Root Literary

Melanie Castillo is an associate agent at Root Literary. After graduating with an MS in writing and book publishing from Portland State University, she worked as an editorial project manager at Quarto and then as a freelance editor for several years before joining Root Literary in 2018. She lives in Long Beach with a pack of animals currently comprised of two cats, one dog, and a geriatric turtle. You can find her on Twitter at @wellmelsbells.

Melanie is actively looking for fiction and narrative nonfiction. She’s especially excited to find high-concept commercial and literary leaning general fiction, young adult novels with a strong voice and propulsive pacing, and heartfelt and humorous middle grade novels across genres. She was born and raised in Southern California in a multi-cultural, blended family, so she has a soft spot for books that shine a spotlight on the nuances of family relationships and identity.

In all cases—no matter what genre you’re writing in—she wants to read books that are inclusive and that accurately reflect our world. She likes characters who aren’t your typical lead and to be surprised by the unexpected.

Submission Guidelines:

Please visit here.