Jessica Craig
Craig Literary LLC
My Manuscript Wish List®
I love books of fiction or nonfiction that explore globally relevant themes, that transport the reader on a surprising journey across boundaries of culture, and sometimes even of genre; bold and ambitious storytelling that dismantles walls and builds bridges, challenging and deepening the reader’s understanding of self and other, of society, language, art, or humanity.
From 2012 – 2021 I was the first agent of Chigozie Obioma whose international literary career I launched and established with The Fishermen (2015), followed by An Orchestra of Minorities (2019), as he became published by major publishers and in more than 25 languages worldwide, and as he became, at age 33, one of the only writers ever to be a Booker Prize finalist for both first and second novels.
I also love a thriller or suspense or horror novel that hooks me from the first page to the last.
I currently represent authors including: Sulaiman Addonia, Lola Akinmade, Jack Cheng, Mitch Cullin, and Zanib Mian. And my best-known projects as Craig Literary are:
In Every Mirror She’s Black (Sourcebooks US, Head of Zeus UK, 2021) and Everything Is Not Enough (William Morrow US, Head of Zeus UK, 2023) by Lola Akinmade
The Seers by Sulaiman Addonia (Coffee House Press US, Prototype UK, 2024)
See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng (Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin, Winner of 2018 SCBWI Golden Kite Award, translations in 23 languages)
Planet Omar middle-grade series by Zanib Mian (Hodder Children’s UK, Putnam Books for Young Readers/Penguin US, translations in 6 languages
Fun facts about me:
For most of my life I’ve lived in big cities, but I grew up on a farm in Connecticut and my first paid job was selling organic fruit and vegetables at a roadside farmstand. Now home is a farmhouse in Spain.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to submissions@craigliterary.com
If you’ve written something you think I will enjoy reading then contact me describing your work and your background in no more than one page. If I am interested in your query I will respond to request a sample. I do not have time to respond to every query and will only respond to queries that interest me, but if you do not hear back from me within one week after your initial query then feel free to check in. If I have requested a sample of your work or your complete manuscript, then please give me at least six – eight weeks to respond.
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Accessible Literary Fiction, Adult, African Diaspora, BIPOC, Character -Driven History, Character-Driven Horror, Character-driven SciFi, Children's, Crime & Thriller, Crime Fiction, Cross-genre, Dark Humor, Dark topics with a light touch, Diaspora Narratives, Diverse Protagonists, Diversity, Domestic Suspense/Thriller, Expat/Exile Literature, Female Friendships, Feminism, Feminist, Feminist Horror, Feminist SF/F, Gothic Horror, Historical Fiction, Horror Comedy, Immigrant Voices, Intersectional Feminism, LGBTQ+, Latinx Horror, Latinx Sci-Fi, Latinx stories, Literary Crossover, Literary Fiction, Literary Horror, Literary MG, Literary Middle Grade, Literary Noir, Literary Science Fiction, Literary Thriller, MG Horror, MG Sci-Fi, MG adventure, MG contemporary, MG mystery, Marginalized Voices, Middle Grade, Middle Grade Contemporary, Middle Grade Horror, Middle Grade Humor, Middle Grade Mystery, Middle grade magical realism, Multicultural, Mystery / Crime, Near-future SF, Post-apocalyptic, Psychological Horror, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thrillers, Social Issues, Speculative Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Underrepresented Voices, Upmarket Fiction, Upmarket Women's Fiction, book club fiction, books in translation, character-focused fiction, contemporary MG, diverse, diverse heroines, diverse voices, historical mystery, immigration, international, literary, literary mystery, literary suspense, migration, near-future science fiction, non-Western historical fiction, non-western settings, queer, queer horror, queer narratives, spooky mg
I’d like the next…
story that intrigues and immerses me from the first page until the last…
My favorites include…
Books: The Confessions of Max Tivoli and Less by Andrew Sean Greer, The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw, Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, The Gift by Lewis Hyde, Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel, Black Water Rising by Attica Locke, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Pisces by Melissa Broder, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
TV: The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, Succession, Chernobyl, The Last of Us, Mare of Easttown, The Night Of, I May Destroy You, The White Lotus, Stranger Things, Wednesday, Bodies
Film: Do The Right Thing, Witness, Badlands, Rififi, Parasite, Casablanca, The Third Man, Double Indemnity, Vertigo, Groundhog Day, Get Out
