Fabienne Schwizer is a Ki Agency agent with a medieval-historian's depth and a horror-obsessive's edge, building a debut list around speculative fiction with atmosphere, queer and disabled voices, and serious non-fiction that opens unexpected intellectual doors.
In brief
Fabienne joined Ki Agency in late 2024 and spent 2025 actively building their list from scratch — they are a genuinely emerging agent, meaning debut and early-career authors have a real shot at a responsive, invested partnership.
The wishlist is strikingly specific: all fiction must carry speculative elements — no straight contemporary, no straight literary fiction, no exceptions stated. Non-fiction must be serious trade history, archaeology, or sociology; no memoir, no humour-led projects.
Her reading list skews heavily queer, genre-bending, and atmospheric — Tamsyn Muir, Casey McQuiston, Anna-Marie McLemore, Nicola Griffith — signalling that she wants work that is commercially legible but carries weight and identity.
She explicitly flags openness to writers working in English as a second language, a rare and meaningful signal for multilingual authors.
Her pre-agenting background spans scouting, editorial, audio, and reviewing for a genre magazine, plus a near-complete medieval history PhD — pitches with deep research, unconventional structure, or audio-friendly prose are likely to resonate.
Lately
Fabienne announced she would be closing submissions temporarily and plans to reopen her query inbox in summer 2026, citing the need to work through her existing pipeline after actively building her list throughout 2025.
What Fabienne is looking for
This is her clearest priority. She wants horror that is formally adventurous and deeply unsettling — work that uses structure and voice as tools of dread, not just plot. Separately, she has a specific appetite for claustrophobic horror rooted in extreme environments: caves, the deep ocean, or space. Think works that weaponise isolation and the unknown. Her recent reads (The Woods All Black, The Lamb, The Works of Vermin) confirm the taste is literary, queer-inflected, and willing to be strange.
She is actively seeking romance and romantic comedy with a speculative layer — magic, alternate worlds, fantastical premises. Her named reference points are Ashley Poston and Casey McQuiston, signalling she wants warmth, wit, and emotional accessibility alongside the genre element. She notes she is probably not the right fit for very explicit or 'spicy' content, so heat levels matter here.
She wants YA on the older end of the spectrum, with fantasy at its core and a strong lyrical quality to the prose. Queer and/or disability representation is specifically named as something she would love to see, not just welcome. Her taste in this area runs from epic to intimate.
Beyond horror and romance, she is open to the full speculative range in adult fiction — fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, folklore-infused work, gothic, and more — provided the book has a strong voice and atmosphere. She reads both commercial and literary ends of the spectrum. Her wishlist touchstones include adventure-forward fantasy and djinn-lit, suggesting she is not allergic to fun and propulsion.
She describes this as an area she actively wants more of. The sweet spot is expert-authored, accessibly written books that situate themselves at the intersection of history, archaeology, and cultural or social analysis — books that take readers down unexpected intellectual rabbit holes. The author must have genuine credentials, and the writing must reach a broad trade audience, not an academic one. No memoir. No humour-led projects.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Fabienne
Check the live form before doing anything else — submissions were closed as of April 2026, with a stated intention to reopen in summer 2026. Querying a closed form wastes everyone's time.
Every fiction submission must have a speculative element. If your book is contemporary literary fiction or straight romance with no fantastical layer, she is not the right agent regardless of how strong the writing is.
Lead with atmosphere and voice in your query letter — she names these as her two most important criteria. Open with a paragraph that demonstrates both, rather than leading with plot summary.
If your work is in English but is not your first language, say so clearly — she has explicitly flagged this as something she wants to know and welcomes.
For non-fiction, establish your credentials early. She wants expert authors writing for a broad audience; make clear who you are and why you are the person to write this book before you describe the project.
Song comps are genuinely welcomed — she describes herself as very into music and responds well to mood-based comparisons. Referencing the atmosphere of a specific artist or track is a legitimate and encouraged pitch tactic.
Her fiction reading list is heavily queer and often structurally experimental. If your book features queer, disabled, or neurodivergent protagonists, or plays with narrative form, mention it prominently — these are features, not caveats.
Avoid pitching high-heat romance. She is transparent that she is probably not the right fit for very explicit content — a mismatch here will likely result in a pass regardless of other strengths.
Her background is in medieval history and genre-magazine reviewing. Pitches that show genuine research depth, or that situate the work within genre conversations, are more likely to land than broad, vague comparisons.
She mentioned an affection for The Princess Bride and Mike Flanagan's horror work — both signal a taste for stories with emotional heart underneath genre spectacle. Pure grimdark nihilism is probably not her sweet spot.