Ann Rose is a Texas-based literary agent at The Tobias Literary Agency who specializes in middle grade and young adult fiction across all genres, with a particular appetite for girl-empowerment stories, LGBTQIA+ narratives, and genre-bending MG that pushes category conventions.
In brief
Her confirmed deal record skews toward contemporary YA and MG with strong commercial hooks — Seton Girls, Jiu-Jitsu Girl, and She Who Wins all center driven female protagonists, suggesting her real sweet spot is character-forward stories with a clear thematic spine, not just genre exercises.
She has sold both trad-pub fiction (Ironspark, Curious League) and what appears to be a mix of commercial and niche titles, signaling she can work across the commercial-to-literary spectrum within children's publishing.
Her most recent public signal — posted April 2026 — called out 'female rage' stories specifically, a notable sharpening of her girl-empowerment stance that goes beyond the uplifting friendship focus in her older wishlist.
Fantasy is welcome but she sets a high bar: she wants non-Western-European worldbuilding and genuine novelty — a generic European-court fantasy is the wrong pitch.
Writers should note that all submissions must go through her official online form; anything sent to her personal inbox is deleted unread, no exceptions.
Lately
Stories of female rage #MSWL
Want feedback from me about your submission package and to support a good cause? Check this out... www.32auctions.com/organization...
There are a lot of #MSWL posts going around and I love that! I just want authors to remember NOT to self reject. Your book doesn’t have to be a perfect match to a MSWL If the agent takes fantasy and you have fantasy take your shot! ❤️ Don’t stress it!
I've said it once and I'll say it again, I'm really wanting some propulsive feminist thrillers! Women supporting women! Taking down the patriarchy kind of stories! #MSWL
I'll be coming up with some posts for this today myself. But remember your book doesn't have to be a perfect match to my #MSWL to send it to me. If I'm open to your genre and you think we could be a good fit, please query me! Link in my pinned post.
Posted a one-line wishlist flag calling out stories centered on female rage as a current priority.
What Ann is looking for
She wants YA fantasy that feels genuinely new: non-Western-European cultural foundations are a specific ask, and she's tired of familiar court-and-kingdom templates. The world needs to be fully realized — she wants to feel transported, not just told she's somewhere else. Bonus if the story layers in female rage, girl empowerment, or LGBTQIA+ romance.
Contemporary YA is a core lane for her. She welcomes stories that confront real issues teens face today — body image, toxic masculinity, identity — as long as the handling is thoughtful and language around sensitive topics (e.g., suicide) is clinically and culturally accurate. She's drawn to protagonists who are beautifully flawed and doing the wrong things for the right reasons. Unique sports settings (roller derby, rock climbing, CrossFit, ultimate Frisbee) are a specific interest.
LGBTQIA+ stories are an explicit priority across all tones. She has a standing want for a f/f romance where two girls run against each other for class president and fall in love — a rom-com with built-in rivalry tension. Girl-friendship stories that center lifting each other up (no mean-girl dynamics) are equally welcome.
She's looking for a YA thriller that holds tension to the final page without relying on gore, and she has a long-standing want for a YA-style CLUE homage — ideally a mystery with multiple possible endings. Puzzle-forward plotting and a strong atmosphere matter more than body count.
Historical YA is welcome with one firm preference: she's done with WWII as the default setting. She wants other eras and regions, and she's especially energized by stories that put historically overlooked women at the center of action.
She has explicit appetite for a funny survival-guide-to-high-school book with a tips-and-tricks structure, cheerleading stories (contemporary through heightened/campy), and twin stories of every variety — rom-com switcharoos, evil twins, twins who hate each other. Heart and humor together are the consistent throughline.
MG is treated as a full equal to YA in her list, and she specifically wants projects that push what middle grade can do tonally and topically. Sibling stories with warm family dynamics, kid activists, competition reality-show premises, camping stories with actual adult supervision and warmth (not chaos), and MG with unicorns or gnomes are all genuine interests. No topic is off-limits if handled with craft and age-appropriate care.
Her most recent public wishlist signal (April 2026) called out female rage stories as a current priority. This appears to represent a sharpening of her longstanding girl-empowerment focus into something with more edge and emotional intensity — protagonists who are angry, justified, and not quietly compliant.
Not the right fit
On Ann's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Ann
Submit through the agency's official online form — do not email her directly. Anything sent to her personal inbox is deleted unread, not forwarded, not considered.
Include three components in your submission: a query letter, a 1–2 page synopsis that includes spoilers and resolves the ending, and the first three chapters or first 30 pages (whichever is longer).
Lead your query with what makes your premise genuinely fresh — she responds to novelty. If you're writing fantasy, name your cultural inspiration upfront so she immediately knows it's not another Western-European-court story.
If your story features female rage, LGBTQIA+ romance, a unique sport, twins, or kid activists, say so in the first paragraph — these are flagged interests and naming them signals you've done your homework.
Her April 2026 public signal focused on female rage: if your protagonist has righteous anger at the center of her arc, make that emotional core explicit in your query rather than burying it in plot summary.
Sensitivity around difficult topics is a known filter: if your manuscript addresses suicide, self-harm, or similar issues, briefly note in the query that you've followed current best-practice language guidelines — this proactively addresses a concern she has stated.
Her wishlist has humor and heart as a recurring thread even in heavier stories — if your book is funny, don't undersell it. A one-line joke or the comic premise belongs in the query.