Claire Harris is a Helm Literary agent hunting for adult fiction and nonfiction with sharp voices, underrepresented perspectives, and stories rooted in place — especially horror, psychological thrillers, mysteries, and rom-coms, alongside cultural criticism and true crime.
In brief
Her wishlist is broad, but the depth and specificity of her horror sub-genre tags — AAPI horror, feminist horror, Gothic, paranormal, occult, literary horror, horror comedy — signals that horror is likely her deepest passion, even though she lists it alongside several other categories.
She draws a clear line at subgenre: she wants standalone psychological thrillers and mysteries, NOT political, military, legal, or medical thrillers — a meaningful gate that weeds out a large swath of the commercial thriller market.
She has an explicit affinity for Midwest and Southern settings, a regional specificity rare enough among agents that writers with stories rooted in those places should flag it prominently in their query letter.
She is firmly adult-only: no YA, middle grade, children's books, or memoirs — and notably no historical fiction, romantasy, or speculative fantasy, keeping her list squarely in contemporary and realistic registers.
Her query inbox is currently closed as of June 2026; writers should verify the live submission form before querying, as this status can change without notice.
Lately
Posted a detailed breakdown of exactly what she wants in thriller submissions — covering her favorite tropes, narrative touchstones across books, film, and TV, and the cross-genre qualities she looks for in every project she considers. She framed it as an active call for new thriller authors.
I think it's really helpful to stick to the standard query formula. We get so many submissions and it helps to have some continuity — it's easier to digest them in bulk when they're all following a certain format. It's a risky move to try something totally out there, and for me it doesn't really pay off. Sometimes I'll get a query so out of the norm that I'm just taken aback for a second, and then I have to read it a couple of times to process what's going on — it slows me down.
My number-one query no-no is an overly voicey query letter. It feels inauthentic — almost hokey. A query really is a sales document, and if it's not clear, compelling, and concise, it makes my job a lot harder because I can't even figure out what they're pitching me. The whole point is to make me think, 'That's intriguing enough — I want to read more.'
Number one for me is comp titles. A good comp makes me perk up and take notice. I love 'X meets Y.' My advice: pick books with solid sales, or popular TV shows or movies — something that has traction in pop culture right now. If you pick something super obscure, that's not a great sign. You want that sweet spot of really solid sales, hitting bestseller lists — things like that. When I read a comp and think, 'I was just looking for something like Y and I love X,' that's perfect.
Right now I don't represent young adult, children's, or middle grade — but I do get submissions for those sometimes. Research the agents you're sending to, because otherwise you're just sending into the void. It's such an important relationship; you want to make a real connection and be able to say, 'My comp titles are two books this agent represented.'
I'll stop reading if something is offensive or makes me uncomfortable — for example, anything that feels racist or a graphic sexual assault scene; that's just not for me. I'll also stop if I'm not engaged by the characters, if I don't like the writing, or if it's so confusing I can't tell what's happening — that often means someone is trying to do too much too quickly. For thrillers specifically, if it's way too predictable I'll put it down. And if it's a genre I don't represent, I'll stop.
Get your query letter into the best shape you can, then give it to someone who has never heard you talk about your book — say nothing to them beforehand — and ask them: 'Would you want to read more of this?' That is literally the situation you're putting yourself in when you query. An agent has probably never heard of your book before; they're just going to get this letter cold. It's a great way to test whether it's catchy, whether it gives away too much, and whether it makes people want to read on.
What Claire is looking for
This is where her taste runs deepest. She embraces the full spectrum — Gothic, literary, paranormal, occult, psychological, horror-comedy, and mythic horror are all in play. She has a particular enthusiasm for AAPI and feminist horror, character-driven scares, and stories that bring fresh cultural lenses to the genre. Strong, distinct voices matter more than pure shock value.
She wants standalones, not series, and she's specifically seeking psychological and domestic suspense — NOT political, military, legal, or medical thrillers. She's drawn to high-concept premises, multicultural casts, and stories with sharp female leads. Her February 2025 update confirmed thrillers are a major acquisition priority for the year.
She's open across the mystery spectrum, from amateur-sleuth and cozy mysteries to darker domestic suspense. Diverse protagonists and BIPOC-led mysteries are especially welcome. Multiple POVs and social-justice undercurrents are recurring sub-genre signals in her stated taste.
She describes these as 'smart beach reads' and gravitates toward LGBTQ+ rom-coms, multicultural romance, and same-sex romance. She wants wit and voice — the sharp, funny register matters as much as the love story. Trope-subversion and strong female leads are a recurring requirement here as across her whole list.
She wants nonfiction that reframes a familiar topic or surfaces a genuinely untold angle. Feminist and intersectional perspectives, LGBTQ+ voices, and pop-culture analysis are all well within her wheelhouse. Narrative nonfiction with a journalistic spine also appeals. Voice — regardless of whether the tone is academic or breezy — is the deciding factor.
She's drawn to investigative and narrative true crime, particularly work that centers underrepresented victims or brings a fresh social lens. The same 'untold perspective' standard she applies to all her nonfiction holds here.
She lists lifestyle guides, gift books, and illustrated/crafts nonfiction — including occult and tarot/astrology titles — as categories she's open to. These appear less central to her identity than her fiction or cultural-criticism work, but they are genuinely on her radar, especially where they intersect with her broader interest in witchcraft and the occult.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Claire
Her submission inbox is CLOSED as of June 2026 — check the live form on the Helm Literary website before sending anything; submitting to a closed inbox wastes your query.
Send to the Helm Literary submissions email address and follow the instructions posted on the agency's website precisely — she has specified that writers should consult those guidelines.
If your story is set in the Midwest or the South, say so explicitly in your query letter — she has named these regions as a personal soft spot, and geography can be a tiebreaker.
Thrillers must be standalone, not series openers, and must be psychological or domestic in orientation — make that clear up front so she doesn't have to ask.
Her horror appetite is wide and deep; don't just say 'horror' — name your sub-genre (Gothic, paranormal, feminist horror, horror-comedy, etc.) and she'll immediately know whether it fits her list.
She responds strongly to diverse casts, own-voices perspectives, and trope-subversion — if your project has those qualities, highlight them in the first paragraph, not buried in the synopsis.
She is adult-only, full stop. Do not query YA, MG, children's, or memoir, even if the manuscript has crossover elements.
For nonfiction, lead with the fresh angle or untold perspective — that's her stated threshold for every nonfiction category she considers.
She is active on social media under @claire_m_harris and posts regularly about current taste in books, film, and TV; reviewing recent posts before you query can surface real-time preferences that may not appear in any static wishlist.