Mindi St. Peter is the Senior Literary Manager at BAM Management's book division, hunting for emotionally resonant, often funny fiction—from MG and YA to adult horror, romantasy, and cozy mysteries—with a strong personal radar for voice-driven, sarcasm-laced storytelling.
In brief
Mindi leads BAMbooks, the literary arm of a full-service talent management company—meaning her authors sit inside a broader entertainment ecosystem, which can be a strategic advantage for IP with film/TV potential.
Her stated wishlist is unusually wide (graphic novels through literary fiction, horror through Hallmark-style romance), but the consistent throughline is emotional punch plus humor—pitch both, not just one.
She explicitly gates submissions: she requires either an industry referral OR a connection through a Writer's Day Workshop; cold queries without one are deleted, not passed over—this is the single most important fact for any writer considering approaching her.
She reads the heaviest query volume in December and summer; submitting outside those windows may mean a longer wait on top of her already-stated six-month response timeline.
No confirmed public sales record is available, so her deal history and publisher relationships cannot be independently verified at this time—writers should factor that into their due diligence.
Lately
Mindi describes herself as 'cautiously cracking the door open to queries,' suggesting she is selective about the volume she takes on and prioritizes quality of fit over quantity of submissions.
What Mindi is looking for
She has two teenage daughters who act as her real-world advisory board, so YA is close to her heart. She wants commercial YA with genuine emotional stakes—humor, romance, and strong voice all score points. Romantasy with pronounceable character names and contemporary YA with wit are both welcome.
Commercial MG with humor, heart, or a touch of the uncanny. She prizes funny, imaginative storytelling for this age group—think big adventure energy paired with genuine emotion.
She dedicates all of October to horror consumption and describes it as a genuine obsession, not just a professional checkbox. She wants stories that make her sleep with the lights on. Adult horror is a clear passion category.
Paranormal and supernatural elements woven into romance, especially when paired with wit or sarcasm. She cites Jim Butcher's imaginative, genre-blending sensibility as a touchstone.
Fantasy with swoon-worthy romantic stakes and a cast whose names won't twist readers' tongues. She wants the emotional sweep of romantasy grounded enough to be broadly accessible—character names that are pronounceable is a literal, stated requirement.
Frenemy romances, Hallmark-style warmth, and adult romcoms with Janet Evanovich–level wit. She loves cozy, feel-good emotional arcs. Amish romance also appears in her listed sub-genres, signaling openness to faith-adjacent romantic fiction.
Cozy Scottish mysteries are a named personal favorite. Humor, atmosphere, and a lovable sleuth matter more than procedural grit.
She wants literary fiction that still lands emotionally—'all the feels' is her phrase. Pure, cold literary experimentation without warmth or humor is less likely to connect with her.
New Adult fiction is on her list, particularly where the coming-of-age emotional arc is sharp and the voice is distinctive.
She actively seeks graphic novels across age categories—a relatively uncommon focus that reflects BAMbooks' stated belief that great stories belong in every format.
She explicitly carves out one nonfiction exception: memoirs rooted in pop culture or the entertainment world. Standard memoir does not interest her. Illustrated humor and pop-culture nonfiction also appear in her listed categories.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Mindi
You almost certainly need a referral or a Writer's Day Workshop connection before submitting—her guidelines state that queries without an industry referral will be deleted. Confirm this requirement on the live form before spending time on your materials.
Submit your first three chapters plus a proposal through the online form; do not email materials under any circumstances.
Time your submission for December or summer if possible—she reads the most queries during those windows, which may mean a faster read even within her stated six-month response window.
If your work has been self-published or independently released in any form, do not query her—she will search for it, and finding it is an automatic pass.
Lead your pitch with both the emotional core AND the humor of your book; she consistently pairs 'heart' and 'funny'—a query that sells only one dimension undersells your project to her taste.
For romantasy, address the name/world-building accessibility question proactively—she has specifically flagged unpronounceable character names as a friction point.
Genre matters less than voice and tone; if your book sits between categories (e.g., a literary horror-romance), frame it around the emotional experience rather than stacking genre labels.
She is a self-described slow responder—plan for up to six months before following up, and do not nudge before that window closes.