Erin McClary is an associate editor with Sourcebooks and Sourcebooks Landmark.

In nonfiction, she seeks: Narrative nonfiction (particularly centered on women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+); history; popular science; social sciences; body, mind, and spirit; travel.

In fiction, she seeks: Character-driven contemporary women’s fiction and historical fiction with a strong hook and upmarket writing, especially books with big emotions that are ultimately uplifting.

She does not want: YA, children’s, romance, poetry, fantasy, sci-fi, memoir.

On the fiction side, I’m searching for:

Strong female characters who can be described as “eccentric geniuses” or “fiercely independent” (think Beth from The Queen’s Gambit or Eve from Killing Eve)

Commercial or upmarket women’s fiction with a fresh hook (if you can’t pitch the premise of your book to me in 1-2 short sentences, it probably needs a stronger hook!), especially those set in small towns (take me to the Oregon coast or the swamps of Georgia or the farmlands of Wisconsin!) with a strong friendship angle

Emotionally charged stories that make me cry, swear, and curse the world at large before gently putting me back together again. The mark of a perfect story to me is if I can’t help but hug the book when I’m done reading it.

On the nonfiction side, I’m searching for:

Trending topics in the zeitgeist, especially if I can prove it’s on the rise with data (I love data…you should know that about me upfront)

Narrative nonfiction that tells the untold story of a remarkable person we’ve never heard about, especially if their voice was silenced because of misogyny or bigotry

Fun facts about me:

– I am Wisconsin born and raised but lived in the San Francisco Bay Area after college for seven years before moving back to the Midwest. I love dogs (sometimes more than people), hiking, and traveling (you know…that thing we used to do pre-pandemic?). My ultimate dream is to buy a house in the Dolomite mountains of Northern Italy and live there permanently, surrounded by books and a couple of dogs, drinking wine all day, and writing books of my own.