A commercially minded genre-fiction agent across adult and YA — fantasy, horror, romantasy, and romance above all — chasing high-concept hooks, confident voices, and immersive worldbuilding, with a strong commitment to underrepresented writers.
In brief
Telidevara's center of gravity is adult and YA genre fiction: speculative, fantasy, horror, dystopian, select sci-fi, romance, and romantasy. Middle grade is worked on but extremely selectively.
Taste leans commercial over literary — pace and voice come first — but with a genre sensibility even in realistic, mainstream fiction.
The deal record is heavy on YA fantasy, romantasy, and romance, frequently co-agented with Pete Knapp, including six-figure, major, and seven-figure deals at auction.
Recurring loves: historical inspiration, horror woven into fantasy, dark academia, myth and reincarnation, Gothic atmosphere, female rage, and the cost of magic.
Editorially minded and detail-oriented; especially eager to work with ambitious, imaginative writers underrepresented in publishing.
Lately
Invited writers from a diversity-focused pitch event to email requested material directly, with a specific subject-line format (event tag, agent name, and genre) and query plus sample pasted into the body — 10 pages for YA, 25 for adult, no attachments.
What Stuti is looking for
The core of the list. Telidevara wants tonal range — epic and fast-paced, lyrical-but-accessible, or book-club-friendly — but always with confident voice, detailed worldbuilding, and plots that escalate and surprise. Horror-tinged fantasy, dark academia, myth-inspired stories, reincarnation, and the cost of magic are recurring draws.
A clear sweet spot, borne out by the deals: crossover romantasy duologies, dark-magic bargains, and romantic fantasy. Telidevara seeks the standouts in this crowded category and welcomes all flavors of romantic fantasy, including a dash of magic in otherwise contemporary stories.
High threshold for gore. Wants nuanced, character-driven horror with terrible people and rug-pull plots, and a Gothic streak is always a plus — but also the funny, campy end of the spectrum (in the vein of Rachel Harrison or Grady Hendrix). Romantic horror, from the decadent to the monstrous, is a specific ask.
An active selling lane — recent deals include multi-book hockey-romance and Formula One rivals-to-lovers series. Drawn to a dash of magic or a high-concept speculative hook, and to strong, fresh contemporary voices.
Anything with a light dash of the speculative, including the weird and uncategorizable, plus time loops and alternate universes. Wants dystopian worlds that feel fresh, are visually memorable, and have something to say about our world.
Select sci-fi only — either near-future ('five-minutes-into-the-future') or far-out space opera, with named touchstones spanning intimate and epic.
Select suspense, and a mystery plot is a recurring attraction across categories rather than a primary genre focus.
Worked on but explicitly extremely selectively — not the focus. Treat as a narrow door and bring something exceptional.
Not the right fit
Threads through Stuti's deals
Far and away the most frequent category in the deal record — fantasy and dark fantasy for teens, often debuts, often sold at auction in two-book deals. This is where Telidevara has the deepest publisher relationships and the strongest track record.
Multiple recent crossover romantasy deals — frequently pre-empts and major deals — confirm a category where the stated wishlist and the sales record line up exactly. Expect appetite for dark bargains, demon/fae pacts, and high-concept romantic-fantasy hooks.
The romance deals share a glossy, high-stakes setting hook — Formula One, pro hockey — paired with familiar tropes (rivals-to-lovers, second chance). Series potential and book-club commercial appeal are consistent threads.
Alyssa Sheinmel appears twice (a YA mystery and an adult debut), and most deals are co-agented with Pete Knapp at the same agency — a reliable collaboration pattern rather than one-off sales. Berkley/Berkley XO also recurs as a buyer.
Even outside core fantasy, the books carry a speculative twist — a storm cloud tied to a character's emotions, a closet into a Jane Austen novel — matching the stated love of a light dash of the speculative in mainstream stories.
On Stuti's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Stuti
Lead with a strong, high-concept hook and a voice that reads commercial, not literary — pace and voice are what Telidevara prioritizes.
If you write YA or adult fantasy, horror, romantasy, or romance, you're aiming at the bullseye; sci-fi and suspense are a narrower door, and middle grade is extremely selective.
Paste your query and sample directly into the email body — no attachments. Plan on roughly 10 sample pages for YA and 25 for adult.
Show detailed worldbuilding and a plot that escalates and surprises; vivid, immersive settings are repeatedly called out.
Underrepresented and ambitious, imaginative voices are explicitly welcomed.
Check the agency's current submission guidelines and the genres-not-wanted list before querying, and confirm queries are open.