Adult Fiction

Alt-pop country singer-songwriter August Ponthier‘s EVERYWHERE ISN’T TEXAS, following a queer used electronics store employee in 1980s small-town Texas who is drawn into an alternate dimension through a mysterious TV; blending speculative, horror, sci-fi, and western elements to explore questions of identity and belonging, to Pilar Garcia-Brown at Dutton, in a pre-empt, by Julie Flanagan at CAA (NA).

Author of the forthcoming DROWN THE BONES Alexandra Kennington writing as A.A. Kennington‘s THE MINOTAUR PROJECT, a sapphic horromance pitched as a queer take on a Greek myth for fans of Alien, in which a woman flees the cult she grew up in and makes a deal with the bounty hunter sent to retrieve her from an abandoned space station, only to discover they’re both being hunted by something dangerous from their pasts, to Gabrielle Pachon at Ace, in a very nice deal, for publication in 2027, by Bethany Hendrix at Spencerhill Associates (world).

Author of AMERICAN SPIRITS and PERFUME & PAIN Anna Dorn‘s MISERY PALACE, a romantic tragicomedy about three lesbians who realize they’re being catfished by the same person, forcing them to confront why we fall in love with people who don’t exist, to Olivia Taylor Smith at Simon & Schuster, in an exclusive submission, by Sarah Phair at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (world English).

Gabe Converse‘s THE BODY REMEMBERS, in which a trans man’s pre-transition body washes up on the beach in his hometown and is coaxed back to life by his transphobic family, threatening his own survival, to Rebecca Brewer at Bloomsbury Archer, for publication in fall 2027, by Mara Hollander at Azantian Literary Agency (NA).

Taylor Clarke‘s LOOKS LIKE FUN, pitched as the sapphic answer to Curtis Sittenfeld’s ROMANTIC COMEDY, in which an ambitious workaholic publicist is tasked with saving a nepo-baby actress’s Oscar campaign after an affair with her male costar’s wife, only to realize that the client she’s supposed to be spinning is the one person she can’t seem to manage, to Lori Kusatzky at Crown, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication starting in 2028, by Sophie Cudd at The Book Group (NA).

Elliott Gish‘s RUBY AND JUDE, a historical speculative novel set largely in an underground 1960s lesbian bar, to Jen Sookfong Lee at ECW Press, in a nice deal, for publication in May 2028, by Geffen Semach at Westwood Creative Artists (world).

Rhoda Baxter’s untitled m/m “fake hating” romance between two rival tech CEOs, to Rachael Nazarko at Harlequin, in a two-book deal (world).

D.G. Holloway‘s SLOW BREW, an m/m romance in which a man offers another a job and place to stay after his car breaks down, which leads him to discover what home means to him, to Ryan Nuzzo at Tantor Media, in a nice deal (world English).

EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD and IS THIS A CRY FOR HELP? author Emily Austin‘s GARBAGE GIRL, about a 28-year-old grocery store custodian’s search for the best friend who ghosted her a decade before and may now be missing, to Grace McNamee at Bloomsbury, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2028 and spring 2029, by Heather Carr at Friedrich Agency (world English, excl. Canada).

Nikki Robb‘s THE WANDERERS, THE HUNTED, a blood-soaked and breathless queer polyamorous vampire romance duet following a woman and the coven of vampires she falls for as they stop running from the hunters who have pursued them for decades and risk everything for a chance at love, to Ashley Fortier at Tantor Media, in a nice deal, by Rachel Estep at D4EO Literary Agency.

Hailey Reaves‘s MEDALING and WINGMEN, a rivals-to-lovers queer hockey romance series in which an all-American and a Canadian American must share a room during the Olympics after an altercation between the two led to a broken shoulder and growing feelings, to Juliana Nador at Simon Maverick, in a two-book deal, by Amy A. Collins at Talcott Notch Literary Services (world).

R.L. Miller‘s FALSE START and an untitled sequel, a debut m/m sports romance in which two college football rivals are drafted to the same NFL team, only to find the chemistry between them is even more explosive when they’re on the same side, to Jess Verdi at Carina Press, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2027 (world).

Cheshire Novel Prize winner TR Rowe‘s BACKSLIDERS, a queer horror romance in which two ex-best friends must reunite after a cursed time capsule is unearthed, dredging up the past from one fateful summer at church camp seventeen years prior, to Katie McGuire at Crooked Lane, for publication in June 2027, by Dorian Maffei at Kimberley Cameron & Associates (world English).

Winner of the 2026 Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers Prize Emma Davies‘s THE HOLLOW SAINT, a sapphic medieval horror about a devout religious woman, an anchoress, who encloses herself in a cell as the Black Death nears her village, told through fractured voices that blur miracle, madness, and monstrosity, to Jorgie Bain at Michael Joseph, by Julie Gourinchas at Bell Lomax Moreton Agency.

Joan Daros‘s THE ORCHID EATER, translated by Mara Faye Lethem, following a handsome young tutor who insinuates his way into the lives of an outrageously rich family during one sun-drenched Mediterranean summer, traversing the edges of morality and depths of desire, pitched as for fans of THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY and Saltburn, to Jessica Vestuto at Mariner, by Eloy Bleifuss at Neon Literary, on behalf of Sofia Di Capita at the Antonia Kerrigan Literary Agency (world English).

Author of GET OFF and CARAVAN OF PAIN Scott Alderman‘s PIER 45, in which a drag queen rescues a brutalized teenage hustler in 1981 New York City and ignites a decade-long saga of prostitution, heroin, AIDS, murder, and supernatural reckoning—told by a child of Holocaust survivors who carries the dead on his tattooed arm and is learning that just surviving isn’t always enough, to Christopher C. Payne at JournalStone, with Scarlett Algee editing, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in September 2026 (world English).

Ash Lukens‘s SIGNED IN SHADOWS, a polyamorous romantic fantasy in which a man being chased for his new magical abilities enters into a mutual protection arrangement with a handsome stranger, only to find out that the stranger’s arranged fiance may or may not be a murderer—but he’ll need to rely on them both to survive, to Katie McGuire at Alcove Press, for publication in spring 2027, by Lauren Bieker at FinePrint Literary Management and Mara Hollander at Azantian Literary Agency (world English).

Author of TEACHER OF THE YEAR M.A. Wardell‘s THE FULL NELSON and MACARONS & MISCHPOCHE, the final book in the Teachers in Love series; plus one standalone m/m sports romance featuring a shy wrestler and a snooty journalist, to Hannah K. Smith at Michael Joseph, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in October 2026, by Stevie Finegan at Zeno Agency.

Livvy Jane Baker‘s ADVANCED ALCHEMY, the author’s debut, a sapphic enemies-to-lovers cozy fantasy in which a troublemaking alchemist and bookish paladin are assigned to a remote country town for their final year of magic school and can’t help but investigate the local necromantic moor—and their complicated feelings for each other, to Elana Gibson at Alcove Press, for publication in spring 2027, by Fabienne Schwizer at Ki Agency (world).

Andrew Maguire‘s GRAND SLAM, a queer annoyance-to-lovers tennis rom-com that follows a professional tennis player and a sports writer on the Grand Slam circuit; while the reluctant pair travel around the world, their working relationship excels, and their romantic connection soon follows, but when rumors begin to threaten both of their careers, the pair face a decision: embrace life as a team or call game, set, match on their relationship, to Faith Black Ross at Alcove Press, by Samantha Haywood at Transatlantic Literary Agency (NA).

Vogue culture reporter and author of MORE, PLEASE Emma Specter‘s OPPOSING COUNSEL, a sapphic love story between a magazine union rep and the lawyer hired to quash organizing efforts, who’s also her former her high school bully/crush, to Erica Cerulo at 831 Stories, for publication in winter 2028, by Natalie Edwards at Trellis Literary Management (world).

Amy Avery‘s THE THORNS WE WEAR INSIDE, a dark romantic sapphic fantasy about a witch and a monster trapped in a cursed castle, and the two parasitic demons who’ll stop at nothing to keep them apart, to Juliana Nador at Simon Maverick, by Ruiting Lu at DAW (NA).

Taylor E. Weston‘s MAKING TIME, a queer hockey romance in which a man is not having a good first season as the captain of the Madison Muskies until his path crosses with a single dad, to Ryan Nuzzo at Tantor Media, in a nice deal (world English).

L.A. Barron’s debut THE LAST RITES OF BABY-BLUE, an achillean novella about a fledgling vampire rocker who must face judgment after a fatal mistake, to Jamie Ryu at Contrarian Publishing for publication in July 2026.

TikTok influencer Zorah Starr’s THE FALSE HERO, an epic fantasy featuring a queer, all-Black cast about an outcast who poses as The Destined and embarks on a journey to defeat a spirit king, to Jamie Ryu at Contrarian Publishing for publication in February 2027.

Young Adult Fiction

Jordan Roe‘s WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME, in which a closeted teen in the Bible Belt falls for someone he meets online, only to discover the relationship becoming increasingly controlling and dangerous, forcing him to choose between coming out to his family or risking everything for a love that may not be real, to Elizabeth Lee at Penguin Workshop, for publication in spring 2029, by Quressa Robinson at Folio Jr. (world).

Kit Covington‘s BENEATH THE SMILES, an LGBTQ+ thriller in which a high school student discovers that a serial killer is targeting openly gay and bisexual boys in his graduating class; as fear spreads and the body count rises, he begins a secret relationship with a closeted classmate whose connections may hold the key to the mystery, and with few leads from law enforcement and time running out, he launches his own investigation, forcing him to choose between protecting the boy he cares about and uncovering a killer, to Sofia Aves at Evernight Teen, for publication in fall 2026.

Author of THE GRAVITY OF MISSING THINGS Marisa Urgo‘s THE MIDNIGHT COVEN, in which a teenage girl must break a celestial curse at her haunted boarding school that claims the lives of three students every 30 years, using only astronomy and ghosts of past students from the 1990s—or fall victim to the same fate, to Afua Antwi at Puffin UK, for publication in August 2027, by Moe Ferrara at TriadaUS Literary Agency (world).

Jordyn Taylor‘s THE UNBURIED GIRL, a dual-timeline story of a modern teen who travels to Poland to find a lost archive created by Jewish resisters in WWII, accompanied by the diaries of her elderly neighbor’s long-lost love, and her best friend turned crush, to Alison Romig at Delacorte, for publication in summer 2028, by Danielle Burby at Mad Woman Literary Agency (world).

Nonfiction

Musician Ezra Furman‘s THE BOOK OF OUR NAMES, a reading of Jewish scripture informed by the author’s experiences as a trans woman and rock artist, and an invitation for queer and politically minded readers of all backgrounds to reclaim faith and tradition as a source of purpose, power, community, and liberation, to Brekhna Aftab at Haymarket, at auction, by Nate Muscato at Aevitas Creative Management (world English).

Filmmaker and Stonewall Book Award-winning author of of EVERYTHING I LEARNED, I LEARNED IN A CHINESE RESTAURANT Curtis Chin‘s untitled memoir, about the author’s second coming-of-age in New York in the 1990s as a community organizer and writer, from his work with ACT UP to cofounding the Asian American Writers’ Workshop to pursuing love and fighting for marriage equality, to Vivian Lee at Little, Brown, by Sonali Chanchani at Folio Literary Management (world).

Sex Diaries columnist for New York Magazine’s The Cut and author of their forthcoming SEX DIARIES book Alyssa Shelasky‘s THE MODERN-DAY KAMA SUTRA, an illustrated book pitched as providing straight, queer, kinky, poly, and all-ability-inclusive fresh takes on the Kama Sutra, including positions, alternatives, real-life reviews, hacks, discourse, and humor, illustrated by Jess Rotter, to Aria Devlin at Abrams, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in spring 2028, by Meg Thompson at Thompson Literary Agency (world).