Bonnie Swanson is a FinePrint Literary Management agent with eclectic, genre-bending taste who champions underrepresented voices — particularly BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors — and hunts hardest for adult cross-genre speculative fiction that is weird, queer, and emotionally alive.
In brief
Swanson's stated priorities and public signals align tightly: cross-genre adult speculative fiction — especially sci-fi romance, horror romance, and quirky litRPG with horror elements — is the clearest current priority, named explicitly in their most recent public note.
Queerness normalized as texture (not as plot problem) is a consistent through-line; Swanson is not looking for 'coming out' narratives where identity is the central conflict, but rather stories where queer characters simply exist and drive other kinds of plots.
Their author taste list (Koontz, V.E. Schwab, Ali Hazelwood, Kimberly Lemming, Andy Weir) maps a distinct Venn diagram: commercial accessibility + speculative imagination + romantic pull — writers should position their work at that intersection.
Swanson explicitly does not want middle grade or picture books at this time, and consistently rules out violence against women, children, or animals, erotica, and alpha-male tropes — these are hard stops, not soft preferences.
Status is closed as of early 2025, with Swanson's own early-2026 public note indicating a return 'by end of spring' — verify the live submission form before querying, as the window may now be open or approaching.
Lately
#MSWL Not open right now, but I hope to be by the end of spring. What I really want to see is #ADULT #crossgenre stories. #Scifi romance, horror romance, humorous #litRPG w/a horror element. Weird, quirky, spicy is okay, just no abuse, rape, or animal death. fineprintlit.com/bonnie-swans...
Swanson noted they are not currently open to queries but anticipate reopening by the end of spring. Their top priority upon reopening is adult cross-genre fiction — particularly sci-fi romance, horror romance, and humorous litRPG with a horror dimension. Spicy and quirky are welcome; hard limits remain around abuse, rape, and animal death.
What Bonnie is looking for
Swanson's most recent public signal makes this the clearest active priority. They want stories that refuse to sit in a single genre box — sci-fi romance, horror romance, and litRPG with genuine horror energy are all named. 'Weird, quirky, and spicy' is welcome; abuse, rape, and animal death are not. Think commercial readability fused with speculative imagination.
Swanson describes this as a genuine craving: a genre-blending psychological horror mystery with speculative settings (secondary-world fantasy, outer space, etc.), queer and/or gender-subverted leads, and the creeping dread of a classic thriller. Normalized queerness is key — the character's identity should be incidental to plot, not its engine. Character-driven over plot-driven.
Swanson calls themselves a 'sucker' for romantasy and specifies a happily-ever-after is required. BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ leads are especially welcome. Cozy fantasy, dark fantasy, and non-Western world-building all fit; the romantic arc must resolve.
Inclusive, diverse, and own-voices SFF across a wide range of registers: space opera, hard sci-fi, soft fantasy, urban fantasy, magical realism, Latinx sci-fi, BIPOC fantasy, and science fantasy. Accessible literary prose is prized over dense world-building for its own sake. Non-traditional protagonists — anthropomorphic, alien, non-Western — are a draw, not a risk.
Swanson welcomes YA with speculative elements, particularly stories about underdogs confronting timeless social issues. Queerness normalized as part of the character's world (not the sole conflict) is valued. Emotionally resonant and accessible over purely literary.
Swanson gravitates toward character-driven horror with feminist or queer perspectives — hauntings, supernatural, occult, and horror-comedy all register. The hard constraint is no violence against women, children, or animals, which meaningfully narrows the field; horror must generate dread through psychology and stakes, not victimization.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Bonnie
Verify the live submission form before preparing materials — Swanson was closed as of early 2025 and signaled a spring 2026 reopening, so the status may have shifted. Do not send unsolicited email queries.
Lead your pitch with the cross-genre identity of your book. Swanson's most recent priority is adult fiction that blends speculative and genre-romance or horror — name the blend explicitly in your opening line.
If your protagonist is queer or from an underrepresented background, flag that early, but frame the pitch around the story's core conflict rather than identity. Swanson wants queerness normalized, not spotlighted as the main event.
A guaranteed HEA is non-negotiable for romantasy submissions — state it. For horror, demonstrate that dread comes from psychology and stakes, not from victimization of women, children, or animals.
Draw your comp titles from authors Swanson has publicly cited as favorites (V.E. Schwab, Ali Hazelwood, Kimberly Lemming, Andy Weir) where honest — this signals cultural fit without being sycophantic.
Weird, quirky, and spicy are explicitly welcomed in cross-genre work. Do not sand down the strange edges of your book to seem more commercial; Swanson is on record wanting the odd stuff.