Stephanie Winter is a Toronto-based literary agent at KO Media Management who specializes in visual and illustrated works across all age categories while also championing queer, feminist, and intersectional voices in adult and YA/MG prose, nonfiction, and giftable products.
In brief
Stephanie's deepest expertise is in visual storytelling — graphic novels, illustrated nonfiction, and four-color products — making them one of the few agents who actively wants both picture books (from author-illustrators) and YA/MG graphic novels at the same agency.
Their wishlist is notably queer-forward: trans, butch, and masc-of-center protagonists are named explicitly as a priority, not just a welcome bonus — a rare and specific signal that distinguishes them from generalist 'diverse-rep' asks.
On the adult fiction side, Stephanie is selective: rom-coms with elevated tropes and thrillers with career-driven protagonists are wanted, but 'Gone Girl'-style unreliable-narrator domestic suspense is a known pass.
Their nonfiction appetite is unusually broad — cookbooks, tarot/oracle decks, lifestyle, cultural criticism, and witchy/spiritual titles all live on the same list — suggesting a strong relationship with illustrated and gift-format imprints.
Stephanie joined KO Media Management in early 2024, meaning their independent track record is still building; writers should weigh the agency's established infrastructure and the depth of Stephanie's 10+ years of combined publishing, academic, and bookselling experience.
Lately
Stephanie's agency biography confirms they are currently open to submissions and describes a list focused on visual works across all age categories alongside prose and giftable nonfiction — reinforcing that illustrated formats are a defining specialty, not just one interest among many.
What Stephanie is looking for
Romantic comedies built on classic tropes but pushed further — Stephanie wants the elevated, unexpected angle, not the familiar beat-for-beat setup. Representation matters deeply here: stories centering trans, butch, and masc-of-center protagonists are an explicit, named priority, not just a welcome bonus. Queer love stories with wit and warmth are a strong fit.
Wants thrillers anchored by protagonists with real careers, layered skill sets, and dynamic lives — characters whose identities extend well beyond the central mystery. The psychological domestic thriller mold (twisty marriage plots, unreliable wives) is explicitly not a fit. Think competence-driven tension over psychological manipulation.
High-concept speculative fiction that maintains a clear, grounded connection to contemporary life — not secondary-world epic fantasy. The speculative element should illuminate something recognizable about the present. Rural and/or mountainous settings are a noted draw across all adult fiction categories.
This is a signature specialty. Stephanie actively seeks illustrated nonfiction across formats, including tarot and oracle decks, giftable books, and visually driven projects. The breadth here is intentional — if a project is beautiful, tactile, and concept-driven, it belongs in this query pile.
Practical nonfiction with genuine reach — projects that shift how readers engage with everyday life. Slow-living philosophies braided with modern city realities are a particular draw. The bar is broad appeal plus a real, tangible impact on how people do or make things.
Millennial and Gen Z lenses on class, gender, sexuality, mental health, reproductive health, business, and beyond. Stephanie isn't after pure academic criticism — there should be a prescriptive takeaway, something readers can do or think differently after finishing. Witchy, spiritual, and introspective content fits here too.
Cookbooks that genuinely shift how readers think about food — not just recipe collections, but books with a point of view and cultural resonance.
Stephanie describes this as an area of genuine excitement and is open to a wide range of genres within it: contemporary, horror, suspense, humor, and classic or reinvented monsters. High-concept plots with clever, funny energy are especially welcome. This is a stated specialty, not a secondary interest.
Open to picture books, with a preference for author-illustrators or illustrated projects. Humorous and high-concept texts fit the sensibility. Writers-only (non-illustrating authors) should query with caution — Stephanie's picture book interest is rooted in the visual and illustrated dimension of their list.
Stephanie acquires select YA and MG prose in categories that mirror their adult interests — queer and feminist stories, cultural topics, horror, suspense. This is a secondary lane, not a primary one; the graphic novel and visual formats are where YA/MG energy is highest.
Not the right fit
On Stephanie's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Stephanie
Send queries to query@komediamanagement.com — this is the address specified in Stephanie's own submission guidelines.
Lead with what makes your protagonist's identity or vantage point specific: Stephanie responds to explicit representation (trans, butch, masc-of-center) and will notice if you name it clearly and with intention rather than burying it.
For graphic novel submissions, describe the visual style alongside the story — Stephanie's background is rooted in illustration and visual formats, so how the work looks on the page matters as much as the narrative concept.
If your project lives in multiple formats (e.g., a tarot deck with an accompanying guidebook, or an illustrated cookbook with cultural commentary), frame the full package upfront — Stephanie is experienced with giftable, multi-component projects.
Avoid positioning adult thrillers as 'in the vein of Gone Girl' — this is a stated non-fit and framing your manuscript that way signals a mismatch regardless of the actual content.
Rural, mountainous, or outdoor settings are a named draw across adult fiction categories — if your story is set in such a landscape, mention it early in the query letter.
Demonstrate awareness of the intersectional and queer-forward lens that shapes the list: Stephanie is building a list with purpose, not just genre diversity — show that your book belongs in that conversation.
For nonfiction, identify your prescriptive takeaway explicitly — what does the reader do, think, or feel differently after finishing? This is a stated priority for cultural criticism and wellbeing titles.