Agent Emily Forney at Book Ends

Emily Forney of BookEnds Literary Agency

Emily Forney

Associate Agent

Emily is, as she likes to say, a professional fangirl. From the early days of crafting fiction prompts on Tumblr to writing miniseries on how to write a successful fantasy battle scene, she fell in love with the minor details of storytelling. After receiving her MFA in Creative Writing, emphasizing in YA fiction, she worked for a popular fiction press as an editor until she realized she wanted to stay with her favorite authors throughout their careers. She was a publishing and editorial fellow for the LA Review of Books,where she trained with her editorial background. Becoming an agent, especially at BookEnds, was fate.

Growing up, Emily would stay awake until sunrise to finish new YA releases, and honestly, she just desperately wants the vampire trend to return. She enjoys the whimsy, the complexities, and the warmth young adult and children’s books offer, and she hopes to work with authors interested in turning their speculative worlds into series. With a BA in History and certificates in Classics and Latin studies, she’s also a big fan of historical fiction and mythological works.

She writes about identity and youth through her experiences as a young black woman, particularly focusing on genre fiction as a means to explore tropes otherwise dominated by white voices. Emily would particularly like to read #OwnVoices stories and is always on the lookout for new Black authors.

Currently Seeking: In picture books, seeking whimsical and fun adventure stories that allow for the setting and the world around the characters to play just as important of a role; progressive stories about childhood strength, trauma, and identity; and something spooky, maybe a little dark humor, and child appropriate fantasy.

In middle grade fiction, seeking historical fiction that turns typical histories on their head and write about “hidden” stories with plenty of humor and whimsy; paranormal and fantasy stories with conventional twists and character driven narratives; and something spooky, maybe a little dark humor, and child appropriate fantasy.

In YA fiction, seeking warm romances that capture the magic of teenage summer nights, road trips, and summer camps; paranormal and fantasy stories with solid world building and romantic twists; contemporary romances and contemporary stories that delve into how digital media affects social activism for young people; and LGBTQI+ stories that don’t use identity as a plot twist.

In adult fiction, seeking fantasy stories that flip traditional tropes; historical fiction centered outside of modern and contemporary eras. I like ancient worlds, Renaissance times, and unique story arcs that don’t have to do with wars with modern technology; and chick-lit made for reading on the beach to escape hot summer days.

You can follow Emily on Twitter at @EmilyKaitlinnn. Queries should be submitted here.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy