Estelle Laure is a Folio Literary Management agent who co-manages a list with colleague Emily van Beek, hunting for emotionally resonant, voice-driven fiction across picture books (author-illustrators only), middle grade, young adult, and an actively expanding new adult slate.
In brief
Estelle Laure shares a list with Emily van Beek — a query to one is a query to both, which means your submission gets two sets of eyes.
New adult is Estelle Laure's most explicitly active growth zone right now; the wishlist language is unusually enthusiastic and specific, signaling genuine acquisitions intent rather than polite openness.
Picture books have a hard gate: author-illustrators only. Standalone picture book text submissions are flatly unwanted, no exceptions stated.
The YA touchstone list skews toward bold voice, emotional intensity, and literary craft — Glasgow, Nelson, Boulley, Taylor — rather than plot-mechanics or issue-led books; lead with feeling and prose before premise.
Comedy is a recurring priority across every age category on the wishlist, making humor a genuine differentiator when pitching Estelle Laure.
Lately
Estelle Laure's current agency profile calls out new adult as an area of active list-building, with a specific appetite for romantasy series, cozy mysteries, and comedy — the enthusiasm in the language stands out compared to the more measured tone used for other categories.
What Estelle is looking for
This is Estelle Laure's most energized acquisition zone. The focus is on coming-of-age stories with series potential, romantasy series with a fresh and distinctive hook, cozy mysteries built for multiple books, high-concept speculative fiction, and juicy family dramas. Comedy, rom-com, and broadly funny books are specifically called out as perennial wants. The theme of 'first attempts at adulthood' is the emotional core Laure wants to explore here.
Estelle Laure wants YA that earns both emotional and literary respect simultaneously — not 'message' books and not hard sci-fi, but work where voice is so strong it's impossible to set down. The ideal manuscript makes Laure cry or laugh out loud. Humor is explicitly coveted. The wishlist cites an extensive range of favorites that point toward literary realism, magical-realist worlds, sharp contemporary voice, and diverse stories told with urgency.
Estelle Laure is 'judiciously' selective here — the qualifier matters. The sweet spot is an exquisitely imagined story with genuine emotional stakes: first crushes, spooky atmosphere, strong voice, or clever humor that is witty rather than broadly silly. Plots must respect the middle grade attention span. Road-trip narratives and forest-quest adventures are explicitly not a fit.
Estelle Laure is only interested in complete author-illustrator packages — not standalone picture book texts. Within that gate, the priorities are award-caliber artwork, character-driven series potential, and projects from diverse creators telling diverse stories. This is a narrow lane but a real one for the right submission.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Estelle
Address your query to both Estelle Laure and Emily van Beek — the profile states explicitly that the two share a list and a query to one is a query to both. Send to the listed address and note this shared arrangement.
Attach or paste the five most relevant pages of your manuscript alongside your query letter — this is a stated requirement, not optional.
For new adult submissions, name the subgenre clearly (romantasy, cozy mystery, speculative, etc.) and establish series potential early in the letter — Laure's wishlist repeatedly emphasizes multi-book potential in this category.
If your book is funny, say so up front and make the query letter itself demonstrate that wit. Comedy is a stated priority across all age groups and a genuine differentiator.
For YA, foreground voice and emotional impact before plot mechanics — the wishlist explicitly prizes the intersection of stellar writing AND plot, but the language about voice ('impossible to put aside,' 'in the marrow of human experience') suggests craft is the first filter.
Picture book creators: only submit if you are the illustrator. Attach sample art or link to a portfolio. Text-only submissions will not be considered.
Avoid positioning your YA as primarily a 'message' or 'issue' book — Laure is candid about not being the right fit for that framing, even if the subject matter is important.
For middle grade, signal early if the story has a comedic or spooky tone and show that the plot moves with urgency — pacing for the MG attention span is explicitly on Laure's mind.