Natascha Morris, Senior Agent - THE TOBIAS AGENCY

Natascha joined The Tobias Literary Agency in 2020 after previously working at BookEnds Literary and Simon & Schuster. Natascha’s editorial philosophy stems from the idea that all books should be well written and entertaining, and that all children should see themselves and their lives in books.

Natascha is primarily looking for bold, emotional narratives with layered characters; lyrical and atmospheric writing; voicey genre-blending tales; big stakes; speculative worlds filled with haunting, quietly wondrous magic; sharply funny rom-coms and coming of age narratives; witty and heartfelt picture books; and fearless storytellers tackling big ideas. She loves working with and supporting marginalized authors and their stories, and believes in championing stories that blend literary finesse with commercial appeal.

https://www.thetobiasagency.com/natascha-morris

10:10:00 AM - 11:10:00 AM - BREAKOUT WORKSHOPS

What’s Sellable in Today’s Market? [PB | NOVELS]

- The market shift of 2025 caught many in publishing off guard—and because deal announcements often lag behind the trends, it can be hard to know what editors are truly hungry for right now. Join literary agent Natacha Morris for an inside look at what’s currently selling across picture books, middle grade, and young adult fiction. Drawing on conversations with more than 100 editors over the past year, Natacha will share a clear, distilled view of today’s marketplace, emerging themes, and the kinds of stories gaining traction. The session will also feature mentor text examples to help illustrate what’s working—and why.

Presented by Natascha Morris, Agent | THE TOBIAS AGENCY

1:05:00 PM - 2:05:00 PM - BREAKOUT WORKSHOPS

Hacking the MSWL [PB | NOVELS]

- Come learn how agent Natascha Morris reverse engineers a story. From inspiration and MSWL, she will walk you through the outline steps to creating a new manuscript. Whether you are working on new idea or have no idea where to even start, this proven method will help you crack the code on how to give editors and agents exactly what they might be looking for. Handouts will be provided, and her breakout session #1 is recommended.

Presented by Natascha Morris, Agent | THE TOBIAS AGENCY

Natascha will critique 4 picture books and 6 graphic novel/young adult/new adult manuscripts. If you purchase one of Natascha's critiques, you will need to prepare the following:

Picture Books - send one complete picture book manuscript, no more than 800 words as a PDF file.

Novels - send 10 pages of the manuscript and a one-page synopsis for your better understanding of the work as a whole in one PDF file. Note: the 10 pages do not include the synopsis.

Your critique materials will need to be received no later than Wednesday, August 26, 2026.

Natascha will accept submissions from attendees for 1 month following the conference beginning Monday, November 16, 2026, through Wednesday, December 17, 2026.

She is open to submissions the following categories and genres.

Category – picture book, middle grade, graphic novel, young adult, new adult

Genre – fantasy, horror, mystery, romance, humorous

Attendees may submit their manuscripts, portfolios, and dummies via a special Query Manager link. The link will be sent to registrants.