Annalise Errico is a romance-first agent at Ladderbird Literary Agency who prioritizes queer and BIPOC voices across adult and YA fiction, with a particular passion for swoony HEAs, social-commentary thrillers, and celebrity-focused contemporary fiction.
In brief
Romance is unambiguously her core genre — she writes it herself, cites it as her genre of choice, and her wishlist is most detailed and enthusiastic there. Query romance first if you have it.
Queer and BIPOC representation is not a sub-preference — it is the through-line across every single category she lists. A manuscript without this lens is unlikely to be a fit regardless of genre.
Bisexual women protagonists are called out by name as sitting 'particularly close to her heart' — a rare, specific signal worth noting if your book fits.
Her wishlist shows a consistent appetite for format-inventive fiction (epistolary, file/article compilations, alternative structures) across romance, thriller, and contemporary — this is a taste differentiator most writers won't anticipate.
No confirmed sales record is available to cross-reference against her stated wishlist, so writers should treat this profile as wishlist-driven and verify her current status directly before querying.
Lately
Her public wishlist emphasizes that she is excited about uplighting stories from authors with marginalized and intersectional identities, framing her agenting mission explicitly around making space for voices that have historically been excluded from publishing.
What Annalise is looking for
This is Annalise's primary passion and the category she is most eager to build. She wants queer and BIPOC protagonists and love interests front and center. Historical romance with queer/BIPOC leads (in the vein of Cat Sebastian's work), baking rom-coms, and holiday romances are all on her radar. She is especially drawn to books that weave in mental health themes alongside the love story, and any angle touching on celebrity or fame earns extra points. Bisexual women protagonists are a personal priority. HEA or HFN endings are non-negotiable. Favorite tropes: enemies-to-lovers, serious-and-sunshine pairings, and second-chance romance. Warm and cozy tones welcome.
Annalise wants thrillers that function as social commentary and mysteries with real whodunit craft — her stated dream is a queer/BIPOC Agatha Christie. Queer/BIPOC historical mysteries are a strong fit, as is dark academia with a historical mystery thread. She is drawn to novels with unconventional formats: documents, files, compiled articles, and other structural experiments. Violence against women as a central plot engine, supernatural or horror-adjacent content, gore, 'bury your gays,' and 'fridging' tropes are all disqualifying. Medical and apocalyptic thrillers are explicitly off the table.
Annalise wants character-driven stories that still move — she is explicit that pure character studies without plot momentum are not for her. She gravitates toward fiction using alternative or inventive formats and stories that use a queer/BIPOC lens to explore self-discovery, identity, and navigating contemporary life. Celebrity and fame as subject matter is a recurring draw. Happy or uplifting endings are preferred. Thematic focus on change and self-love resonates strongly.
Annalise is actively building in the New Adult space. She wants found-family dynamics and coming-of-age plots set during or immediately after college, particularly following queer/BIPOC protagonists navigating early adulthood. Warm, nerdy, and fandom-adjacent voices are welcome. Romance must be present in some form — a New Adult without any romantic element is a hard sell for her. Any genre she represents at the adult level she would also welcome here.
Annalise is actively focusing on YA representation. While the wishlist fragment on this category is brief, her consistent priorities — queer/BIPOC voices, intersectional identities, uplifting narratives — apply here as they do across all her categories. Writers should check her live submission guidelines for any YA-specific genre details.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Annalise
Confirm the live form status at Ladderbird Literary Agency before submitting — her open/closed state is unverified and you do not want to query a closed form.
Lead your query letter by naming the queer and/or BIPOC identity at the heart of your manuscript — this is the throughline of her entire list and should be front-loaded, not buried.
If your book features a bisexual woman protagonist, say so explicitly in the first paragraph. She has flagged this as a personal priority in unusually direct terms.
Name your tropes if you're querying romance — enemies-to-lovers, serious-and-sunshine, and second-chance are her stated favorites. If yours match, make it obvious.
If your manuscript uses an unconventional format (documents, epistolary, compiled articles, alternative structures), highlight this early. It is a recurring draw across every category she lists.
For thrillers, frame the social commentary dimension up front. She is not looking for a standard procedural — the ideological or cultural lens is what distinguishes a fit from a pass.
Confirm your romance ends in an HEA or HFN and state it. She treats this as a genre requirement, not a preference, and leaving it unstated is an easy miss.
For New Adult, make clear whether romance is present and how central it is — she has said a New Adult without any romantic element is a very difficult sell for her.
If your book touches on fame, celebrity, or the experience of being in the public eye, mention it — this theme recurs across her wishlist more than almost any other, yet many writers won't think to foreground it.