Emily S. Keyes is the founder of her own boutique agency and a children's-literature specialist with a strong commercial instinct, who also hunts selectively for genre adult fiction — prioritizing diverse voices, humor, and books that make readers want to rush to a store.
In brief
Keyes Agency is a one-person shop, which means Emily is both your agent and your long-term collaborator — she explicitly describes her ideal client as a career-long coworker, not a single-book transaction.
Her background as a Contracts Administrator at Simon & Schuster for five years gives her unusual contract fluency for an independent agent — a practical advantage for her clients at the negotiating table.
Children's literature — spanning picture books, middle grade, and YA — is the clear center of gravity in her representation history; adult genre fiction is a genuine but secondary interest.
She opens to queries on a rolling, limited basis (typically the first Monday of each month until her quota fills) and closes during summer and winter breaks — timing your submission is as important as polishing it.
Her submission form was directly observed as CLOSED on 2026-05-11; writers should verify live status before querying, as the window can open and close within a single day.
Lately
Emily has publicly described her submission window as intentionally narrow: she opens once a month, typically the first Monday, and closes once she reaches her quota for that cycle. She also closes entirely during summer and winter breaks, and has acknowledged this system is more complicated than she'd like — driven by query volume a solo agent simply cannot fully address.
What Emily is looking for
Escapist storytelling that sweeps the reader into another world or a vividly drawn contemporary life. She is especially hungry for non-western fantasy settings — deserts, jungles, and other landscapes underrepresented on the YA shelf — and acknowledges being selective about fantasy craft. Contemporary YA exploring complicated family dynamics (siblings, parents) and featuring characters with mental illness or neurodivergent experiences is a strong pull. She also wants smart, genuinely funny YA voices to balance her current list of heavier stories.
Commercial, humorous MG with strong character voices. She gravitates toward funny, action-driven stories and is open across subgenres — adventure, fantasy, contemporary — with a consistent preference for diverse and own-voices perspectives.
Both fiction and nonfiction picture books, but specifically from author-illustrators. Writers seeking picture-book-only representation (without illustrating) should note this gate before querying.
Action-packed graphic novels at the MG and YA levels, with enthusiasm for author-illustrators working in this format. Diversity and own-voices storytelling are consistent priorities here.
She is selective but genuine about adult projects — provided the work is commercial and entertaining rather than 'serious' or literary in a pretentious sense. Her sweet spots include adult romantasy, adult SFF (particularly BIPOC, AAPI, Afrofuturist, and anti-capitalist angles), adult horror (feminist, character-driven, body horror), adult rom-coms, and commercial women's fiction. Upmarket speculative and crossover titles with strong genre hooks are also welcome.
Narrative nonfiction at the MG and YA levels, both contemporary and historical. YA nonfiction with strong activist or pop-culture angles is of particular interest, as is children's nonfiction from author-illustrators.
Geek culture, comedy, and pop-culture-driven nonfiction for adults. The bar is high — the voice and hook must be distinctive — but this is a genuine area of interest consistent with her broader love of humorous projects.
Not the right fit
On Emily's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Emily
Time your query to coincide with her monthly open window — typically the first Monday of the month — because she closes as soon as her quota fills. Missing the window by even a day likely means waiting another month.
Avoid querying during summer or winter break periods, when she closes entirely regardless of quota.
She is a solo agent who prizes long-term partnerships; frame your query letter to show you are thinking about a career arc, not just a single book.
If you are querying adult genre fiction, make the commercial and entertainment value of the project unmistakable from the first line — she has explicitly ruled out work that reads as pretentious or exclusively literary.
For non-western fantasy (especially desert or jungle settings), lead with the setting and world — she has stated this is an active gap on her list she has not yet filled, making a strong pitch for this type of project particularly timely.
Picture book writers who do not also illustrate should not query; this gate is explicit on her current materials.
Highlight diverse, own-voices, or underrepresented perspectives prominently — this is a consistent and evidenced priority across every category she represents, not a box-checking preference.
Confirm the form is currently open immediately before submitting — the window can open and close within a single day, and the form was observed as closed on 2026-05-11.