It can't harm to know in advance - and perhaps catch a trend or two. Not that you should just start an avalanche of proposals to these individuals, but get a feeling of what the publishing world is looking for.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

What US Editors Want 2013

Ten US editors have kindly explained what sort of books they are looking for this year .  by Andrew Lownie    1) Amy Cherry, Vice President & Senior Editor, NortonHaving just handled the reissues of the 50th anniversaries of A Clockwork Orange and The Feminine Mystique , I’ve had a chance to contemplate how little we can guess about which books will make a mark. Both these works were bought because they were important and provocative, not because they had any guarantee of becoming the bestsellers they were. That, despite my penchant for quirky books, leads me to the kind of book submissions that I hope to see in the upcoming year. I’ve started acquiring works in history that go beyond the US, especially ones that take in a great swath of history, like last year’s Double Entry, which started in Mesopotamia and ended in the present. I also love biographies and memoirs that speak beyond the lives to be emblematic of the cultures and times in which they were lived. Narrative non-fiction that can balance the writer’s voice with a compelling subject is terrific when it works, but tricky to pull off. If I could find a couple of those this year, too, I’d be very happy. (more) http://www.andrewlownie.co.uk/2013/01/12/what-us-editors-want-2013