Cat Ross is an independent literary agent who actively hunts for YA horror and mysteries, signaling a clear appetite for darker, younger-adult storytelling.
In brief
Cat Ross operates as an independent agent — no large agency infrastructure behind them, which can mean a more direct author-agent relationship but also less public deal history to analyze.
The most concrete and recent signal about Cat Ross's priorities is an enthusiastic, specific call for YA horror and YA mysteries, suggesting these are genuine top-of-wishlist categories right now.
With very limited public deal records available, it is difficult to map Cat Ross's full range of taste or publisher relationships — writers should treat the wishlist as the primary guide and confirm submission status directly.
The 'independent' designation means querying logistics (form, email, response times) may shift more frequently than at larger agencies — always verify the live submission portal before sending.
Because the query status is unverified as of early 2025, do not assume the inbox is open; check Cat Ross's current wishlist page or submission form for the latest state.
Lately
Cat Ross posted a public call in February 2025 expressing strong enthusiasm for receiving more YA horror and YA mystery submissions, directing writers to their wishlist for details.
What Cat is looking for
Cat Ross explicitly called out YA horror as something they would 'love' to see more of — this is a stated top priority as of early 2025. Writers working in scary, dark, or supernatural YA narratives should put this agent near the top of their list.
YA mysteries were named alongside horror as a specific, enthusiastic request. Whodunits, thrillers, and puzzle-driven YA narratives all likely fall within scope here.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Cat
Lead with genre and subgenre up front — Cat Ross's public signals are genre-specific, so make it immediately clear you're pitching YA horror or YA mystery.
Demonstrate command of the category: name comparable titles and explain precisely where your book sits within the genre, not just adjacent to it.
Because Cat Ross is independent, submission logistics can change quickly — always pull up the live wishlist or submission form the day you plan to query, not days before.
The February 2025 call-out was enthusiastic in tone; match that energy with a confident, specific pitch rather than a hedged or overly formal one.
If your book blends both YA horror and mystery, lean into that — the fact that Cat Ross called both out together may signal openness to hybrids of the two.