Hannah Bowman is a science fiction, fantasy, and young adult specialist at Liza Dawson Associates whose client roster reads like a who's who of contemporary genre fiction—Pierce Brown, R.F. Kuang, Kameron Hurley—making her one of the most commercially powerful SFF agents working today.
In brief
Bowman is closed to all queries as of January 2025, per her own agency page—this supersedes all older open/closed signals.
Her client list is elite: multiple #1 New York Times bestsellers, Hugo, Nebula, British Book Award, and David Gemmell Award winners. Her commercial track record in adult SFF is exceptional.
Despite a wishlist that mentions YA and nonfiction, her demonstrable strength is in adult science fiction and fantasy—particularly space opera, military SF, and literary-leaning secondary-world fantasy. Writers in those lanes are her core clientele.
She has built long-term partnerships with several clients (Brown, Kuang, Hurley, Staveley all appear as repeat relationships), signaling that she invests deeply in careers rather than single books.
When she does reopen, query by email only with a query letter in the message body—no attachments, no sample pages unless requested.
Lately
Her agency page was updated to state she is closed to all queries as of January 2025, with no announced reopening window. This is the most authoritative and recent signal available.
What Hannah is looking for
Hard SF, military SF, and space opera are her sweet spot—this is where her sales record is deepest and most decorated. She wants rigorous, idea-driven science fiction that doesn't sacrifice character, and her existing client work demonstrates a preference for ambitious, large-scale narratives. New Weird flavoring is welcome. Think wide-canvas worldbuilding with intellectual backbone.
Epic, sword-and-sorcery, historical, and literary-crossover fantasy all interest her. She's drawn to lush, densely imagined worlds with prose that earns the comparison to modern fantasy classics—think the layered, morally complex storytelling visible across her client work. Secondary-world epics with award-level ambition are a clear priority given who she represents.
She welcomes high-concept YA with a genuinely fresh commercial premise, as well as fun, voice-driven YA contemporary with romantic energy. YA is a smaller part of her list compared to adult SFF, so a strong hook and distinctive voice are essential to stand out.
A narrow lane: she's interested in accessible, intellectually lively writing about science or mathematics aimed at a broad curious readership. The bar is high and she takes very few projects here.
Her graduate background in Religious Studies informs genuine interest in this space—particularly books by progressive Christian thinkers bringing fresh, substantive perspectives. She also has select interest in criminal justice policy. Both are narrow and project-dependent; this is not a volume lane.
Medieval settings and historical mysteries in the tradition of Sharon Kay Penman are specifically on her radar. Strong period detail and character-driven plotting matter here. Note that historical fantasy with SFF elements may fit better under her fantasy lane.
Not the right fit
On Hannah's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Hannah
She is CLOSED as of January 2025. Do not query until her agency page confirms she has reopened.
When she does reopen, send a query letter only in the body of your email—no attachments, no sample pages, no synopsis unless she asks.
Her stated email for queries is queryhannah@lizadawsonassociates.com; verify this is still current before submitting.
She responds to all queries; if you haven't received a reply within 60 days of a future open period, a single follow-up resend is appropriate.
Lead with genre, word count, and a sharp one-paragraph hook before summarizing plot—she represents highly commercial, high-concept work and needs to see that hook fast.
If you're writing diverse SFF (authors of color, or work centering disability, sexuality, or other underrepresented experiences), she has explicitly and consistently sought this out—name it plainly in your query.
Her list skews toward large-scale, multi-book SFF careers. If your project is series-oriented, a brief mention of series potential is appropriate—but pitch the first book as a complete, satisfying story.
Avoid querying with horror, romance, thriller, or middle grade—these don't appear anywhere in her stated interests or sales record.