Susan Nystoriak is a Golden Wheat Literary agent laser-focused on feel-good adult fiction — romcoms, sweet-to-steamy romance, and women's fiction — with a strong personal pull toward humor, banter, and happy endings.
In brief
Nystoriak's wishlist is unusually consistent and self-aware: every category they name circles back to the same core — lightness, humor, and emotional warmth. Writers with dark, trauma-heavy, or genre-bending manuscripts should not query.
No sales record is available in the provided data, so category depth and publisher relationships cannot be independently verified — treat the wishlist as the primary guide and confirm their current status before submitting.
The word-count window (65K–90K, hard ceiling at 100K) is firm and explicitly stated — a manuscript at 102K is a form rejection regardless of quality.
Nystoriak explicitly closes to queries periodically to manage backlog; query status can shift without notice, and the last confirmed observation was 'closed' as of March 2023. Verify the live status before querying.
Personal taste markers — The Office, Schitt's Creek, Frasier, Broadway — point toward character-driven ensemble comedy and witty, urbane voice. A query that leads with a comparable comedic sensibility or workplace-ensemble dynamic will likely land well.
Lately
Nystoriak has publicly noted that their query inbox closes periodically to allow time to catch up on existing submissions, and that their current open/closed status is always reflected in their social profile — writers should check there first rather than assuming availability.
What Susan is looking for
This is the clearest passion on the list. Nystoriak wants witty, funny, emotionally satisfying romantic stories — the kind that make them laugh out loud. Workplace humor as a setting or engine is explicitly called out as a favorite. Heat level can range from sweet to steamy, but erotica is out. Word count should stay between 65K and 90K.
All stripes of contemporary romance are welcome, provided the tone stays light and the ending is happy. Nystoriak is enthusiastic about specific tropes: friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance, riches-to-rags arcs, and heroes who carry (or hide) a title. The 'hidden title' trope suggests openness to a slight Regency-adjacent contemporary flavor, though historical fiction is explicitly excluded.
Women's fiction and broader commercial contemporary fiction round out the list. Humor and a sense of adventure among friends are recurring notes — think ensemble casts on unexpected journeys rather than quiet literary introspection. Emotional weight should be handled with a light touch; heavy trauma is a stated dealbreaker.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Susan
Paste everything — query letter, first ten pages, and synopsis (with the ending disclosed) — directly into the body of the email. No attachments unless guidelines change.
Include a synopsis that reveals the ending; Nystoriak explicitly asks for this, which means they want to evaluate full narrative arc before requesting more.
Lead your query with the comedic or emotional hook first. Nystoriak's wishlist is organized around feeling ('make me laugh,' 'take me away') — match that energy in your opening line rather than leading with plot mechanics.
Name your trope clearly and early if it's on their favorites list (friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance, hidden-title hero). These are explicit signals of what they're hunting for.
Stay within the 65K–90K sweet spot. State your word count prominently; anything at or above 100K is an automatic pass.
Confirm query status before sending — Nystoriak closes periodically and the last confirmed status was closed as of March 2023. Their public social profile is noted as the authoritative real-time indicator.
A brief, genuine nod to shared sensibility (ensemble comedy, workplace banter) can work if it's natural — given their stated love of The Office and Schitt's Creek, a comparable TV-ready ensemble voice is worth mentioning if it genuinely fits your book.