Caitlin Mahony is a WME agent with a decade-long track record in commercial and genre fiction, hunting for unputdownable stories — sweeping romances, transporting fantasy and sci-fi, and pulse-pounding thrillers — that offer readers total immersion in a world they can't leave.
In brief
Caitlin Mahony has been at WME since 2016, giving them a strong institutional footing at one of the largest talent agencies in the world — a real advantage for authors seeking wide commercial reach.
Their stated wishlist spans a notably broad band of fiction: romance (historical and contemporary), fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, women's fiction, YA, and New Adult — the through-line is emotional intensity and commercial hook, not a single genre.
The wishlist explicitly includes LGBTQ+ fiction, New Adult, and YA alongside adult commercial categories, making Mahony a rare WME contact for writers in those overlapping spaces.
Query status was recorded as unknown as of April 2026 — writers should verify directly before submitting, as WME agents' availability can shift without public announcement.
Mahony queries by email with a query letter, bio, and first chapter — a relatively traditional submission package that rewards careful craft at the opening pages.
Lately
Mahony's wishlist frames their core mandate as total reader immersion — whether in a grounded contemporary world or a fully invented one — with unputdownability as the baseline standard for every category they consider.
What Caitlin is looking for
Mahony explicitly calls out hard-won, epic love stories in both historical and contemporary settings. The emphasis on 'hard-won' signals a preference for meaningful emotional stakes and genuine conflict over frothy or low-tension romance — think sweeping arcs where the relationship earns its resolution.
Mahony wants transporting fantasy that uses an imagined world to illuminate real human questions — not escapism for its own sake, but world-building with thematic weight. The framing of 'helps parse earthly questions' suggests literary ambition within genre packaging.
Sci-fi sits alongside fantasy in Mahony's wishlist with the same framing: immersive, idea-driven, and emotionally resonant. Stories that use speculative premises to explore contemporary anxieties or universal human experiences are the clearest fit.
Mahony specifically mentions 'pulse-pounding' thrillers — pacing and tension are the operative words here. Commercial, compulsively readable suspense with a strong narrative engine is the target.
Beach reads and broadly commercial women's fiction fall within Mahony's scope. 'Delightful beach read' is a direct phrase from their wishlist — fun, voice-driven, emotionally satisfying stories with wide audience appeal.
YA and New Adult are listed categories, suggesting Mahony is open to stories that center younger protagonists or the 18–25 transitional experience, particularly when they carry the same genre energy (romance, fantasy, thriller) found elsewhere on the list.
LGBTQ+ fiction is an explicitly named category. Given the breadth of genres Mahony seeks, this is likely most at home when it intersects with romance, fantasy, YA, or commercial fiction rather than as a standalone literary niche.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Caitlin
Send your query to cma@wmeagency.com — this is Mahony's direct submission address, so use it precisely.
Your submission package should include: (1) a query letter with a bio, and (2) the first chapter of your manuscript. Do not send the full manuscript or a synopsis unless requested.
Because Mahony explicitly calls out 'hard-won' and 'pulse-pounding' as quality markers, your query letter should lead with what makes the stakes and emotional tension exceptional — not just the plot summary.
If your work has been previously self-published, include a link to your author website or the platform where it lives. Mahony specifically requests this context for self-published submissions.
The emphasis on immersion and unputdownability means your first chapter is doing heavy lifting — prioritize a strong opening hook and a clear sense of voice before submitting.
Mahony's wishlist spans multiple genres, so be explicit in your query about what genre your book is and, if it blends genres (e.g., romantic fantasy, LGBTQ+ thriller), name that clearly rather than leaving it for Mahony to categorize.
Verify current query status directly with WME before submitting — the status was unverified as of April 2026 and may have changed.