Kat Foxx is an editorial-minded assistant agent at The Rights Factory who zeroes in on adult commercial and upmarket fiction—especially thrillers, gothic horror, historical fiction, and historical fantasy—alongside select memoirs and narrative nonfiction, bringing a hands-on editing background to every project she takes on.
In brief
Her agency page positions her as actively building a list across commercial, upmarket, and select literary fiction, with thriller/mystery/suspense and gothic-supernatural horror as her clearest priorities.
Her roster is still early-stage and growing—with clients like Angie Paxton, Nicole Hackett, and over a dozen others—making her a genuine opportunity for debut and early-career writers who want deep editorial partnership.
She runs a parallel freelance fiction editing practice, signaling that her engagement with manuscripts goes well beyond a typical agent read; writers who want collaborative developmental feedback alongside representation should take note.
Her personal interests—genealogy, cottage country Ontario, international travel, midwifery themes—surface repeatedly in her wishlist and are unusually specific hooks writers can genuinely lean into.
Submission form was confirmed closed as of early February 2026; she has stated she opens and closes intermittently, so writers should verify the live form status before querying.
Lately
In a post from January 2025, Foxx noted she was still closed to queries at that time but pointed writers toward a public resource listing her submission number for when she reopens.
What Kathleen is looking for
Her most prominent stated priority. She gravitates toward high-tension, locked-room premises and stories set in isolated or exotic locations. Particular draws include covered-up family crimes, twisty jaw-dropping reveals, past-lives or ancestry threads, and sarcastic narrative voice. International settings get extra credit. Adult is the primary target; very select YA considered.
Explicitly seeking gothic horror, ghost stories, haunted houses, and supernatural elements such as time travel, reincarnation, and past lives. She draws a clear line: she wants the atmospheric and character-driven end of horror, not creature-feature or monster-driven narratives. Witches are welcome; werewolves and vampires are not.
Strong interest in historical fiction set roughly in the 1700s through early 1900s (pre-WWI era). Old-world European settings particularly resonate with her sensibility. Midwifery themes and related historical social dynamics are flagged as a personal hook that will immediately capture her attention.
Wants speculative work grounded in historical settings or in a recognizable version of our world with one or two fantastical departures—think witches, ghosts, time travel, reincarnation, and past-lives. She explicitly does not want epic, secondary-world fantasy with kings, queens, knights, wizards, or large-scale world-building.
Open to fairytale retellings when they bring a genuinely fresh angle. The twist must feel distinctive and not derivative—generic retellings without a strong new lens are unlikely to stand out for her.
Seeks narrative-driven memoirs that read with novelistic tension, voice, and arc. The subject should center on a single transformative life event—ideally connected to a universally relatable external force—not a sweeping life story (that would be autobiography, which she does not want). Structure expectations: protagonist norm, inciting incident, antagonistic force, clear goals, internal/external stakes, minimal backstory. Writers who treat memoir like a novel in craft terms will resonate most.
Open to narrative nonfiction in specific subject areas detailed on her own website. Writers should review those specifics directly before querying, as the scope is deliberately narrow.
Her agency page notes she considers very select YA, but her wishlist and emphasis are squarely adult. YA queries should have an exceptionally strong hook and fit her core genre interests to warrant consideration.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Kathleen
Check the live submission form status before doing anything — it was confirmed closed in early February 2026 and she reopens without a fixed schedule.
Do not email your query under any circumstances; unsolicited emailed submissions are deleted unread. The same applies to DMs and website contact forms.
If you were personally referred by someone who provided her email, include that in the subject line — this is the only email exception she names.
Lead with what makes your premise distinctive: isolated or exotic setting, family secret, sarcastic voice, or a midwifery/ancestry hook will move your query up her attention stack immediately.
Comp confidently to titles she has named (Behind Her Eyes, The Hunted, Outlander, Every Summer After, The Time Traveler's Wife) only if the comparison is genuinely apt — forced comps will hurt more than help.
For memoir submissions, frame your pitch with novelistic structure: open with the transformative central event and its stakes, not your biography. Demonstrate that the story has a clear arc and compelling voice before anything else.
Mentioning BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, or disability representation in your query is worthwhile if it genuinely applies — her agency page explicitly flags these as areas she is actively seeking.
Her own detailed submission guidelines live at kathleenfoxxagent.com — review them before submitting, especially for nonfiction, where she specifies topics on that page rather than in public wishlists.