fantasy

August 2025 MSWL Roundup: What Literary Agents Want in Sci-Fi & Fantasy

/ RG Newhouse / Leave a comment
Storybook-style illustration of an overwhelmed blonde writer surrounded by floating manuscript pages, stacks of books, glowing post-it notes, and teacups, with a chalkboard reading “MSWL” in the background, capturing the chaos of preparing queries.
Querying season is upon us. If your manuscript is chaos and your vibe is ✨panicked hope✨, welcome…. you’re in the right place.

If you thought July’s MSWL rundown had some juicy tidbits, wait ‘til you see what agents are craving this month. Diversity? Yes. Emotionally resonant speculative fiction? Double yes. Manuscripts that won’t break their inboxes with 180K word counts? Be still my querying heart.

I’ve combed through the latest wishlists and agent updates to bring you the highlights from August 2025 aka what literary agents want in August 2025. Whether you’re writing for middle graders, emotionally feral teens, or jaded adults trying to cram a trilogy into one cursed Google Doc, here’s what literary agents are thirsting after in sci-fi and fantasy this month:

Storybook-style illustration of a brooding sorcerer and a fierce woman standing back-to-back in a glowing enchanted forest, both holding swords, surrounded by magical light and blooming flowers—capturing the romantic tension and fantasy drama of the romantasy genre.
If your story has swords, longing, and one morally gray love interest with a tragic past… you’re in peak romantasy territory.

Middle Grade (MG)

1. Miriam Cortinovis (KI Agency)

Miriam is open to upper MG speculative fiction and especially loves stories with small-town magic, multiverse adventures, fairy-tale echoes, and emotionally rich storytelling. She’s actively seeking BIPOC, LGBTQAI+, and disabled voices in both fantasy and sci-fi.

Trend Watch:

Genre-blended MG is hot, think magical realism mysteries, environmental fantasy, and character-driven quests

High-concept? Check. Emotionally devastating? Double check. Inclusive speculative fiction is here to rule your TBR and your feels.

Young Adult (YA)

1. Miriam Cortinovis (KI Agency)

Miriam is seeking YA speculative fiction with gothic quests, queer fairy-tale retellings, and romantic multiverse drama that packs emotional depth. She loves stories that blend genres and center inclusive, emotionally driven narratives.

2. Amanda Elliott (P.S. Literary)

Amanda wants romantasy dripping in chemistry and immersive worldbuilding. She’s also on the lookout for speculative romance that leans into genre structure, as well as horror with polish and a strong emotional undercurrent.

Trend Watch:

Emotional inclusivity and big-hearted fantasy are still reigning. YA readers want swoon, stakes, and depth… not necessarily in that order, but ideally all at once.

Storybook-style illustration of a cloaked figure standing in the ruins of a futuristic, collapsing city at sunset, with glowing green tech and a mysterious orb in the sky—capturing the emotional and intellectual tone of future-forward science fiction.
Near-future. Slightly broken. Emotionally devastating. Welcome to the golden age of smart sci-fi.

New Adult / Adult

1. Miriam Cortinovis (KI Agency)

Miriam is open to high-concept sci-fi and fantasy that spans romantic, historical, urban, and speculative subgenres. She’s particularly excited about space heists, AI drama, and dystopias with soul… especially if they bend genres and break hearts.

2. Amanda Elliott (P.S. Literary)

Amanda continues her reign as queen of emotional genre fiction. She’s looking for romantasy with swoon-worthy characters and detailed worldbuilding, speculative romance that punches hard, and grounded sci-fi that still delivers on emotional impact.

3. Samantha Wekstein (TL Agency)

Samantha is seeking concise, standalone adult sci-fi and fantasy under 100K words. If it’s sharp, emotionally impactful, and doesn’t demand a five-book commitment, she wants to see it.

4. Rebecca Matte (Bradford Literary)

Rebecca is craving Afro-Caribbean and anti-colonial fantasy that centers cultural richness and mythic weight. She’s also drawn to D&D-style epic quests and urban fantasy grounded in modern real-world settings.

5. Diana M. Pho (Erewhon Books)

Diana is scouting near-future sci-fi, Afrofuturism, climate collapse narratives, cyberpunk angst, and time travel stories. She’s especially interested in big-concept speculative fiction where the setting, especially a city, functions like a character in its own right.

Trend Watch:

Agents want emotional resonance and intellectual depth. Diverse perspectives, tight plots, and self-contained arcs are hot and your sprawling 3-book arc might want to consider a prequel novella first.

Before we dive into dragon kisses and post-apocalyptic despair, here’s what’s dominating the sci-fi and fantasy manuscript wish list right now:

Top 3 Genres Trending This Month

1. Romantasy

Fantasy with emotional and romantic stakes (plus probably one morally gray love interest with a tragic backstory). Agents want chemistry, magic, and immersive worlds that hurt so good and possibly ruin your sleep schedule.

2. Inclusive Speculative Fiction

BIPOC, queer, aro/ace, and disabled protagonists navigating magical chaos and space capitalism. The more emotional damage and identity vibes, the better… trauma arcs welcome.

3. Future-Forward Sci-Fi

Climate collapse, cyberpunk dystopias, and time-loop nightmares (bonus if it makes the reader question their existence). Must balance intellect with heart… smart and devastating is the new black.

Storybook-style illustration of a smiling writer in a pink hoodie holding a “Query!” flag, surrounded by cheerful gremlin-like creatures climbing stacks of books and flinging manuscript pages into the air—symbolizing encouragement and querying chaos.
Your manuscript’s weird. Your word count is bold. It’s your turn to query — gremlins and all.

Final Thoughts from a SFF Chaos Gremlin

Let’s be real: August’s wishlist isn’t asking for easy genre tropes. These agents want bold, diverse, and intentionally crafted stories that don’t just entertain… they mean something.

So whether you’re conjuring cities-as-characters or penning queer starship mutinies, don’t be afraid to write weird, write tight, and write with your whole unhinged heart. Especially if you’re querying agents for sci-fi and fantasy this fall.

When in doubt? Space heist. Or cursed library. Or emotionally compromised assassin with a pet crow. Look, we don’t make the rules, we just write like gremlins with deadlines.

Agree with the trends? Have a spicy take on what should be on this month’s MSWL? Drop your thoughts, your favorites, or your chaos-fueled pitches in the comments… because we’re all in this querying mess together.

August 2025 Fiction Trends: Romance, Climate Collapse, and the Rise of Smut-Lit With Feelings

/ RG Newhouse / Leave a comment
Storybook-style illustration of a cozy reading nook in August, featuring a woman reading with a cat on her lap, surrounded by stacked books, teapots, houseplants, and a calendar marked August 2025.
What better way to dive into August’s fiction trends than with a good book, a purring cat, and enough tea to rival your TBR?

Since we’ve already covered what literary agents wanted for July (and stay tuned for our August MSWL roundup, link coming soon), August is the month where we ask, “Okay, but what are people actually reading right now?” Spoiler: it’s not your half-finished space opera about caffeinated goats (sorry, me). The fiction world is on fire in more ways than one and yes, that includes both cli-fi and books that could set off the office smoke alarm.

We scoured bestseller lists, industry roundups, BookTok buzz, and more to pull together top book recs for each trend in this post. so whether you’re looking to bulk up your TBR pile or just love knowing what’s hot, there’s something here for you. Some links may be affiliate links, but no pressure… they just help fuel my tea stash and cozy sock collection.

So, whether you’re querying, publishing, or just procrastinating on your edits by calling it “research,” here’s your roundup of what’s trending in fiction this August, complete with a dash of snark, a sprinkle of chaos, and a whole lot of bookish love.

What Are the Top Fiction Trends in August 2025?

Romantasy Still Owns the Throne

Storybook-style illustration of a glowing fantasy castle in the clouds with a couple holding hands in the foreground, surrounded by pink mist, sparkles, and flying dragons, romantic fantasy aesthetic.
Romantasy is still ruling hearts in August 2025… magic, longing, and dragon lit castles included.

Lovers. Magic. Betrayal. Monsters. Spicy wingspan content. It’s the genre that refuses to chill and we love her for it. From dragons to dark academia, romantasy remains the blueprint. Especially if it’s queer. Extra points if it started as fanfic.

Trending tropes:

  • Forced proximity in a magical castle
  • Enemies to lovers but with trauma bonding
  • Soft boys with devastating secrets and killer jawlines

Top Romantasy Picks:

From Fanfic to Front Shelf

Storybook-style illustration of a glowing laptop on a cozy bed, transforming into a magical open book with floating hearts and pages, surrounded by fairy lights and shelves of books, symbolizing the journey from fanfic to published novel.
From bedroom fanfic to bestselling romance, these stories are no longer hiding in the drafts folder.

Raise your hand if your favorite book was secretly Dramione with the serial numbers filed off. You’re not alone. Publishers are finally realizing fanfic writers have range, and readers? They’re here for it. These stories are raw, passionate, and not afraid to be messy.

Shoutout to:

Cli-Fi is Hot (Literally)

Storybook-style illustration of a cracked desert landscape with wildflowers growing through the earth, wind turbines in the distance, and two characters holding hands at sunrise—symbolizing hope in a climate fiction setting.
When the world is on fire (literally), cli-fi reminds us there’s still beauty and maybe even love on the horizon.

Turns out the end of the world makes great reading material. Climate fiction is gaining momentum as readers look for escapism with just enough realism to make them uncomfortable in a productive way. Think hopeful dystopia meets eco-witchcore.

Plot moodboards:

  • “The bees are dying and so are we, but there’s a love story”
  • Apocalyptic desert romance with found family and a suspiciously magical cactus

Top Cli-Fi Picks:

Smut-Lit, But Make It Emotional

Storybook-style illustration of two blushing women reading together at a candlelit table, surrounded by hearts, steam, and stacks of books—capturing the warmth, intimacy, and charm of emotional smut-lit fiction.
Spice? Yes. But also feelings, blushes, and candlelit intimacy. Emotional smut-lit is having a moment.

We are officially past the “just spice” era. Now it’s erotica with feelings, prose with depth, and awkward-but-relatable consent convos. Call it what you want, literary erotica, character-driven smut, or just a good time, we’re all reading it. Loudly. On public transit.

What’s working:

  • Queer desire across all identities
  • Messy, unfiltered vulnerability in relationships
  • Aesthetic covers that whisper “yes, it’s steamy but also art”

Top Smut-Lit Picks:

Literary Fiction is Having a Smart Girl Summer

Storybook-style illustration of a woman with glasses reading in a pink chair, surrounded by flying book pages, sunlight streaming through tall windows, stacks of books, and a fluffy cat—evoking the thoughtful, immersive mood of literary fiction.
Literary fiction in August 2025? Big thoughts, cozy chairs, and enough layers to make your English Lit professor proud.

Big feelings, deep thoughts, and a word count that demands snacks. This is the fiction for when you want to feel something and also remind yourself that your English Lit degree wasn’t in vain.

Top shelf names this month:

Books Are Pretty Now

Storybook-style illustration of a shelf filled with colorful collector edition books featuring gold foil embossing, sprayed edges, and twinkling stars—highlighting the aesthetic trend of beautifully designed books.
Books are officially ✨ art ✨ now. Sprayed edges, foiled spines, and collector covers are taking over August 2025 shelves.

Sprayed edges. Foil embossing. Textured spines. Your bookshelf wants to be Instagram-famous and honestly? Same. Collectible editions are everywhere, and you will buy the same book three times. We all do it. It’s tradition.

Top Pretty Editions to Drool Over:

Final Thoughts from a Trend-Watching Gremlin

Storybook-style illustration of a cozy gremlin-like character in a pink sweater sitting among towers of books, holding a “Your turn!” sign with a mug of tea and an open notebook under a starry sky—inviting reader interaction.
The gremlin has spoken. Drop your favorite August reads (or chaos-fueled trend recs) in the comments — your turn!

If you’re trying to stay on top of fiction book trends for August 2025, you’re not alone and there’s so much out there it’s basically a literary theme park.

Listen, I know trends come and go. But August feels like a buffet of everything: romance, angst, heatwaves, and heartbreak. Whether you write, read, or just lovingly pet your TBR pile while crying softly… there’s a place for you here.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a cli-fi romantasy fanfic about cursed librarians and magically induced lust to write. Because someone has to. And it might as well be me.

Agree with my picks? Think I missed a must-read? Drop your favorite August reads (or the best new books August 2025 has to offer) (or trends you’re loving) in the comments… I’d love to hear what’s on your TBR pile too!

Peace Garden Drift

/ RG Newhouse / Leave a comment
Illustration of a young Wind Rider in flight gear sitting on a wooden mooring platform beside a large, red and teal-feathered creature. They overlook a vast sky filled with pink-orange clouds and floating spired structures, under a twilight sky dotted with stars.
Konnor and Telvan at the edge of memory… where grief, sky, and purpose meet.

🪁 Wind Rider Wednesday

“Peace Garden Drift Wasn’t Much. But It Was Ours.”

Konnor Chapman has always hated speeches. So when the Drift elders asked him to speak at the Remembrance Ceremony during the last Eddy, he froze. The request brought it all rushing back… the Scourwind, the screams, the silence that followed. Even after all these years, the wound hadn’t fully closed. But later that night, while sitting on the edge of the sky mooring rails with Telvan’s tail draped over his boots, he said something better.

Something true.

“Peace Garden Drift wasn’t much. But it was ours. You ask me what was worth fighting for? It wasn’t banners or sky medals. It was hearing our neighbor’s forge fire spark up at dawn. It was that sour plum tree by the orchard fence. It was the kid who built a glider out of garden shears and nearly crashed it into the grain tower twice. That’s what mattered. That’s why I ride.”

Drifts may look like scattered islands on a map, but to their people, they’re home. Floating gardens. Broken foundations made whole again. And no two are the same.

Peace Garden Drift isn’t Konnor’s home anymore, but it lives in his memory like sunlight through orchard leaves. After the Scourwind tore through it, taking nearly all of the thousand souls who once lived there, its absence became a presence in his life. No matter how much sky passes beneath his boots, that Drift still shapes his steps.

It was a midsize farming Drift that hugged the northern Mistral’s calmer bends. Its mooring lines would creak in the wind. The orchard was always half wild. There was a tiny stone clinic that doubled as a schoolhouse. The older kids painted murals on the walls every time the Eddy came around.

The Riders stationed there were long-serving. They knew every face, every roof tile, every knot in the bridge planks. They weren’t just defenders. They were family.

And for all his jokes, Konnor became a Wind Rider so no other Drift kid would have to go through what he did.

🔹 Curious about the skybound world Konnor came from?
Next week’s lore deep-dive will explore what Drifts are, how they float, and why they matter. Don’t miss it!