Today I’m thrilled to have agent Melanie Castillo here. She is a literary agent at Root Literary.
1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent.
I started my career in editorial, working with children’s and adult nonfiction titles at a Southern California publishing house and, later, as a freelancer. But back in grad school, I worked closely with a local publishing professional who mentored me. She once looked at me and abruptly said, “Melanie, I know you think you’re an editor, but you’re not. You’re an agent.” I never forgot her conviction. and I constantly kept an eye out for LA agency opportunities while knowing that, ultimately, breaking into that side of publishing would likely require a move to NY. Instead, I joined Root Literary as an agency assistant in 2018.
That first year I
helped the agency find authors like Cameron Lund, Jessica Lewis, and Kim
Neville, the last of which ended up being one of the first clients I signed
when I started building a list of my own. I’m really proud of the list I’ve
built over the last year. I’ve made a home for myself and my clients at Root
Literary, and I love working with smart, capable, kind, and quite frankly bad
ass women every day.
I work primarily on
MG, YA, and adult books. The first of those books will come out next year: Sarah
Prineas’s Trouble in the Stars (Philomel, 4/27/21), Kim Neville’s The
Memory Collectors (Atria, 3/16/21), and Kate Sweeney’s Catch the Light
(Philomel, Fall 2021). There’s an art to building a list and finding your
stride as an agent, but it’s a borderline alchemical thing I sometimes struggle
to put words to. At the agency, we tell all our new hires that we believe in
shine theory, and it’s true. But it extends to our clients, too. To all the
people we work with. And when I think about my role in this industry and both my
professional and personal goals, that’s what it really comes down to. I was
raised on stories. And now I want to shine a light on the people who create
them because when they shine, we all shine.
2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.
Literary agent Holly
Root launched over two dozen New York Times bestsellers before founding Root
Literary in 2017. The agency's clients benefit from our agents' proven skills
in identifying talent, negotiating advantageous deals, and advocating for our
books all the way from submission to publication. We offer our clients
broad-based industry insights as well as individualized strategic thinking to
empower each author to define and pursue their own unique path to success. We
love what we do, and we do it best in partnership with authors who combine
skillful storytelling with the drive to build a lasting body of work.
What She’s Looking For:
3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What
genres do you represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these
genres?
I represent MG and YA across
genres. But while I’m open to pretty much anything (it’s less what is this
and more can I sell it—or do I know how to guide this author—for me),
I tend to gravitate the most toward science fiction and fantasy, anything with
an element of mystery or suspense, and speculative and literary fiction. I do
love a good romcom or contemporary romance, too. Distilling down what I’m
looking for in these genres is always tricky. A story that takes elements we
all know and makes them feel fresh and new. That lets the characters drive the
plot. That gets an emotional reaction out of the reader, a laugh, a cry, the
swoons. But also fear, anger, a sense of being seen.
4. Is there anything you would
be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?
I want to see stories
from creators of all backgrounds, but I’d especially love more Latinx
submissions. I’m also really hungry for an intersectional YA romcom and
grounded YA SFF. Those stories are fun because readers have an easier time
casting themselves in one of the roles—they’re accessible but escapist. And to
be clear, grounded does not mean unimaginative. I once read a book set on an
ice planet that was incredibly grounded.
What She Isn’t Looking For:
5. What types of submissions are you not interested in?
I don’t currently
represent picture books. But as a rule, I try not to limit myself. The truth is
that I can hang with almost any genre.
Agent Philosophy:
6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors
you want to work with and the books you want to represent?
I see my clients as
business and creative partners. Having a relationship that’s built on mutual
respect, transparency, and trust is so critical to our ability to have an open
dialogue. I want my clients to feel like they can be themselves around me, and
that includes being able to clearly communicate their dreams and ideas and
goals. Together, we strategize about how to make it all happen. But I
understand that career goals and the stories someone’s drawn to can change over
time. I sign people as much as I do projects. I can grow alongside people, hopefully
for many projects to come.
I’m often initially
drawn to voice or style when considering a new client. I love hearing about
what else they’re working on because the ability to craft high concepts is so
crucial to making a splash in the market. Plot’s important, of course, but it’s
the part of the writing process that others can help you with (your agent and
editor, critique partners and beta readers, etc.) and the thing most likely to
change as you revise. But there aren’t any particular voices I’m drawn to more
than others—I just want to read something that feels honest.
Editorial Agent:
7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when
you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors?
I get a little
squirrely when people ask me this question. I work really hard after signing a
client to ensure that my role is very clearly delineated from that of their
editor. Even if we haven’t put a deal together yet. It’s good to establish that
dynamic early on. So in short, no, I wouldn’t call myself an editorial agent.
But others might, so it’s not that simple. I’ve never been quite sure where the
line is drawn—what makes an agent one or the other. I read through a manuscript
several times before taking it out on submission. That first read is usually
the “purest” one, where I do my best to be a reader first and foremost while
jotting down the occasional note. The second read comes after I sign a client.
It’s when I metaphorically crack my knuckles and dive deep into the beats of a
story, lock down the worldbuilding, track character motivations and goals, and
point out places where the author could lean in more or pull back. Together we
take a story as far as we possibly can, understanding that when we sell it, the
editor who buys the book will have their own shared vision with the author—that
we’re only just getting started. After that second read, I send my clients an
editorial letter and in-line comments directly on the manuscript. Sometimes we
go over the letter together on the phone, brainstorming and making sure we’re
on the same page. From there, it’s a mixture of gut instinct, what my clients
need, and honoring the story we’re trying to put out in the world together. This
is where that alchemy I mentioned earlier comes into play. I know when my time
with a story has come to an end. That’s when the creative side of my job takes
backseat to the business side.
Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before
submitting)
8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the
query letter?
Authors can start the querying process by reviewing our agency guidelines
at rootliterary.com/submissions.
We ask for the usual when it comes to query letters—the pitch for the work
itself, a little about yourself, and the first ten pages of the manuscript. It’s
both helpful and interesting to see what comp titles you include, but it’s not
necessarily a requirement.
9. Do you have any specific
dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you?
A query letter is kind
of like a cover letter for a job you’re applying to. The best cover letters
I’ve read are personable and professional. That’s a balance you can
strike with a query letter too. I’m not a huge fan of queries written from a
character’s POV or in the third person. Just be yourself. I also don’t love
when authors try to assure me that their book will be a bestseller or the next
big blockbuster and, to a lesser extent, that they see this project being book
one in a five-book series and have already written more—it shows me that they
might not have done enough research on the market or book publishing process as
a whole.. I work with a lot of debuts, to be clear, and don’t expect the
clients I sign to know everything. But having a certain foundation of knowledge
shows me that you’ve done your homework and that being a part of this industry
is not something you’ve entered into on a whim but thought through seriously.
Response Time:
10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages
of a manuscript?
I try my best to
respond to queries within eight to ten weeks, but sometimes life happens or messages
get lost in cyberspace, so if you haven’t heard from me during that window I
always appreciate a nudge.
Self-Published and Small Press Authors:
11. Are you open to
representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller
presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent
to represent them?
Yes, I am and have signed clients who’ve done both. There are scenarios in
which self-publishing may even have a role as a line of business for an author
who also traditionally publishes. Find an agent who understands your individual
career goals and can help you make sense of which paths are the best way
forward for you. But know that your agent can be most helpful and provide the
best value in getting your work in front of editors at larger or mid-size
houses, which don’t often accept unagented submissions. And you’ll have better
luck submitting a project that hasn’t been published anywhere before.
12. With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid
authors, more small publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all?
Why?
The role of an agent
will always be to advocate for their authors. The publishing landscape and
market is always changing, as has the way professionals working within the
industry do business, but the fundamental role of an agent has stayed fairly
consistent throughout. What’s changed more, perhaps, is the role of an author.
More than ever, today’s authors are expected to be business owners and social
media gurus and marketing and publicity experts. They’re expected to do
signings and attend events. Authors are brands. And if an author doesn’t have
these skills, then they take it upon themselves to learn or hire someone else
who does. Doing less of that work yourself is, in theory, the benefit of
publishing traditionally at a larger house. But even then, it’s a partnership.
If you want a successful career, you’ll have to understand that the work
doesn’t end once the book is written or even after its edited.
Clients:
13. Who are some of the authors you represent?
Avis Cardella, Caris Avendaño Cruz, Kate Sweeney, Kim Neville, Lakita
Wilson, M.T. Khan, Sarah Prineas
Interviews and Guest Posts:
14. Please share the links to any interviews and guest posts you think
would be helpful to writers interested in querying you.
I’ve only ever
attended conferences as an agent, so this may be my first interview!
Links and Contact Info:
15. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and
your links on the Web.
Up-to-date submission
guidelines can be found at rootliterary.com/submissions, and you can stay in
touch @wellmelsbells on Twitter and Instagram.
Additional Advice:
16. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring
authors that we haven’t covered?
This business requires
both talent and tenacity. I can’t tell you how many queries I have passed on
where I knew that the author was surely just a few books away from getting that
offer. Those ones are especially tough. You can see the spark and the drive and
the instincts, but for a variety of reasons, you know that the project they’re querying
isn’t there yet and that you don’t have the vision to get it across the finish
line. But people give up early on in their writing career. The perfectionist in
each of us struggles to accept that the first few times we do anything, the
result won’t be as pretty as we’d like it to be. Writing—and certainly making
it in the world of traditional publishing—is like an endurance sport in that
way. You just have to keep going and build the right muscles. The right story,
the right people, the right moment will find you, and you’ll want to be ready
for it.
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Melanie.
Melanie is generously offering a
query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a
follower (just click the follower button if you're not a follower) and leave a
comment through November 7th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you
must leave it in the comments to enter either contest. If you do not want
to enter the contest, that's okay. Just let me know in the comments.
If you mention this contest on
Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you
an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.
Have any experience with this agent?
See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com
Note: These agent profiles and
interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take
the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The
information found here is subject to change.
