Hailey Stephens is an associate literary agent at Rosecliff Literary with a wide-ranging appetite for diverse, culturally specific voices across commercial and literary fiction, middle grade, and nonfiction — with a particular passion for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ narratives, horror with a literary edge, and food/culture-driven nonfiction.
In brief
Stephens casts an unusually wide net: their wishlist spans adult commercial fiction, literary horror, rom-coms, middle grade, and nonfiction in the same breath — but the consistent through-line is centering marginalized voices, particularly BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQ+, and diaspora perspectives.
Horror is a genuine priority, not a footnote — they specifically call out AAPI horror, feminist horror, occult horror, mythic horror, and literary horror as distinct interests, suggesting a nuanced taste within the genre rather than a general openness.
Their nonfiction appetite is specific: food and drink writing, cultural criticism, pop culture essays, and witchcraft/occult nonfiction appear repeatedly, signaling an interest in culture-driven and community-focused nonfiction rather than straight memoir or self-help.
Middle grade is a real strand — they want funny, commercial, contemporary, and speculative MG, especially with diverse protagonists — but this should not be the only reason to query, given the breadth of their adult list.
Query status was confirmed CLOSED as of April 12, 2026; writers should verify the live submission form before sending anything.
Lately
Stephens's wishlist places heavy and repeated emphasis on AAPI, BIPOC, and diaspora voices across nearly every genre category — this is not a single niche interest but a through-line that shapes their entire list.
What Hailey is looking for
Stephens is drawn to fiction that sits at the intersection of literary and commercial — upmarket work with crossover appeal, strong character voices, and a clear cultural perspective. Diaspora narratives, immigrant experiences, and stories rooted in East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, West African, and Latine communities are especially welcome. They favor first-person, character-driven storytelling with layered relationships, and they have a noted soft spot for books-about-books and epistolary structures.
This is one of Stephens's most specific and enthusiastic categories. They want horror that carries literary weight — mythic, occult, paranormal, and psychological horror all interest them, with particular enthusiasm for AAPI horror, feminist horror, Latinx horror, and BIPOC horror. Character-driven hauntings, creature narratives, and horror-comedy are all on the table. The key is that the horror should have cultural specificity or thematic depth rather than being purely plot-driven.
Stephens actively seeks rom-coms and romantic comedy with a strong cultural component — multicultural romance, LGBTQ+ rom-coms, and layered comedies of manners that go beyond the formula. Contemporary romance with diverse protagonists and 'bad at feelings' emotional dynamics are a stated draw. They describe their ideal as a smart beach read that also has something to say.
Stephens welcomes domestic thrillers, psychological suspense, and mysteries — particularly when they feature BIPOC protagonists or multicultural casts. Amateur sleuth mysteries, cozy mysteries, and whodunits with diverse voices are explicitly listed. Speculative thriller and romantic thriller round out the edges of this category. The emphasis on BIPOC and multicultural framing suggests Stephens is less interested in standard-issue procedurals.
Commercial and upmarket women's fiction with cultural depth, dark female friendships, complicated mother-daughter dynamics, and found-family structures are all in scope. Stephens leans toward stories with social or issue-driven undertones rather than purely domestic narratives, and slice-of-life work with genuine emotional stakes.
Stephens seeks commercial and funny MG — contemporary, speculative, and mystery-driven — with diverse protagonists and underrepresented voices. They are open to author-illustrators in this space. The tone they respond to is humorous but grounded, with real emotional stakes beneath the comedy.
Stephens's nonfiction appetite centers on cultural criticism, food and drink writing, pop culture essays, feminist and intersectional perspectives, and occult/witchcraft nonfiction. Memoir with a strong cultural or activist angle, humor writing, and journalism also interest them. They appear more drawn to essay collections and narrative nonfiction than to straight how-to or self-help, though self-help with a clear cultural lens is listed. Crafts/DIY and cookbooks round out the category.
Stephens is interested in upmarket speculative fiction and speculative literary work — stories where the speculative element serves the cultural or character-driven core rather than driving a plot-first narrative. Eco-fiction, folklore-based fantasy, mythology, and paranormal elements used with literary intention all fit. This is distinct from epic or high fantasy, which does not appear on their list.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Hailey
Confirm the form is open before doing anything else — it was confirmed closed on April 12, 2026, but Stephens's status can change, so check the live form directly.
Lead with cultural specificity: if your work is rooted in a particular diaspora, community, or cultural tradition, name that up front. Stephens's wishlist makes clear that 'diverse' as a vague label is less compelling than a precise cultural grounding.
If querying horror, name your subgenre precisely — mythic horror, feminist horror, occult horror, AAPI horror — because Stephens has demonstrated genuine granularity in this space and will respond to a writer who shares it.
For rom-coms and romantic comedy, signal the cultural component early. Stephens isn't just looking for a will-they-won't-they; they want the comedic and relational story to carry cultural weight.
For nonfiction, clarify whether you're writing narrative nonfiction, an essay collection, or a how-to — Stephens's enthusiasm appears stronger for the former two, so naming your form helps.
Middle grade queries should foreground tone (funny, grounded, emotionally real) and the protagonist's identity — Stephens's MG interest is specifically tied to diverse and underrepresented voices.
If your work is cross-genre — speculative literary, horror-comedy, romantic thriller — name the blend explicitly rather than picking just one shelf. Stephens's long subgenre list suggests they enjoy and seek out hybrids.