Samantha Wekstein is a New York-based Thompson Literary Agency agent with deep roots at Writers House who hunts for emotionally resonant fantasy (especially romantasy), commercial fiction, and children's books that center underrepresented voices and feminist narratives.
In brief
Her wishlist skews broad, but fantasy is her clearest passion: she articulates more specific wants in that category than any other, signaling it is her primary acquisition focus right now.
Picture books come with a firm gate: she only considers author-illustrators — text-only manuscripts are explicitly declined, which is a meaningful filter many querying writers miss.
Her nonfiction appetite is real but narrow: humor, pop culture, history, social justice, and feminist angles only — literary or issue-driven narrative nonfiction outside those lanes is unlikely to land.
A February 2026 public post advertising freelance editing work before a maternity leave in late April 2026 strongly suggests her query inbox will remain closed or selectively open well into 2026 — writers should verify current status before submitting.
She spent the better part of a decade at Writers House before joining Thompson Literary in 2019, giving her established relationships across major commercial publishers; her comfort with bestselling and award-winning authors suggests she pitches confidently at major imprints.
Lately
Hi All! I'm going on maternity leave at the end of April, but looking to fill out my freelance editing schedule before then. I have availability in March. If you're looking for a professional set of eyes on your project or pitch package, reach out! samanthaweksteineditorial.square.site/s/shop
As of February 2026, she announced plans to take maternity leave beginning in late April 2026 and was filling her freelance editing calendar for March beforehand — a strong indication that her query inbox is unlikely to reopen in the near term.
What Samantha is looking for
This is her most detailed and enthusiastic category. She wants romantic fantasy (romantasy) above all, but also epic and high fantasy, court intrigue, historical fantasy, and fantasy rooted in underrepresented world mythologies and cultures. Social-justice themes, feminist lenses, and family dynamics woven into a fantastical frame all appeal to her. Specific wish-list items include Jewish fantasy, magic school and dark academia settings, and cozy fantasy. She cares deeply about the internal logic of magic systems — the rules must hold. Strong ensemble friendships, slow-burn romance, and redemption arcs are recurring draws. For YA fantasy she cites an appetite for creative, epic works in the tradition of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo.
She is actively seeking middle grade across subgenres, with a particular pull toward stories about friendship, adventure, and a young character's first encounter with loss or tragedy. She has named Sharon Creech, Shannon Hale, and Gail Carson Levine as the kind of authors whose emotional register and craft she admires in this space.
She wants commercial, voice-driven adult romance. Her taste runs toward warm, witty, and emotionally satisfying reads in the tradition of Christina Lauren, Jasmine Guillory, and Emily Henry. Strong character voice and relationship dynamics are the deciding factors.
She welcomes women's fiction on the commercial end of the spectrum, particularly stories with multi-dimensional female protagonists. She gravitates toward books that are emotionally resonant and character-driven rather than purely plot-focused. For YA, she cites Jenny Han, Julie Murphy, and Melina Marchetta as exemplars of the realistic, female-centered storytelling she loves.
Her interest is specifically in historical fiction that foregrounds female or queer perspectives and explores settings or voices that are underrepresented in the genre. A fresh geographical or cultural backdrop combined with a feminist or queer narrative lens is her sweet spot.
She wants sci-fi that stays grounded in human experience and avoids the overly technical. She prefers stories led by women, nonbinary, BIPOC, and queer characters, and she actively welcomes genre hybrids — a rom-com set during an apocalypse, for instance. Near-future premises and 'one changed thing' world-building concepts appeal to her. Space opera is considered only if deeply rooted in specific human stakes. She considers space pirates, bandits, and space Westerns overdone and is looking for something that refreshes the tropes.
She seeks whimsical, meaningful, and funny picture books — but ONLY from author-illustrators. Text-only submissions are explicitly not accepted. Her taste runs toward books with wit, heart, and strong visual storytelling instincts, citing classics of the form that blend humor with genuine emotion.
She is open to nonfiction but only across specific lanes: humor, pop culture, history, social justice, and feminist-oriented projects. Pitches outside these angles — including most literary or issue narrative nonfiction — are unlikely to be a fit.
Not the right fit
On Samantha's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Samantha
Her form was closed as of October 2025 and a February 2026 post indicates maternity leave beginning late April 2026 — check the live form status before doing anything else.
She represents a wide range of ages and genres; be explicit in your query letter about which category and age group you are targeting so she can assess fit instantly.
For fantasy queries, demonstrate that your magic system has internal rules and that you have thought through its logic — she has stated she is pedantic about this and will notice if it feels arbitrary.
If submitting picture books, confirm upfront that you are an author-illustrator and include or reference your illustration portfolio — text-only projects are declined outright.
Sci-fi pitches should lead with the human story, not the world-building mechanics; if your premise involves space pirates, space thieves, or a space Western, reconsider before querying.
Feminist framing, queer and BIPOC perspectives, and underrepresented cultural settings are recurring signals across nearly every category she represents — if your manuscript has these elements, surface them early in your query.
She has flagged that someone is impersonating her with a fake email address — only send query materials through her agency's official submission form, never in response to an unsolicited email claiming to be her.
A note of caution on comps: she names authors rather than specific titles as touchstones in most categories — comp to the emotional register and readership of those authors rather than a single book.