Amy Giuffrida is an associate agent with Jennifer De Chiara Literary.
“My life is consumed with all things bookish. When I’m not working on books, I’m talking about stories with my classes as an 8th grade ELA (English/Language Arts) teacher. In my spare time, you can find me renovating my house, binge-watching TV shows on Hulu, or reading something scary—all while snuggling with my three rescue dogs.
What I’m looking for:
MIDDLE-GRADE AND YA
Horror- Give me your dark and twisted tales that make me question reality. I also love those campy stories full of tropes, so send them my way!
Fantasy/Paranormal- I want to see more stories with connection and relevance to culture and legends. I’m dying for a spooky ghost story! As for vampires? I’m totally interested in finding something unique and contemporary, especially if there’s an element of humor.
Romance- Remember your first kiss? I really want to see sweet first love stories. I want to feel that wave of butterflies first love creates and the awkwardness of a first kiss or that tension of having a crush—no matter the type of coupling (F/F, M/M, or F/M).
Contemporary- I am extremely interested in healthy female friendships, girl sport stories, and girls in rock bands. Give me girl power! I really want some darker or more serious stories as well, like kids dealing with homelessness, mental health, or adoption to name a few.
Mystery- I’d love to see stories including a group of teens that band together to solve puzzles and mysteries. Think of a modern day Goonies, Scooby-Doo, Nancy Drew (not the CW version), The Hardy Boys, or Pretty Little Liars. Make it gritty and dark for the win!
Novel in Verse- First love, discovering your true self, and growing up told in a lyrical form is exactly what I’m looking for.
ADULT
Horror- I want scary, smart stories. Show me your most devious characters and unreliable narrators.
Romance/Chic Lit/Rom Com- Give me books that make me swoon, laugh, and cry all at the same time. Stories of best friends turned lovers makes me super happy, no matter the coupling. I’d love to see more of true love stemming from blind dates and making it in the face of diversity.
NONFICTION
I am looking for powerful stories from diverse voices, including cookbooks that highlight family stories or ancestral anecdotes. I also LOVE pop culture and am always searching for that fun book that gives us the scoop.
In all age categories, if you have a unique perspective on an old theme…send it to me! I am especially interested in underrepresented and diverse voices. All people need to see themselves in the characters on the page, so send me LGBTQIA, POC, #OwnVoices stories.
What I am NOT looking for:
• Pandemic stories
• Angel/demon stories of any kind
• Political/Military thrillers
• Novellas/Short Story Collections
• Historical stories in fiction or non-fiction
• Chapter/Picture Books
• Screenplays
• High Fantasy
• Retellings
• Science Fiction
• Stories dependent on religious themes
• Stories focusing on suicide, rape, physical/mental abuse, or abductions
• Werewolf or zombie stories- unless you have something extremely unique