Helen Lane is a Ki Agency agent and developmental editor with a science background who gravitates toward the strange and uncategorizable — genre hybrids, monster-laden horror, paranormal romance, and epic fantasy with serious world-building are her sweet spots.
In brief
Her wishlist is explicitly tilted toward the weird and genre-defiant — if a book resists easy categorization, she considers that a selling point, not a problem.
She is a developmental editor as well as an agent, which suggests clients may receive unusually hands-on manuscript feedback before submission.
Her academic background in Environmental Science and Acoustics is an unusual differentiator — writers pitching speculative fiction with ecological, scientific, or sound-based conceits may find a naturally receptive reader.
She is open through an online form only; unsolicited emails about queries are deleted, making correct channel discipline non-negotiable.
Her current submission window opened 1 April 2026; she has signalled she may close without long notice depending on volume, so querying promptly is advisable.
Lately
MSWL the vibes of Widow’s Bay.
MSWL Until Dawn (film) is one of my new favourite horror films. If you have something with that vibe I would love to see it.
MSWL deep sea horror with mermaids. In the vein of Into The Drowning Deep.
MSWL would love to see some more books from older protagonists. Especially in horror. Reading The Autumm Springs Retirement Home Massacre and it is awesome.
I will be closing to queries at the end of June. If you’d like to query me by then it’s via QM only unless it’s a referral or personal request. All other emails are deleted. Please also check what genres I represent or am open to. A lot are being rejected because I don’t rep what I’m being sent.
She posted in May 2026 acknowledging she has been slow on queries because full manuscript reads have been consuming her time, but reaffirmed her genuine desire to get to submitted work.
What Helen is looking for
This is her perennial obsession and the category she calls out first. She wants a strong returning cast — characters compelling enough to carry a multi-book series — ideally with a crime, detective, or helping-people element threaded through the supernatural. Series with investigative or community-rooted storylines are the bullseye.
She is open to all horror as long as abuse is not the central focus. She is especially eager for a horror-romance blend. Sci-fi horror — particularly parasite narratives and space-monster scenarios — should be submitted under the horror category rather than sci-fi. Monsters in any form are a strong draw.
She is open across the fantasy spectrum with one firm gate: romantasy is not wanted at this time. She loves romance as a thread but insists the fantastical premise and world-building must be the backbone, not the love story. Strong, original world-building is non-negotiable.
She is actively hunting explicit, high-heat romance — specifically in the monster romance lane and ensemble-cast erotic romance. Outside of these forms, general romance is a harder sell and she will only request if something truly stands out.
She is looking for serialized, propulsive action-adventure — especially ensemble or team-based series with globe-spanning scope. Standalone thrillers are less exciting to her here; she wants something readers will keep coming back to volume after volume.
Thrillers are open, but psychological thrillers and pure crime thrillers are less likely to earn a request. She is more drawn to action-forward, plot-driven thriller energy than to the introspective or procedural end of the spectrum.
Not the right fit
On Helen's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Helen
Use the online submission form exclusively — queries sent to her email address are deleted unread, no exceptions.
Submit 10 pages of your manuscript plus a query letter; a synopsis is optional but include it if you already have one.
Personalisation of the query letter is not required — she has explicitly made this optional to lower the barrier to submission.
If your book resists easy genre classification, lean into that in your letter; she actively describes her list as full of work that is hard to categorize and treats hybridity as a feature.
Sci-fi horror should be submitted under the horror category on the form, not sci-fi, since she is not currently open to sci-fi.
If you have a monster, a tentacle, a parasite, or a toothy deep-sea creature, say so early — she has singled these out as particular draws.
For paranormal romance and urban fantasy, foreground your series potential and the returning cast; she is explicitly looking for characters to live with across multiple books.
Avoid centering your pitch on affairs or abuse even as backstory — these are personal dislikes that will likely affect her enthusiasm regardless of craft.
She is currently reading slowly due to full manuscript volume (as of May 2026), so expect a longer-than-usual response window and do not follow up prematurely.
Check the live form status immediately before querying — her window is explicitly volume-dependent and may close with as little as one week's notice.