Send a Query to Carrie Pestritto at Laura Dail Literary Agency

View this agent's QueryTracker profile.
Thanks for thinking of me for your project!  I'm a big commercial and genre fiction lover, who is particularly drawn in by unique voices, strong character development, high-concept plots, and transporting experiences.  I'm currently on the lookout for the following:

—ACROSS ALL GENRES—
• Commercial fiction and nonfiction featuring BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized rep.

—ADULT FICTION—
• Provocative, upmarket women's fiction with compelling characters and new plot lines (especially those for Millennial and Gen Z readers).
• Engaging historical fiction (from about the 1800s on) showcasing a previously unfeatured perspective or an unknown aspect of history using riveting, immersive prose.
• Light, flirty romance and rom-coms with humor, modern relationships, and an escapist feel. I'm not the right fit for something in this genre that centers around social media/influencers, though.
• Thrillers and suspense with expertly executed twists or unreliable narrators (with main characters who are not the standard cops, district attorneys, CIA operatives, etc.).
• Sassy, fun cozy mysteries with locked room settings or that take place in an international locale (think Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation series-esque). I'd love to see something involving cosplay!

—ADULT NONFICTION—
• Transportive narrative nonfiction that reads like fiction.
• Prescriptive nonfiction.
• Pop science.
• Smart, piercing examinations of complex current issues.
• Memoir with timely or fascinating subject matter. I prefer stories centering around a specific event, period of time, topic, goal, etc. (like my client Marlo Mack's HOW TO BE A GIRL) as opposed to an entire chronology of someone's life. I'm not the right fit for inspirational or medical/illness memoirs or anything dealing with infertility.
• Biography/history that tackles previously unknown information or approaches from a new angle. I love micro-histories!

—CHILDREN'S FICTION—
• I'm only taking on select new children's projects at the moment.
• MG and YA that can be described as high-concept, tightly plotted, and inclusive (especially those that involve an adventure, mystery, or interesting character arcs/growth) with universally relatable tropes and a dash of quirkiness. However, I'm usually not a big fan of superhero stories in kidlit.
• Classical or universal stories, tropes, and relationships that have been given a fresh twist.
• Absorbing SFF with meticulous world building and anchored by a character-driven plot and vibrant relationships.
• Contemporary mysteries/thrillers with a non-school setting.

You can check out my #MSWL tweets at to learn more: twitter.com/search?q=%23MSWL%20from%3Aliterarycarrie&src=typd&lang=en.

If you think we might be a good fit, please fill out the query form below.

NOTE: I will *not* accept queries emailed to me directly.

I appreciate your cooperation and look forward to reading your submission! ☺

Optional: Sign in to QueryTracker

A QueryTracker account is NOT required to send a query. If you are not a member of QueryTracker, you can skip this step.

Signing into QueryTracker will link this query to your QueryTracker account, allowing it to be automatically tracked and displayed in QueryTracker for your convenience.
Not a QueryTracker member? Join here

Step 1: Tell us about the author

Fill in these author-related fields.




Have you ever been represented by a literary agent before?    
Have you previously published other books?    

Step 2: Tell us about the book

Fill in these book-related fields.

Genre: (required)
This agent is only seeking the genres shown in this list. If your book's genre is not shown here, please go to QueryTracker to find agents and publishers who are seeking your genre.
Query Letter: (required)
The formatting will be converted to block paragraphs without indenting, in order to standardize on a format. Pasting large blocks of text can take several seconds.
Pro Tip: Make your query letter shine, get it critiqued for free at qtCritique.com
Was any part of this book or query package created by A.I.?    
Is this book currently published or has it ever been published before?    
Paste the first 1 Chapters of your book (or, if the book is nonfiction, include the full book proposal.): (required)
The formatting will be converted to block paragraphs without indenting, in order to standardize on a format. Pasting large blocks of text can take several seconds.


Optional: Sign in to QueryTracker

A QueryTracker account is NOT required to send a query. If you are not a member of QueryTracker, you can skip this step.

Signing into QueryTracker will link this query to your QueryTracker account, allowing it to be automatically tracked and displayed in QueryTracker for your convenience.
Not a QueryTracker member? Join here

Final Step: Submit Your Query

Submit your query, or save a draft so you can come back and complete it later.

Important: After submitting your query, you will receive a personalized link to a special page that you can visit any time to check your query's status. If the agent would like to read more, they will contact you through that page as well as through email.
Query Draft Saved.

This form is powered by QueryManager, a service of QueryTracker. If you have any questions about this service, please Contact Us.

QueryTracker is a free service for authors to help them find literary agents and organize query letters. Learn more.