Renee Runge is an Associate Agent at Spencerhill Associates building her list from the ground up in middle grade and young adult fiction, hunting for high-concept commercial projects with literary depth, animal-protagonist sagas, and bold dystopias — with a particular passion for championing diverse and neurodivergent voices.
In brief
Runge is early-career but credentialed: an M.A. in Children's Literature and M.F.A. in Writing for Children from Simmons, a Horn Book graduate fellowship, and a Red Fox Literary internship give her an unusually academic grounding for an associate agent actively building a list.
Her sales record is not yet publicly documented, which means every genre slot on her list is genuinely open — early queriers have an above-average shot at real consideration from an agent with institutional backing (Spencerhill) and room to grow.
Her stated taste clusters tightly around emotional payoff, commercial hooks, and underrepresented voices — a book that makes her cry at the end while centering a marginalized identity is her sweet spot; literary-leaning but without sacrificing commercial readability.
She has explicitly named animal-protagonist sagas as a dream project, evoking series-length lore comparable to Warriors and Redwall — this is her single most emphatic ask and the clearest gap to fill on her list.
Her query form was directly observed as CLOSED as of May 2026; her own public note from June 2025 signals she cycles between 'open but slow' and temporarily paused states — writers should verify the live form before submitting.
Lately
Runge clarified publicly that she was not formally closing her query inbox, but that writers should expect slower-than-usual replies while she caught up on requested full manuscripts and client work. She noted she had processed queries through approximately mid-June and that anything still waiting from May was sitting in her 'maybe' pile.
What Renee is looking for
This is her most loudly stated dream project. She wants animal heroes that are genuinely novel — species rarely or never centered in fiction — backed by richly constructed world-lore and enough narrative runway for a multi-book saga with devoted fanbases. Think in terms of series architecture from the very first page. She is drawn to the scope and reader-loyalty models of landmark animal-ensemble franchises.
Slice-of-life stories that illuminate a defining chapter of a young person's life, with an emphasis on emotionally resonant voice and commercial readability. She is particularly drawn to stories that capture a vivid sense of place, iconic friend-group dynamics, first crushes, the grief of leaving childhood behind, and anything funny that speaks authentically to kids without being condescending. Magical realism with a literary bent is welcome here.
She wants genre-reviving dystopia with big commercial energy: sky-high stakes, relentless action, and morally layered characters. She is openly hoping for a project capable of cracking the genre wide open again. A love triangle in the vein of early-2010s YA is a welcome bonus but not required. Multidimensional casts and propulsive pacing are non-negotiable.
She gravitates toward stories that dissect relationships in retrospect — missed connections, situationships, feelings never voiced — and coming-of-age arcs where characters grapple with fear of adulthood or the sadness of leaving childhood behind. First love treated with both humor and honesty is a recurring interest. She wants beach-read energy with quiet thematic weight, and is enthusiastic about stories centered on identity, allyship, and reconnecting with one's roots. She also flags a love for work-place-centered stories and narratives built around songs.
Atmospheric, setting-driven fantasy is her preference over standard world-building exercises — she wants a locale or atmosphere so vivid it becomes a character. She has specifically called out a project with Donner Party survival-horror vibes, and she is open to alternate history and secret-world premises where characters must abandon long-held beliefs to survive. Magical realism with literary ambition fits here as well. Note: heavily romance-driven fantasy is not her target; the speculative element should be the engine, not a backdrop for romance.
She welcomes thrillers built on unreliable narrators, shocking twists, and the resurfacing of repressed trauma or fear. The emphasis should be on psychological complexity rather than action-thriller pacing.
She prefers niche angles — a fresh perspective on a well-known event, or a chapter of history that never made it into school curricula. Alternate history (what if X had happened instead?) genuinely excites her. The historical setting should feel like discovery rather than backdrop.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Renee
Confirm the form is open before submitting — it was directly observed closed in May 2026 and Runge has indicated she pauses periodically to work through existing requests.
Lead your query letter with the emotional core: she has said her favorite feeling is being moved to tears by a book's last chapter. Tell her how and why your ending delivers that.
If your book features an animal protagonist or a series-length animal-world premise, say so in the first sentence — this is her single most explicit dream project.
Name your setting prominently if it is vivid or unusual. She is drawn to locale as a character, and a South Florida native who studied children's literature will respond to strong sense-of-place.
If your protagonist belongs to a marginalized or underrepresented community, or if you as the author do, flag it — she is actively seeking diverse creators and intersectional stories, not just diverse characters.
Avoid framing your fantasy project as romance-forward; if the speculative or dystopian elements are the engine, lead with those.
Do not query retellings of fairy tales, mythology, or the classics — these are among her firmest stated dislikes. If your work is in conversation with a tradition without being a retelling, make that distinction explicit.
If your book has a 'bannable' quality — a bold or controversial theme — do not bury it. She has said she actively welcomes such projects and views that quality as a signal, not a warning.