Captivating stories with a strong voice and authentic characters. The agent is looking for exciting premises that hook interest but are ultimately driven by well-developed characters and compelling narratives across various genres including horror, thriller, fantasy, upmarket fiction, and nonfiction.
Picture books, chapter books, MG (except referrals); AI; shock-only twists; disability as twist/problem; queerness solely about trauma/coming out.
Paige Terlip is a co-founder of Starling Literary + Media and co-chair of the Association of American Literary Agents' Communications Committee. She started her agenting career with Andrea Brown Literary Agency in 2017 before co-founding Starling at the end of 2025. She has a background in marketing, design, and freelance editorial, and is the founder of COwrite, which offers writing classes and workshops. She holds an MA in Children's Literature and an MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons University.
Submissions should be emailed to Query Manager: QueryManager.com/PaigeTerlip Follow the directions on Query Manager to submit your query. If interested in reading more, will request the full manuscript. Per Starling policy please only submit to one Starling agent at a time. For the full Starling submission guidelines visit: https://www.starlingliterary.com/submissions Please be patient! Paige personally reads each and every query and will respond as soon as possible. Replies to every query. Typical turn around time is 10-12 weeks, but sometimes may get behind. If you haven't heard, it means still considering! DO NOT email queries. All email queries will be automatically deleted.
Last verified: March 7, 2026
High Line Literary Collective
Howard Morhaim Literary Agency
Response time: ~10 weeks
Wolfson Literary Agency
Bradford Literary Agency
Response time: ~6 weeks