MARY ALTMANSenior Editor, Sourcebooks Casablanca
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR... My books cross multiple genres, including Romance, Women’s Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Young Adult, and a few I probably haven’t considered yet. I’m very interested in books that could live on multiple shelves and am drawn to high concept ideas.
Romance & Women’s Fiction: Unique, engaging, risk-taking romance and women’s fiction in all sub-genres. I love taking chances on unusual books and appreciate fresh approaches to familiar tropes. I am always looking for diversity in character, setting, and story, and welcome Own Voices narratives and books with LGBTQIA+ leads. |
Horror: Atmospheric, compelling horror with something new to say. I’m especially interested in hearing from voices that tend to be underrepresented in the genre.
Young Adult: Gripping stories about older young adults (16+, including “New Adult”) with a high concept hook. I’m especially drawn to LGBTQIA+ stories that go beyond the coming out narrative, horror and thriller, and books with a strong commercial edge.
RIGHT NOW, PLEASE DON'T SEND ME... Stories where the key conflict could be solved by a single conversation or knuckle-dragging, sexist alpha males. My rule of thumb is this: if I wouldn’t want my best friend dating him, I don’t want my heroines dating him. I’m also not interested in horror that relies on killing women as shock value.
HOW I GOT INTO BOOKS... The first book I remember loving was The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I was obsessed with the idea of finding Narnia and spent the summer checking every closet I came across just in case. Not too long after that, I found my way to The Last Unicorn and The Hobbit. (And let’s not forget hours spent wading through longboxes of Marvel comics.) I’ve been a dyed-in-the-wool geek ever since.
Young Adult: Gripping stories about older young adults (16+, including “New Adult”) with a high concept hook. I’m especially drawn to LGBTQIA+ stories that go beyond the coming out narrative, horror and thriller, and books with a strong commercial edge.
RIGHT NOW, PLEASE DON'T SEND ME... Stories where the key conflict could be solved by a single conversation or knuckle-dragging, sexist alpha males. My rule of thumb is this: if I wouldn’t want my best friend dating him, I don’t want my heroines dating him. I’m also not interested in horror that relies on killing women as shock value.
HOW I GOT INTO BOOKS... The first book I remember loving was The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I was obsessed with the idea of finding Narnia and spent the summer checking every closet I came across just in case. Not too long after that, I found my way to The Last Unicorn and The Hobbit. (And let’s not forget hours spent wading through longboxes of Marvel comics.) I’ve been a dyed-in-the-wool geek ever since.
SOME FAVORITE BOOKS AND AUTHORS I DIDN'T PUBLISH... I have pretty wide-ranging tastes. Guy Gavriel Kay (Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan) is one of my favorites, though I’ll always be in the mood to read Lisa Kleypas (The Wallflower Quartet). Every few years, I end up revisiting classic horror such as Stephen King’s The Shining and The Stand.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS AN EDITOR DOES FOR AN AUTHOR IS... It’s easy to get lost in the wilderness of a novel—a good editor plays navigator, field medic, companion, and nagging backseat driver, keeping an eye on all the details that could go wrong along the way and guiding the book toward its final destination.
I LOVE MY JOB BECAUSE... I get to work with creative people in a dynamic community. There’s nothing better than that.
WHEN I'M NOT READING, I'LL BE... Playing unusual board games with my friends, checking out the latest Bioware releases (I’ve spent countless hours on the Dragon Age franchise alone), poking through Archive of Our Own, and plotting my next world adventure. You can find me in comic book stores and tea shops…or with my headphones on listening to Critical Role or The Adventure Zone.
I FOLLOW READING, WRITING, AND PUBLISHING NEWS AT... Publishers Lunch, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Dear Author.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS AN EDITOR DOES FOR AN AUTHOR IS... It’s easy to get lost in the wilderness of a novel—a good editor plays navigator, field medic, companion, and nagging backseat driver, keeping an eye on all the details that could go wrong along the way and guiding the book toward its final destination.
I LOVE MY JOB BECAUSE... I get to work with creative people in a dynamic community. There’s nothing better than that.
WHEN I'M NOT READING, I'LL BE... Playing unusual board games with my friends, checking out the latest Bioware releases (I’ve spent countless hours on the Dragon Age franchise alone), poking through Archive of Our Own, and plotting my next world adventure. You can find me in comic book stores and tea shops…or with my headphones on listening to Critical Role or The Adventure Zone.
I FOLLOW READING, WRITING, AND PUBLISHING NEWS AT... Publishers Lunch, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Dear Author.
AGENTS CAN CONTACT ME AT mary.altman@sourcebooks.com, direct line 630-536-0544