Literary Agent Interview: Ashlee MacCallum and Query Critique Giveaway

 Today I’m thrilled to have agent Ashlee MacCallum here. She’s a junior agent at Howland Literary. 

Hi­ Ashlee! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Ashlee: 

Ashlee MacCallum joined Howland Literary after interning at Triada US. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies and a master’s in Education. 

Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Ashlee is passionate about championing marginalized creators and uplifting historically underrepresented voices. She gravitates toward high-concept, commercial fiction with bold storytelling, standout pacing, and a distinct voice that grabs you from the first page. A devoted kidlit reader, Ashlee has a soft spot for speculative stories, mysteries, and anything delightfully weird. When she begins building her own list, she’ll be looking for unforgettable picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult fiction.

 Ashlee lives in Nevada with her husband and two children. By day, she’s a high school English teacher who assigns cool books, reads powerful essays, and makes her students dramatically reenact Macbeth. Outside the classroom, Ashlee writes picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels. She is represented by Amanda Carbonell at Belcastro Agency. 

When she’s not lost in a book or spinning one of her own, Ashlee is probably mapping out her next Disney adventure, binging a true crime podcast, or humming show tunes in the kitchen. She’s fueled by caffeine, charmed by ghost stories, and fluent in banned books. 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent. 

I discovered the writing community in 2021 when I started writing picture books. After signing with an agent and learning more about what the role entailed, I decided I would eventually pursue that path. When I started drafting my own MSWL for fun, I knew I was ready to dive in.

Last year, I completed an internship with the wonderful Brent Taylor at Triada US and this spring, I was lucky enough to land a roll as a junior agent at Howland Literary.

So far, I have signed two clients, and both are currently on submission. I hope to grow my list slowly and steadily over the next year or two.

About the Agency: 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors. 

Howland Literary is an exceptional agency, which I feel so fortunate to be a part of. At Howland, we represent award-winning writers of literary fiction, non-fiction, young adult fiction, and children’s books. I have the unique opportunity to help Howland grow its children’s division alongside my coworker and friend, Rebecca Angus. 

We are a career-focused agency which aims to represent authors for the entirety of their career versus just one project. Additionally, Howland is passionate about uplifting marginalized authors and representing books that champion underrepresented identities. 

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 picture books, chapter books, middle grade, young adult, and new adult. At this time, I am most eager to find a young adult or new adult novel, as I have room for this on my client list. My favorite genre tends to be horror, but I also love genre mashups and am keen to find a horrormance. 

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in? 

I’d absolutely love to find a mystery/thriller that features and uplifts indigenous voices, similar to Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell. 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in? 

Right now, I’m not looking for historical fiction or much in the contemporary space. My taste leans heavily on the speculative and commercial side of the industry. 

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 believe books have the ability to shift perspectives and foster change. I’m looking to champion stories that push boundaries and expand what we think is possible. I hope to find authors who are not just wickedly talented, but also those who are authentic and bold. As an agent, I see my role as a partner and fierce advocate for my clients. 

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? 

Definitely. As a high school English teacher, being editorial just comes naturally. Before going out on submission, I would run through developmental, copy, and line edits as needed. That being said, I won’t give unnecessary feedback just for the sake of doing so. I want to preserve the author’s vision and voice as much as possible! 

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? 

I accept queries through QueryManager. I don’t have a system for being open/closed to queries at the moment, although I might in the future. Right now, I open and close as I best see fit, depending on my client’s needs and the number of full requests I have to consider. 

I hope to see query letters that are of reasonable length which include: a greeting (personalization is not required for me), hook/pitch with metadata (the title, genre, and word count), a short synopsis, a bio paragraph, and a closing. 

I really like to see authors with strong and recent comps because this tells me they read in their genre. Another thing I pay close attention to is the manuscript’s conflict and stakes. For me, these must be clear and engaging. 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you? 

To be honest, I really don’t. I have been in the query trenches twice and it’s tough! I would probably be horrified to read the first query I ever sent. I understand people are learning as they go and doing the best they can. 

Response Time: 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

I respond quickly! As I said, I’ve queried before. There is nothing worse than feeling like your work has gone off into a black hole where no one will read it or respond. I would say I generally respond within a day or two to queries, and anywhere from a month to two months for a full. 

If I don’t respond to your query within a few days, it means you have made it to my maybe pile! 

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? 

Absolutely! My advice would be to keep looking for your perfect match until you find them. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

I love this question! As of this interview, I have signed two exceptional clients whom I co-represent with Rebecca Angus. The first shared client we have is Brier Marilyn, who is a picture book author-illustrator, and the second client is middle grade author, Uriel Harper. 

I know I’m biased, but my clients are the most incredible human beings and so, so talented. I adore them and will fight like crazy to see their books on the shelf one day in the near future! 

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

Sure! Since we hit on queries earlier, I’ll share one of my favorite query-resources. Here is a helpful link to get your query in great shape: How to Write a Query Letter That Gets Manuscript Requests | Jane Friedman 

Links and Contact Info: 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

Here is my Linktree, which includes a link to my Query Manager page, my MSWL, agent website, and my social media: ashleemaccallum | Twitter, Instagram | Linktree 

Additional Advice: 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

It’s been said so many times, but don’t give up! If you need a break, take one, but always come back to writing and querying if this is your dream and passion. Your perfect partner and agent might be right around the corner J 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Ashlee.

 Giveaway Details

­Ashlee is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through September 20th. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or 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 email 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. 

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops 

Monday, September 15th I have an interview with author Christine Virnig and a giveaway of her MG Phantom Academy 

Tuesday, September 16th I’m participating in the Falling Into Leaves Giveaway Hop 

Monday, September 22nd I have an interview with author Anita Fitch Pazner and a giveaway of her MG  Words Matter: The Story of Hans and Sophie Scholl and The White Rose Resistance 

Monday, September 29th I have an interview with author Tracy Badau and a giveaway of her MG Ghoul Summer 

Wednesday, October 1st I’m participating in the Scaredy Cat Giveaway Hop and have an interview with author Julie Berry with a giveaway of her YA If Looks Could Kill and my IWSG post 

Monday, October 6th I have an agent spotlight interview with Renee Runge and a query critique giveaway 

Monday, October 13th I have an interview with author Lynne Kelly and a giveaway of her MG Three Blue Hearts 

I hope to see you on Monday!