Adam Cyzner

Adam Cyzner (he/him) is currently studying film and psychology (among other subjects) at Wesleyan University. He loves photography especially when used to capture beautiful, organic moments in nature. He has danced in all styles from jazz to ballet since middle school and is currently developing his skills in contemporary choreography. Adam strongly believes in the power of storytelling that literature, dance, film, and television all possess to immerse the audience and begin a discourse.

​In terms of genre, Adam loves horror and psychological thrillers that utilize strong imagery to worm their way into the reader's mind and absorb their attention with a particular interest in books that feel cinematic. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, he also adores warmhearted queer romances and seeks to improve the representation of queer characters in film, television, and books. Adam wants to find original, boundary-breaking stories, whether novels or screenplays, that involve the reader in an emotional journey while providing profound observations on the human condition and existence. He especially loves stories that are grounded in reality and incorporate a fantastical or supernatural twist to absorb the reader.

Please address me as Adam in your query if you think that I would be a good fit for your project! I will be sharing a box with Tessa Shaffer for now, so please be sure to address me if you would like for me to have the first look at your query. 
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Screenplays: 

• Submit screenplays here: https://QueryManager.com/TessaShaffer
• Please include your logline, genre, and upload the first 20 pages of your script in the form (preferably as a pdf) where it says "Upload the First 20 Pages of Your Book"
• Tessa and I will request the full script if we are interested in reading more.
• Please be sure to include in your query if your screenplay has won any notable awards.

Adam's Wishlist: 

Film/TV

• Adam would love to see polished screenplays with strong voices and visuals for the following genres:
  • Drama
  • Comedy
  • Satire in the vein of The Menu or I Care a Lot
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • Thriller/Psychological Thriller
  • LGBTQ+ Romance/Rom-Com
  • Family 
• We are primarily looking for feature-length screenplays at this time.

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Books

Genres of Interest

Fiction (note that the genres and comps listed below are by no means definitive. I'm generally quite open to anything!)

In Adult, New Adult, Young Adult, and Middle Grade (some genres below may not be applicable for certain age groups)

• LGBTQ+ Romance (either on its own or in combination with the genres below) 
  • ​Comps: Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, Tin Man by Sarah Winman, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
• Paranormal mysteries where the line between the supernatural and reality is blurred
  • ​Comps: Books by Jennifer McMahon and Simone St. James 
• Contemporary ​Mystery/Thriller with strong control over the reveal of information, potentially unreliable narrators, and unpredictable twists
  • ​​​Comps: Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, books by Ruth Ware, The Guest List by Lucy Foley  
  • I especially love Multi-POV stories!
• Light or cozy SFF novels that are grounded in reality 
  • Comps: Midnight Library by Matt Haig, House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, We Are the Ants ​by Shaun David Hutchinson
• Horror with strong imagery that maintains tension and prioritizes atmosphere, narrative, and characters over excessive gore
  • Comps: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah 
  • I would love to read some Social Horror!
• Stories about twisted and/or unusual motherhood
  • Comps: The Push by Ashley Audrain, The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
• Literary or upmarket fiction that skillfully reveals the cracks within a seemingly perfect suburban landscape
  • Comp: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
• Stories that provoke an existential crisis or make the reader ponder broader philosophical questions
  • Monk & Robot by Becky Chambers, The Humans by Matt Haig, Soul
• Stories focusing on mental health with a potential supernatural/fantastical twist
• Game Show or Reality TV stories that straddle the border between grounded and absurd 
• General contemporary fiction (literary, upmarket, or commercial) that feature underrepresented voices
  • Can be mixed with other genres
  • I would especially love a Middle Grade story with a LGBTQ+ Protagonist 

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Nonfiction

• Psychology books that make complex theory/phenomena accessible to a general audience
• Memoirs that are unique and/or "out-of-the-box" (or perhaps even eccentric) 
  • Comps: Educated by Tara Westover, Sounds like Titanic by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman

Adam's Recent Favorite Books (will be periodically updated)

• Little Weirds by Jenny Slate 
• Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon
• The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca
• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart 
• Garlic and the Vampire ​by Bree Paulsen

Query Guidelines

Submit Work Here

Manuscript Wish List