Allegra is all about magic, all the time. They joined Ladderbird in 2022 and have since built a list of spectacular authors writing fantastical books. They're also the editorial coordinator at Princeton University Press, formerly an editor at the University Press of Colorado, cofounder of Paths in Publishing, an artist, and a writer (under a pen name). Between the many hats they wear, they bring a well-rounded perspective to author-agent relationships and work expertly with various stakeholders across the publishing industry.
They love books that love you back: sweeping stories, characters with big hearts, and prose that inspires. When they’re not reading, you can usually find them gardening, crafting, or wrestling their misbehaving cats.
Allegra is looking for beautifully written speculative fiction in the Young Adult, Crossover, and Adult space. Their top priority is elevating stories and authors traditionally marginalized in publishing and they are always on the hunt for gorgeous prose.
They are open to speculative fiction in the broadest sense, from science fiction and fantasy to the only lightly fantastical. You can find a detailed and ever evolving MSWL on their website: allegramartschenko.com/agent
FAVOURITE BOOKS
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NETTLE & BONE by T. Kingfisher
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LIGHT FROM UNCOMMON STARS by Ryka Aoki
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GIDEON THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir
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THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS by Micaiah Johnson
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STRANGE THE DREAMER by Laini Taylor
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LORE by Alexandra Bracken
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THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
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IRON WIDOW by Xiran J. Zhao
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GEARBREAKERS by Zoe Hana Mikuta
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AN UNKINDNESS OF GHOSTS by Rivers Solomon
DREAM PROJECTS
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A fantasy sports book with strong found family vibes, especially queer found family. Like a magical FENCE or THE FOXHOLE COURT or BLUE LOCK (the anime)
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Disabled main character(s) whose disabilities realistically affect the way they navigate space—bonus points if it’s a thoughtful take on an adventure story.
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A book with horror as its subgenre, specifically atmospheric horror, and ideally in space or at the bottom of the ocean. They'd love something propulsive and creepy. Honestly anything that makes them feel like HARROW THE NINTH did.
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Warm fantasy in the Adult space. They say “warm” instead of “cozy” because they do still very much like a strong plot line, even if the world is soft and the stakes are more personal than world-ending.
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Something fantasy-lite or sci-fi-lite—speculative in the truest sense of the word that could appeal to an upmarket book club audience.
RESPONSE POLICY
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Allegra responds to all queries. Their current timeline is 1-2 weeks, though it varies based on their workload. Feel free to nudge if they have not responded within 4 weeks.