Lane Clarke is a literary agent with Arthouse Literary.

Lane earned a Bachelors’ degree in English Literature from Virginia Tech, and a J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School. She is a Young Adult author and works as an attorney in Washington, D.C. As the creator of the #BVM hashtag for Twitter story pitch events, and the co-founder of #PitBLK, a pitch event highlighting Black writers, she is committed to making sure marginalized voices have a space in traditional publishing.

She is seeking:

Lane is looking for an array of genres in Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult. In all age groups, she would love to see stories by underrepresented and marginalized creators. If your book takes on an old genre with a new point of view (Netflix’s THE HARDER THEY FALL), I want to see it!

In Middle Grade, she is looking for adventure stories and big emotions. Think a middle school version of National Treasure. She loves inquisitive middle grade books that ask big questions. She would love to see horror stories with a historical lens, contemporary books that push against the status quo, and fantasy that takes on underrepresented mythology.

In Young Adult, she is looking for contemporary stories that pack an emotional punch. Coming-of-age stories. She would also love historical fiction similar to Stacey Lee and Ruta Sepetys (certain to make her cry). She is looking for speculative contemporary fiction similar to Adam Silvera and Justin A. Reynolds. Worlds where there is something just a little bit off. She is also looking for books with interesting narrative structures, similar to ILLUMINAE and SLEEPING GIANTS. Multiple POV books should be well-balanced. She is looking for smart YA that takes on cultural issues from the point of view of messy teenagers. She is also looking for college stories, freshmen coming-of-age stories, and books about teens who do something other than college as their next step. She loves found family books! She would love to see Graphic Novels from writer/illustrators.

In Adult, she is looking for romance with lots of tension! Slow burns are her absolute favorite. She is looking for heroines and love interests who do not often get the spotlight – heroines and love interests of color, neurodivergent, disabled, etc. She is also looking for literary fiction that are generational sagas (think PACHINKO) or societal commentary (think SUCH A FUN AGE and THE VANISHING HALF). She is looking for epic fantasy with a strong cultural point of view (THE POPPY WAR and CITY OF BRASS). She would love smart horror that reveals inner demons (STRANGER THINGS SEASON 4 – Max). She would love adult fiction that addresses societal issues (Alyssa Cole’s WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING). Books that elicit strong emotional reactions.

In Nonfiction, she is looking for little known historical figures who made big impacts (like BASEBALL’S LEADING LADY) in all age groups MG and above. She is looking for humorous essay collections that address societal issues and personal growth (HERE FOR IT). She would love to see memoirs about the immigrant experience.

What She Doesn’t Want: Chapter books, erotica.