Antoinëtte Van Sluytman is an Irene Goodman Literary Agency agent who hunts for ambitious, culturally grounded speculative fiction and historical fiction centered on women of color, lyrical prose, and morally complex characters — with a particular passion for stories that challenge Western defaults.
In brief
Her stated wishlist is tightly focused on adult speculative fiction — cosmic horror, dark fantasy, epic fantasy, and sci-fi — plus historical fiction rooted in non-Western mythologies and the untold stories of female heroines across cultures.
She has a strong personal aesthetic throughline: lyrical, atmospheric prose, philosophical and psychological depth, anticolonial themes, and the kind of morally gray ensemble dynamics you'd find in prestige TV or manga — her favorites list spans Death Note, Hannibal, Peaky Blinders, and Jade City, which signals she values stylized, high-tension character work as much as worldbuilding.
Her 'firsts' framing — explicitly saying she's looking to discover breakout voices — suggests she is more interested in debuts and fresh perspectives than in established midlist authors looking to change houses.
Her personal mission to amplify Black and Brown women's stories via multimedia is not just flavor text: it is a genuine editorial north star that shapes what she champions, and projects with that centering are likely to receive the most passionate advocacy.
Query status was recorded as unknown as of April 2026; her agency page listed her as closed to queries at time of data capture — verify the live submission form before sending anything.
Lately
Her agency profile frames her search as looking for 'firsts' — suggesting she positions herself as a discovery agent for debut or breakthrough voices rather than an agent primarily picking up established midlist authors.
What Antoinëtte is looking for
This is her clearest priority. She wants immersive, ambitiously built worlds drawing on non-Western cultures and mythologies — not the default European-medieval palette. Morally gray characters, anticolonial undercurrents, and lyrical prose are near-requirements. She is explicitly not seeking fae, vampire, witch, demon, or elemental magic fantasy, so the project must go somewhere fresher.
She wants speculative fiction that bends narrative conventions and goes to genuinely unsettling or philosophically challenging places. An anime-like inventiveness in concept — strange, high-concept premises executed with emotional and prose seriousness — is a strong signal of fit. Stories centered on women of color in these spaces align especially well with her editorial mission.
She is specifically seeking stories inspired by non-Western mythologies and the suppressed histories of female warriors and heroines from across the globe. She has named figures like Tomoe Gozen (Japan), Queen Amanirenas (Nubia/Kush), and Sayyida al-Hurra (Morocco/North Africa) as the kind of subjects she'd champion — projects centering women like these, or the worlds they inhabited, are a strong pitch.
She has a targeted interest here: narrative non-fiction that excavates the stories of women warriors from underrepresented cultures. She has specifically mentioned a book about Ng Mui (legendary Shaolin martial artist and founder of Wing Chun) as something she'd love to see. Projects in history or investigative journalism that bring this energy could work.
She considers select YA, but adult speculative fiction is clearly her primary focus. A YA project would need to hit every other marker — lyrical prose, non-Western cultural grounding, morally complex characters — to earn a closer look. Treat this as a conditional yes, not an open invitation.
Graphic novels are listed among her acceptable categories but are not a stated enthusiasm. A graphic novel would need to fit tightly within her other taste markers — culturally rich, speculative or historical, centering women of color — to be worth a pitch.
Not the right fit
On Antoinëtte's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Antoinëtte
Confirm her current query status before doing anything else — she was listed as closed to queries as of April 2026, but windows may reopen; her agency page is the only authoritative source.
Lead your query letter with the cultural and mythological specificity of your world. A vague 'inspired by Asian culture' will not land — name the specific tradition, period, or figure your story engages with.
Make the protagonist's identity and interiority central to your pitch. Her taste runs toward characters who are morally complex and emotionally dysfunctional in interesting ways — a flat hero summary will not signal fit.
If your story features martial arts, swordswomen, or warrior women from underrepresented cultures, say so explicitly and early. These are genuine personal enthusiasms, not just professional categories.
Name the narrative register: is your prose lyrical, atmospheric, philosophically weighted? She cares deeply about voice and style, so a query letter written in a flat, functional style undercuts your case even if the premise is strong.
Mention the anticolonial or anti-imperialist dimension of your story if it exists — this is a recurring value in everything from her favorites list to her stated themes.
Avoid pitching her on the speculative elements alone (magic system, world mechanics). Lead with character, theme, and prose sensibility — those are what she has flagged as her actual priorities.
If you are submitting a YA or graphic novel, acknowledge in the query that her primary focus is adult fiction and make the case for why your project fits her taste regardless of category.
Trigger warnings are not required but are appreciated — including them is a professional courtesy she has publicly noted.