Nour Sallam is an editorial agent at Helm Literary who champions high-concept commercial and upmarket fiction — especially female rage, social horror, and BIPOC-centered narratives — alongside accessible big-idea nonfiction for millennial and Gen Z readers.
In brief
Sallam is a self-described editorial agent, meaning she works closely with authors on the manuscript before and after the sale — writers should expect genuine developmental engagement, not a hands-off deal-maker.
Her stated priorities are unusually specific: she wants haunted characters, unhinged women, BIPOC-centered horror/thriller/mystery, and Arab joy — pitches that hit two or more of these signals will land best.
Her nonfiction wish list is notably broad — from cookbooks to corporate deep dives — but she has a clear throughline: books that challenge or reframe what readers think they already know, especially for younger audiences.
She explicitly does NOT want sci-fi, fantasy, YA, MG, picture books, or new adult, and draws hard lines around true crime, spirituality, trauma centered on war or civil conflict, child abuse, and mafia romance.
As of May 2026 her submission form is closed — verify her form directly before querying, as she notes updates will appear there.
Lately
Hi friends! Popping in to say I’ll be opening back up to queries on Wed of next week, July 1st! I’ll be staying open for the summer. Here’s an idea of what I’m looking for #amquerying
In a January 2026 post, Sallam described a single morning that included yoga, query reading, manuscript edits for a client, contract review, client check-ins, and drafting content — signaling an actively engaged editorial practice and a busy, multi-client plate.
A great test is: can I feel empathy for your villain? In certain genres the villain can end up as a caricature, and if you approach writing them with that question in mind, it can help you avoid that and make them into a well-rounded character instead.
Writing a messy character we can empathize with comes down to plausibility — are you giving them the space for their actions and motivations to make sense? A lot of people have the potential to be a messy character given different circumstances, a different upbringing, a different backstory. If you give them that, you've written the perfect kind of character.
Think about what it would take to make your main character messy, and then give them something like that in microcosm — in a single scene. Think about all the people you know who are super uptight, and what sets them off. It can lead to really interesting places for your character.
I like to think about the snowball effect — the very mild-mannered person and the last small thing that finally sets them off. It isn't necessarily the biggest thing that's happened to them, but it's the one thing that gets them there. That kind of build is really compelling.
Voice matters enormously — you can have a fairly neat, controlled character and still compel readers if the voice is strong. But there should always be tension. That's what keeps people reading and keeps storytelling moving forward.
What Nour is looking for
This is her core territory. She wants high-concept pitches with a clear hook, centered on women — particularly women who are powerful, unhinged, or navigating patriarchal structures. Dysfunctional family sagas, unreliable narrators, and friendship dynamics (warm or sinister) are recurring favorites. She's especially drawn to stories where the setting functions almost as a character — small towns, isolated estates, tight-knit communities — and where characters are haunted by something, literally or figuratively.
Horror is among her most actively sought categories, with a strong preference for stories that embed sharp commentary on class, social dynamics, or societal structures — what she calls social horror. BIPOC-centered horror is explicitly a top priority. She's also expressed specific interest in horror drawing on cultural superstitions, including a stated desire for a story inspired by the evil eye. Heavy world-building is not a fit; the horror should feel grounded and contemporary.
She actively seeks commercial thrillers and mysteries, with a clear preference for BIPOC characters and leads. Murder mysteries with a villainous or morally compromised victim are a particular sweet spot. Contained settings and propulsive pacing are recurring signals across her taste. She is not a fit for political thrillers, espionage plots, or spy-adjacent stories.
She welcomes romance broadly and loves most subgenres — slow-burn will-they/won't-they, friends-to-lovers, and second-chance romance are tropes she names explicitly. The one firm exclusion is mafia romance. BIPOC characters are especially welcomed. Rom-coms with commercial crossover potential fit her list.
Women's fiction sits comfortably on her list when it features the character dynamics she prizes: female rage, friendship (including fraught or competitive friendship), and diasporic or underrepresented experiences. Joyful and humorous Arab stories fall under this umbrella and are among her most actively desired pitches.
She's open to speculative fiction that stays one step removed from everyday reality — no heavy world-building, no secondary-world fantasy. Retellings of underrepresented mythological or folkloric traditions, grounded in contemporary settings, are especially welcome. Stories inspired by cultural superstitions are a named priority. The bar is a realistic, emotionally grounded feel even when the premise is uncanny.
Historical fiction is only of interest when the setting falls in the 1960s or later. She is firmly not seeking stories set around WWI, WWII, the Cold War, or anything spy-adjacent.
Her nonfiction appetite is wide but has a consistent spine: books that either overturn received wisdom or illuminate something readers didn't know they needed to understand. She's especially hungry for big-idea books made accessible (financial literacy, tech, industry deep-dives, climate, nature), self-help with crossover potential or a subtle approach, and business books pitched at millennial and Gen Z readers. An intersectional look at younger generations' relationship to work is a named priority, as is a study of the corporatization of self-care.
She welcomes cultural criticism, narrative journalism, and what she calls 'memoir plus' — hybrid memoir with a larger cultural or conceptual argument layered in. Traditional memoir (personal narrative without that outward-facing dimension) is not a fit. Personal narratives that reverberate across pop culture, art, or nature are actively wanted.
She has a stated interest in cookbooks and lifestyle titles, with a specific wish for a book centered on hosting. These fit best when they carry a fresh perspective or speak to underrepresented culinary or cultural traditions.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Nour
Her form is currently closed (verified May 2026) — check it regularly for a reopening window before preparing your materials.
She is an editorial agent: signal in your query that you're open to revision and collaboration, not just representation.
Lead with your high-concept hook. She responds to a pitch that can be stated crisply in one or two sentences — if your concept is fuzzy, sharpen it before querying.
If your book features BIPOC characters — especially in horror, thriller, mystery, or romance — say so prominently and early. This is one of her most explicit stated priorities.
Match her trope language if it's genuine to your book: 'haunted character,' 'unhinged woman,' 'found family,' 'female rage,' 'setting as character,' 'villainous victim' — these are her words and they signal alignment instantly.
For nonfiction, frame your book around what it challenges or reveals — her throughline is books that reframe knowledge, not just inform.
Arab stories, diasporic narratives, and cultural superstition-based plots are among her most actively desired projects right now; lead with that cultural specificity if it applies.
She explicitly welcomes writers who feel their book is 'just outside' her wishlist if it features underrepresented narratives — don't self-reject prematurely if your marginalized-voice story is adjacent to her categories.
Avoid querying with: anything set in WWII/WWI/Cold War, espionage, true crime, mafia romance, heavy world-building, or any kidlit — these are hard nos regardless of execution.