Literary Fiction, Upmarket, New Adult, Short Story Collections.
Specifically: Fiction that features food service/restaurant culture. Satire, and humorous fiction.
Ismita is open to novels that fit these categories but have some genre-fiction elements.
The most important elements that grab Ismita's attention are style and literary quality writing.
Narrative Non-Fiction, Pop Culture, Humor, Memoir, Travel, Cookbooks, History, Sports
Specifically: Narrative non-fiction that discusses medicine or health in a way that is accessible and well researched. Non-fiction that makes the reader see their body in a different way. Cookbooks that explore a niche ingredient/theme and cookbooks that tell a story. Quirky and visually stunning coffee table books.
The most important elements that grab Ismita's attention are expertise and a surprising/niche topic.
Contemporary, Rom-Com, Novel-in-verse, Commercial
Specifically: Retellings of classic stories that haven't been redone to death (no Shakespeare, King Arthur, etc) and that provide a twist or a fresh new take. A heist book.
The most important elements that grab Ismita's attention are themes/situations that are true to the teen experience today and commercial quality.
Southern settings, Italian settings, Gritty and Realist writing, Books that explore health/disability, Dark humor
Ismita will consider the following by request/referral ONLY:
High Fantasy
Prescriptive Non-Fiction
Children's Books
Adult Genre Fiction (Thriller, Romance, Sci-Fi, etc)
Favorite Authors:
Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O'Connor, Oscar Wilde, Tom Perrotta
Favorite Books:
God's Little Acre by Erskine Caldwell, Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, The Complete Stories of Flannery O' Connor, A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Favorite Movies/TV Shows:
The Americans, The Sopranos, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Front
Ismita Would Love the 'Next'
Suttree
Salt Fat Acid Heat
White Noise
The Dreamers
Ismita strives to respond to all queries within 8 weeks. If your manuscript sounds like a fit based on this wishlist, you can query her through QueryManager.