A range-spanning agent reaching from picture books to YA and speculative adult fiction, with a literary bent and a steady pull toward marginalized creators, underrepresented settings, and stories with a clear hook.
In brief
Weiman works across an unusually wide span — picture books, chapter books, middle grade, YA, and speculative adult — but the throughline is a literary sensibility and a hunt for voices and settings publishing has overlooked.
In picture books they take both texts and illustrator portfolios, including author-illustrators, and gravitate toward sly humor, a clean hook, cultural-heritage or STEM angles, and bold, distinct art.
For YA and adult they want psychological horror, contemporary and second-world fantasy with lean world-building, plus YA heists, systemic-justice thrillers, and grounded rom-coms.
They explicitly position themselves as the more literary choice among their agency colleagues, and welcome stories about and by marginalized authors across every category.
Lately
Announced they were leading an online picture-book craft webinar, covering what works, what doesn't, and how to revise a manuscript to catch agent and editor attention.
What Paula is looking for
An active priority. Weiman takes picture-book texts, illustrator portfolios, and author-illustrator projects alike. In text they want sly, clever humor, a clear hook, and a complete plot arc, with extra interest when it ties into cultural heritage or a STEM concept. In art they want bold, distinct styles featuring human children or striking geometric scenes; they already work with some traditional illustrators but are open to more digital artists, and have a soft spot for cute-meets-spooky and elaborate abstract line work.
Open to high-concept chapter books whose hook lends itself to an episodic series, with particular interest in protagonists from backgrounds and identities underrepresented in publishing. Illustration-forward projects are welcome.
Focused on mysteries and adventure, with room for the occasional tear-jerker if the voice and stakes are strong. They like active narrators who are charming and clever, and protagonists who are a bit messy even when well-meaning.
Still hunting a well-executed heist. They want thrillers that read less like a murder mystery and more like teenagers tackling systemic injustice in their community, plus rom-coms full of shenanigans with substantial subplots grounded in real teen issues — especially with queer, BIPOC, religious-minority, and/or physically disabled protagonists and love interests.
Drawn to psychological horror rooted in colonization, familial trauma, environmentalism, and empathetic depictions of mental illness, for both YA and adult audiences. Recurring buzzwords that catch their eye include trans-affirming horror and skeleton imagery.
Wants second-world and contemporary fantasy with unique magic systems and efficient world-building — no invented-language vocabulary required to follow along. Settings outside Europe or the anglophone world stand out, as do stories drawing heavily on the author's own cultural experience. Fantasy worlds with multiple religious groups are a noted draw.
Will consider New Adult fantasy only when the story genuinely belongs in that subcategory for reasons beyond the protagonist's age.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Paula
Lead with the hook — across categories Weiman repeatedly asks for a clear, distinct hook and, in longer fiction, efficient world-building over sprawl.
If you're a picture-book creator, you can pitch a text, an illustrator portfolio, or a full author-illustrator project; show bold, distinctive art if you have it.
For fantasy and horror, foreground a non-European or non-anglophone setting or your own cultural experience, and keep the magic legible without invented-language vocabulary.
They frame themselves as the more literary option among agency colleagues, so calibrate accordingly if you're choosing where to send.
Marginalized characters and marginalized authors are explicitly welcomed across every age category.
Query windows shift — confirm the agent is open and check current guidelines before sending.