It's #MSWL Day, which means that it's the perfect day to remind querying writers that if your story reads like a show that would air on the CW, I might be the agent for you! The paranormal action and dramatic brotherhood SPN? The Klaus/Caroline relationship of TVD? The insane mystery of RIVERDALE?

Agents LOVE vibes! But we don't love when they keep us from a story's stakes. If you're having trouble explaining the vibes of your MS without paragraphs of description, look at your plot summary and ask yourself whether the characters' internal conflicts are just as present as the external action.

📖 Welcome to The Unbanned Book Network! This is a new program from WNDB designed to break the mold on what children are reading in classrooms while also combatting censorship, which disproportionately targets both diverse books and marginalized authors. 📖 bit.ly/UBNapplication

Truly OBSESSED with the women bringing blankets and neck pillows into the theater to watch the extended RETURN OF THE KING. Icons, all of them.

High, high, HIGH on my 2026 wish list is YA SFF, a cast of characters with distinct personalities, mayhem, pirates, humor, and protagonists with hearts of gold who are also a little too clever for their own good. You know what I'm seeking? TREASURE PLANET. Please send me anything that comps! #MSWL

SAVE THE DATE: #SEAsianPit is back again 🎉 This time as an official pitch event ‼️ May 30, 2026 Check out the list of participating agents and amendments in the event rules in the 🔗 or 🧵

The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.

Remember: Many agents are away from their desks in December. I'm trying to stay on top of the queries and materials landing in my inbox this month, so while I don't like sending bad news, apologies if you receive a rejection before the end of the year. I hope you're enjoying some time off, too!

#QueryTip: "What makes your story distinct must leap off the page before your credentials do." Even if your bio includes a long list of writing credits, make sure your query letter hooks us through the protagonists' GMCs, the details of the setting, the intriguing conflicts, and your strong voice!

This #WritersWednesday, remember: Stories are built around conflict, which (at its most basic) arises from where your characters start their journey, where they need to be by the end, and what actions get them to that conclusion.

#QueryTip: "Connect us to your characters as soon as you can!" When you bring a character's GMCs into your query's plot summary, you're giving an agent a reason to connect to the stakes and make them feel immediate, important, and personal. That's what makes your story intriguing from the start!

At a conference today, so my annual reminder… If you’ve booked time to chat with agents or editors, keep your pitch quick. You want to leave a lot of that time for asking questions, getting information, gathering recommendations. Make sure it’s a conversation. You’ll get way more out of it.

BREAKING: After months of stonewalling by Starbucks, unionized baristas just voted 92% to authorize a ULP strike unless Starbucks finalizes fair contracts & stops union busting. If forced, our baristas will strike in dozens of cities on November 13 – the company's busiest sales day of the year.

#QueryTip: Your query isn’t a summary—it’s a sales pitch. If you only had 30 seconds to pitch your MS, what would you highlight? Who are your characters? What's their predicament? What incident propels the conflict forward? Your premise is what hooks an agent, and your writing will do the rest!

Not my mom calling at 7:00 PM to ask whether FRANKENSTEIN really starts with letters from a ship in the Arctic, or whether the library sent her the wrong audiobook... 😅

Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights. Today kicks off #BannedBooksWeek, and this year's theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights. https://www.ala.org/bbooks.

With only a few months left in the year, I thought it was time to update my #MSWL! I'm not closing to any genres, but I'm eager to acquire more romance and genre fiction. It's where I've been drawn in my personal reading, and I would love my agent list to reflect those books that have drawn me in!

so the US government just forced a tech company to delete an app it doesn’t like, which is totally normal stuff www.404media.co/iceblock-own...

How evil must one be to intercept a benign aid ship on its way to innocents gripped by famine & bombs? It should be extremely clear to the world that these genocidaires are very intentional in their aim to starve Palestinians. Solidarity with the flotilla. They’re the best of us.

"I just want to say, go birds, fuck ICE and free Palestine," "Hacks" star Hannah Einbinder at the #Emmys

I know that paying for feedback isn't a possibility for everyone, but for those who are interested, I'm on Reedsy offering query critiques for authors and editorial assessments for full manuscripts! Reach out if you're interested in working together: reedsy.com/haley-casey

I took pitches at the online New England Writing Workshop today, and they were OUTSTANDING. Truly, there are so many stories in this batch that I'm excited to see, and they're already rolling in! Thanks to all of the authors who chose to chat with me for trusting me with your work!

Freedom Reads is transforming prison life by creating mini libraries inside cells, offering incarcerated individuals access to hundreds of books and fostering hope through literature: www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/... This is amazing! I can't believe it took me so long to learn about it.

Y'all, I just heard the auditions for the UNWED & UNBOTHERED audiobook... 👀 You are not ready for how this will sound! No choice that Emma and the team make will be a miss!

I'm so excited to participate in #SEAsianPit tomorrow! I'll only be looking at pitches here, not 🐦, and I can't wait to see everyone's projects! If I ❤️ your pitch and you feel we'd be a good fit, please send your first three chapters to me at QueryTracker.net/Query/HCasey/SEAsianPit_25.

I'm thrilled to say that I'll be taking one-on-one pitches at the California Writing Workshop, June 13-14. Registration is open, and attendance is virtual, so if you have the time, the means, and are interested in some fabulous panels and opportunities, take a look! californiawritingworkshop.com

Honestly, I'm not much of a "friends to lovers" reader, but I'm realizing I would drop everything if Kim Possible x Ron Stoppable is the energy it brings! #MSWL

Happy Murderbot day to all who celebrate.

Creative Media Agency just played an inter-office game of #MSWL Edition "This or That?" If you're curious about the vibes I'm seeking in manuscripts right now, this is it!

The author, illustrator, researcher, and all-around wonderful Emma Duval officially has a cover we can share! UNWED & UNBOTHERED: THE DEFIANT LIVES OF SINGLE WOMEN THROUGHOUT HISTORY is coming on September 16! Happy Singles Awareness Day! #SinglesAwareness #UnwedAndUnbothered #EmmaDuval

For those looking, especially on #MSWL Day, here are a couple of excellent Bluesky starter packs for literary agents: go.bsky.app/52ZEfjC go.bsky.app/QGR8gr go.bsky.app/7T2rEKw

It's #MSWL Day! I would do ANYTHING for an adult or NA romance—contemporary or paranormal—with a love interest who OOZES charm and charisma. I want irresistible flirts! Bring me your Henry Montagues, Ian Flannerys, Jesper Faheys, and Jace Waylands! www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/ha...

Love ebooks, but want to leave Amazon behind? Bookshop.org is opening its own eBook platform! www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Hello Writing Community! We are delighted to announce our First Official Bluesky *** #MSWL Day *** February 12, 2025. 🎉🎉🎉 Agents + editors can post what they ✨wish✨ they had in their inboxes; writers can find their next best fit for querying. Learn more here: manuscriptwishlist.com/the-next-off...

CONGRATULATIONS to the incredible author S.G. Prince on her news: IF ALL THE STARS GO DARK, the YA space fantasy featuring an opposites attract romance, a motley found family, and galaxy-saving stakes is coming from Godwin Books in 2026! I can wait for this one to hit shelves!

I'm reopening to queries this morning, so in honor of the new year and new platform, it feels like it's time for an updated #MSWL! (To be clear, any previous wish list claims that I've made still stand, but this represents the tippity-top of my list right now.) querymanager.com/query/hcasey

💥 Happy New Year! 💥 For those wondering about my 2024 agenting stats, I read: QUERIES: 3,536 PARTIALS: 285 FULLS & PROPOSALS: 66 I also saw 5 books published by the authors that I represent! I already have more exciting news coming in 2025, so stay tuned!

I don’t always have good news to share first thing in the morning BUT… IT’S BOOKS WE LOVE DAY!!!!! apps.npr.org/best-books/#...

It always takes a bit to figure out a new platform, but I'm happy to be here as part of the #WritingCommunity and the #AmPublishing crowd, so let's connect! I'm a literary agent at Creative Media Agency, and I rep some wonderful published books and some equally beautiful books on submission!