Maria Vicente is a Toronto-rooted, Atlantic Canada–based Senior Literary Agent at P.S. Literary Agency who champions strange, beautiful, structurally adventurous books across every age category—with a particular appetite for weird fiction, occult nonfiction, and graphic novels made solely by author-illustrators.
In brief
Maria Vicente represents all age categories—picture books are not on the current wishlist, but adult fiction, YA, MG, graphic novels, and nonfiction all are—making them one of the more range-spanning agents at P.S. Literary.
The deal record and client roster signal a strong real-world track record in children's and YA publishing, but Vicente's stated current priority is actively growing the adult fiction list—a meaningful pivot worth noting for writers in that space.
Graphic novels come with a firm gate: only author-illustrators (sole creator writing AND drawing) need apply. Writer-only pitches for illustrated projects will not be considered regardless of age category.
Vicente openly prizes shorter books and explicitly states they are not the right agent for epic fantasy series—a rare, candid self-disqualifier that saves everyone time.
Vicente runs paid query-letter workshops and sits on the AALA board, signaling deep investment in the craft of submission itself—a query that is polished and commercially hooked is table stakes here.
Lately
Vicente announced the return of their query letter workshop for fall 2025, with two sessions (October and November) open for registration. Each session includes a two-hour virtual class, a live Q&A, and a professional critique of the attendee's query letter—a signal that Vicente invests seriously in the craft of querying and expects polished submissions.
What Maria is looking for
Vicente is actively building this part of their list and considers it a priority. They want genre-inflected literary fiction—fantasy with a grounded or folkloric feel, magical realism, horror, fairy-tale and folktale retellings—alongside contemporary fiction that captures 'cool girl' or 'sad girl' energy: queer themes, mental health, nostalgia, existential dread. Stylish mysteries and thrillers are also welcome. Novels that play with narrative structure get special attention. The through-line across all of it is distinctive prose style married to a clear commercial hook. Think dark, strange, and emotionally precise.
Vicente wants nonfiction that brings a genuinely fresh angle to an entertaining subject—not a rehash. Priority topics include mental health, occult and esoteric subjects, art, pop culture, science, the environment, cultural history, and psychology. Preferred formats are essay collections, illustrated or photography-driven books, and focused single-topic personal development titles. A strong proposal must demonstrate both a new perspective and a reason readers will actually buy it.
Vicente represents graphic novels and graphic nonfiction across all age ranges—children's through adult. The critical requirement: submissions are currently only accepted from author-illustrators, meaning one creator who both writes and draws the book. Writer-only pitches for graphic projects will not be reviewed. Beyond that gatekeeping, Vicente looks for work that genuinely exploits the visual-sequential format—books that could not exist in prose. Strong art style and story are equally weighted.
Vicente's YA sweet spot is 'weird and wonderful'—magical realism, genre-blending, and stories that resist easy categorization. Contemporary YA is also welcome when the writing is exceptionally evocative and voice-driven. The bar is high: Vicente explicitly cites writers known for their stylistic intensity as the benchmark for the kind of prose that will catch their eye.
Middle grade fantasy is on the list, but Vicente signals narrower interest here compared to other categories. The touchstone is witchy, imaginative MG with a strong speculative core. Writers in this space should ensure their project clearly fits the fantasy brief before querying.
Not the right fit
On Maria's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Maria
Submit through Vicente's official website (mariavicente.com/representation)—the form is the only accepted route; email queries are not invited.
Vicente runs query-letter workshops and clearly evaluates craft at the submission stage: a vague or generic query will not land. The hook must be commercial and specific.
State the word count upfront—shorter manuscripts are a stated preference and length signals whether your project fits before they read a word of the sample.
If you are querying adult fiction, acknowledge the 'strange or weird' quality of your work if it applies; Vicente values that framing and it signals you have done your research.
For graphic novel submissions, make clear from the first line that you are the sole author-illustrator. Any ambiguity about who drew the book will likely result in an instant pass given the current submission policy.
Vicente actively encourages queries from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled creators—this is stated explicitly and is not boilerplate.
Do not query epic fantasy series or unillustrated picture books—these are clear mismatches. Do not query graphic novel writer-only projects.
Double-check the live form status on Vicente's website before submitting; open periods can change and the profile here reflects a snapshot, not a guaranteed current state.