Lindsay Auld is a Writers House agent whose deal record skews toward children's and YA fiction—particularly emotional, diverse-voice stories—while their stated wishlist signals a growing appetite for adult literary and upmarket commercial fiction.
In brief
Currently closed to new queries as of April 22, 2026; Auld notes they plan to reopen 'in the near future,' so check the submission page before querying.
The confirmed client roster is compact but telling: picture book author-illustrators (Linzie Hunter, Al Rodin, Jasmyn Wright) and a critically decorated YA novelist (Cory Anderson, a William C. Morris Award finalist) — signaling genuine strength in children's illustration-led books and emotionally intense YA.
Auld's wishlist has expanded well beyond the children's shelf: a sweeping adult comp list spanning literary fiction, upmarket thrillers, and multigenerational sagas suggests a deliberate push into adult fiction — a category where the sales record is thinner, meaning debut adult authors have a real opportunity if they fit the taste profile.
Picture books carry a firm gate: Auld seeks author-illustrators and illustrators only — not standalone picture book text authors. Writers without illustration portfolios should query a colleague at the agency.
Auld came to agenting through a teaching background (Teach for America) and early editorial experience in children's publishing, which likely explains the recurring emphasis on diverse voices, resilience narratives, and community-centered stories across the list.
Lately
Auld's own submission page explicitly notes a current closure and anticipates reopening to queries 'in the near future,' framing it as a temporary pause rather than an indefinite hiatus.
What Lindsay is looking for
Auld has a clear passion for MG and a long, specific touchstone list that reveals their taste in granular detail. They want stories with propulsive plots and emotional resonance — adventure, mystery, historical fiction, friendship, and magical realism all feature prominently. The comp list tilts toward books that balance fun and depth, suggesting Auld is not looking for light-and-frothy alone; darker emotional undercurrents are welcome. Diverse perspectives and underrepresented voices are explicitly prioritized.
YA is a demonstrated strength — the client roster includes a Morris Award finalist in this category. Auld seeks YA across a wide tonal range: high-stakes historical and wartime stories, speculative and fantasy, contemporary coming-of-age, romance, and verse novels all appear in the comp list. The common threads are strong voice, emotional authenticity, and characters navigating identity and belonging. Auld explicitly welcomes diverse and underrepresented authors.
The adult comp list is extensive and reveals an appetite for prestige commercial fiction: multigenerational family sagas, psychologically layered thrillers, literary novels with social weight, and upmarket women's fiction. Recurring themes across these comps include family secrets, immigrant and diaspora experiences, environmental stakes, and atmospheric mystery. This is a category Auld appears to be actively building — writers with high-concept premises anchored by literary voice should pay close attention.
Auld represents picture book clients, but with an explicit and firm restriction: they seek author-illustrators or illustrators only — not authors submitting picture book text alone. Represented clients in this space (including Linzie Hunter and Al Rodin) create warm, character-driven stories centered on friendship, emotional growth, and gentle humor. Illustrators should submit a link to a portfolio or dummy, or a PDF under 3 MB.
Graphic novels for any age group are welcomed. Illustrators and graphic novelists should submit via a portfolio link, dummy, or a PDF attachment under 3 MB. Auld's broader taste signals — folklore, historical fiction, adventure, humor — likely apply here as well.
Auld lists upmarket speculative fiction and romantasy among their sub-genre interests, alongside gothic fantasy, historical fantasy, and witches as flavor notes. The wishlist suggests these should blend literary sensibility with genre momentum — pure genre without an upmarket or literary dimension is less likely to be the target.
Not the right fit
On Lindsay's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Lindsay
Auld is closed as of April 22, 2026 — do not query until the submission page confirms reopening; submitting while closed is wasted effort and may be ignored.
When open, send a query letter with the first 5–15 pages of the manuscript pasted directly into the email body — no attachments for prose submissions.
Illustrators and graphic novelists should include a link to a portfolio or dummy, or attach a PDF no larger than 3 MB instead of pasted pages.
Picture book authors without illustration work should not query Auld — redirect to another agent at the agency.
Adult literary and upmarket commercial submissions should be framed clearly: Auld's comp list in this space skews toward high-concept premises with literary voice, multigenerational scope, or psychological depth — lean into whichever of those is your book's strongest quality.
Auld's background in education and children's publishing means diverse-voice and underrepresented-perspective submissions are genuinely prioritized, not just noted as a courtesy — if that describes your project, say so plainly in the query.
For MG and YA, voice is the primary hook. The comp list is unusually specific; if your book shares DNA with two or more titles on it, name them — Auld will recognize the lineage.
Do not attach sample pages as files for prose submissions; pasted-in-email is the stated preference, and deviating from this signals inattention to guidelines.