SARAH GRILL

Sarah Grill is an Associate Editor at St. Martin’s Press. She has been working in publishing since 2016, interning at Harvey Klinger, Janklow & Nesbit, and Writers House before joining the editorial staff at St. Martin's in 2018. Prior to her work in publishing, she lived in Los Angeles and worked in development at Alloy Entertainment, packaging, adapting, and pitching books for films and TV shows. Sarah is actively acquiring upmarket fiction, elevated mysteries and suspense, contemporary YA, and narrative nonfiction.

On the adult fiction side, she’s a fan of: juicy coming-of-age stories that explore the sinister side of friendships, relationships, and lost innocence, in the vein of My Dark Vanessa, You Will Know Me, The Girls, or The Secret History; brilliantly crafted, tightly plotted mysteries where the writing is as satisfying as the twists; contained settings—whether that’s a college campus, a small town, a secret society, or an isolated cabin in the woods; and big-hearted, body-positive, representative rom-coms that tackle the ugly and beautiful bits of love.

In YA, she’s drawn to contemporary voice-driven projects that feel authentic to how today’s teenagers experience the world. She’s especially eager to find a great mystery with a strong investigative drive in the vein of Truly Devious or Ace of Spades that brings the traditional, Christie-esque tropes to YA audiences and puts teen protagonists in a position of power—give her a Gen Z Nancy Drew she’d actually want to hang out with. She’s eternally seeking her light-hearted Jewish rom-com and a really great John Hughes retelling.

In non-fiction, she’s looking for thoughtful, well-researched narrative nonfiction that sheds light on larger cultural issues. She’s particularly interested in powerful investigative crime nonfiction with a literary edge, historical or contemporary, that encapsulates not just the crime but its societal impact. She’d also love to see wilderness and adventure stories (think Jon Krakauer from a female point of view), pop culture, and pop science/psychology.

Some recent and upcoming titles she's worked on include These Silent Woods, an atmospheric novel of suspense set in remote Appalachia, The Make-Up Test, a fat-positive academic rom-com with heart, Accomplished, an irreverent YA Austen retelling, and You're Watching Disney Channel, an investigative deep dive into nostalgia and the most iconic teen TV network.