source material, so her commercial track record at Creative Media Agency cannot be independently verified at this time — weight her wishlist accordingly and research her recent activity before querying.
Lately
In my inbox, every day is #EarthDay. 🌎 Every Earth Day I re-open to queries for ONE DAY ONLY for any and all eco-fiction submissions across kidlit and adult fiction. Have something I need to see? Head to the link in my bio to submit! 💚
It’s officially been one year since I joined the team at CMA and since then I have: 🌟 received 5,262 queries 🌟 opened to picture books 🌟 signed 13 new clients 🌟 announced my first deal 🌟 closed some 👀👀 things I can’t wait to share Let’s keep going. 👏🏼✨
Reminder I’m closing to queries tomorrow! #amquerying #writingcommunity
#amquerying authors: I will be closing to queries on March 31 for a brief stint to catch up. My inbox is exploding and I have had pressing client work to prioritize, but I will respond to every query and re-open soon!!
INBOX UPDATE: Between current client work and my personal life tossing me into the unplanned deep end, I am horribly behind on queries. As of this week, I am catching up and will get back to everyone as soon as I can! 🙏🏼
On Earth Day 2026, she announced a rare single-day query opening exclusively for eco-fiction submissions spanning all age categories — kidlit through adult fiction — directing writers to her submission link for that day only.
Formatting your manuscript demonstrates professionalism — it shows that you did your research, that you're serious about your book and your story, and that you want someone else to take it as seriously as you do. This is your first impression, and for the most part you only have one shot when submitting to a literary agent.
The industry standard is 12-point Times New Roman, black font, double-spaced, and left-aligned. Use a standard 8.5-by-11 page with one-inch margins, and submit as a Microsoft Word document unless the agent or press specifically asks for a PDF.
Your cover page should include your book title, your full name, word count, genre, and contact information — at minimum a phone number and email address. I also strongly recommend including a three-to-four sentence pitch. I download so many manuscripts onto my Kindle, and I can't pull up the query system on my Kindle, so having that quick blurb right there reminds me what the book is about and why I requested it.
Please do not use the Tab key to indent paragraphs. When an agent downloads your manuscript to a tablet or Kindle, the tab pushes your text way off to the side and it becomes very difficult to read. Set a proper first-line indent of 0.5 inches in your word processor settings instead. Similarly, use the Insert Page Break function for new chapters — don't just hit Enter repeatedly — and use three asterisks for scene breaks rather than custom images or symbols, which won't render correctly on e-readers.
Your manuscript is ready to send to agents when you're on at least your second or third draft, you've had two to three beta readers or critique partners give you feedback, you've done at least two revision passes incorporating that feedback, and it's as polished as you can possibly make it. It is not ready if it's your first draft, if it's incomplete, if your word count doesn't fit your genre, or if no one else has read it yet.
Make sure your word count fits your genre before you submit. If you're writing a young adult fantasy novel and your word count is 20,000, it's not ready — you need to do the research to understand the standard word count for your genre and hit that target first.
What Andie is looking for
She gravitates toward two distinct flavors: deeply immersive, dark, and adventure-driven fantasy in the vein of Jennifer L. Armentrout's work, and lighter romantasy loaded with wit, tension, and slow-burn chemistry. The emotional stakes and world-building must both land — neither pure action nor pure romance alone will satisfy her.
She wants trope-driven rom-coms and romance with genuine heart — fake dating and second-chance premises are especially welcome. The key differentiator for her is a strong underlying message paired with a genuinely satisfying happily-ever-after, not just a fun setup.
She's drawn to stories where magic or the uncanny infiltrates recognizable reality and forces readers to reexamine cause-and-effect. The emotional throughline is as important as the speculative concept — think quiet, puzzle-like narratives that leave a lasting emotional impression.
Near-future, grounded science fiction only — no space operas. She wants climate and sustainability as genuine thematic engines, not window dressing, and welcomes genre cross-pollination with mystery, suspense, or romance woven through the SF framework.
This is a signature passion category. She wants contemporary-set (not dystopian) YA in which teenage protagonists actively fight climate change or work to prevent a species extinction. The real-world grounding is essential — this is not a metaphor category for her, it's literal ecological stakes.
She responds to relatable, emotionally honest teen stories — either a romance (she specifically called out a theater-set rom-com as a dream project) or a self-discovery/coming-of-age arc. Heartfelt messaging and feel-good resonance matter more than high-concept hooks here.
She wants whodunit murder mysteries with genuine suspense and fresh, immersive settings. The tone she's after leans more twisty-suspenseful than psychological horror — ensemble casts and compulsively readable pacing are implied by her touchstones.
She leans cozy rather than epic here — fairy-tale retellings and underdog stories with heart. She's drawn to less-trodden source material and protagonists who aren't typical chosen-one archetypes. Note: she explicitly excludes fae, vampires/paranormal, and space-based settings from her YA fantasy interest.
Grounded scientific mysteries with climate/sustainability stakes and inventive-but-believable technology. No space operas. Cyberpunk aesthetics are welcome. The same near-future sensibility she wants in adult SF applies here.
She envisions classic-feeling adventures updated for today's readers — ensemble found-family casts, treasure hunts, and discovery-driven plots. Think the spirit of Nancy Drew translated into a contemporary MG register.
Coming-of-age stories centered on friendship dynamics, family, belonging, and school life. School competition storylines appear to excite her. Emotional authenticity and relatable stakes over high concept.
She wants mythology and cultural folklore reimagined with fresh perspective and diverse representation — not retellings of the standard Western canon. Originality of source material is a strong differentiator.
Playful, optimistic SF where kids engage with real science and emerging technology. Climate themes welcome. No space operas. A sense of wonder and forward-looking hope are the tonal targets.
Open to authors, author-illustrators, and author-illustrator teams (not illustrator-only). She gravitates toward cozy or campy warmth, whimsy, and gentle humor. STEM and nature content are a genuine passion. Heavy topics are welcome if handled with a light touch and a hopeful resolution. Diverse voices and invisible disabilities are explicitly prioritized. She is NOT seeking potty humor or animal POV picture books.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Andie
Her form is typically closed — do not query outside an open window; submitting to a closed form wastes your opportunity and signals inattention to guidelines.
Mark April 22 (Earth Day) in your calendar: she has announced a one-day eco-fiction open window on that date and it appears to be a recurring practice. Eco-fiction writers should have their materials ready well in advance.
She explicitly asks writers to include content warnings in the query letter for any sensitive material — do this even if you believe your treatment is mild; it signals professionalism and respects her stated editorial sensibility.
Her disability advocacy is personal (she is an autoimmune disease advocate), so if your manuscript features chronic illness or invisible disability, address that directly and authentically in your query — this is not a demographic checkbox for her, it is a lived priority.
Match the tone of your pitch to the tone of your manuscript: she distinguishes sharply between dark/immersive fantasy and witty/tension-driven romantasy, between feel-good contemporary and issue-driven eco-fiction. Using the wrong register in your query signals a mismatch.
She came up through journalism and runs her own editorial services business — a clean, well-edited query letter will carry extra weight with someone who edits for a living.
If your story touches on climate or sustainability, name that theme explicitly and early in the query; it is a through-line across every single category she represents and will immediately signal alignment.
Double-check the 'not a fit' list carefully before querying — it is unusually specific. Fae, water-centric settings, and AI/VR as plot drivers are among the disqualifiers that writers frequently overlook.