Lee Melillo

As of Jan. 2026, I will only accept queries submitted through Query Manager. Please check there to see if I am currently open or closed to queries. Thanks! 

I represent YA and adult fiction by, for, and about traditionally underrepresented communities, as well as select adult nonfiction about pop culture. I prioritize marginalized writers across my list, including authors of color, disabled authors, queer authors, and neurodivergent authors. I’d especially like to see queries from authors who are Muslim, trans/genderqueer authors of color, and authors who identify as Polynesian, Micronesian, or Melanesian.

Strong writing skills are a must in all genres. I lean towards prose that is both voice-y and atmospheric. Tonally, my tastes are broad, but I am always looking for personality. I have a soft spot for weird, sharp senses of humor geared towards readers raised on the internet; and I gravitate towards characters who find themselves in conflict with the world – whether as the defense or the prosecution.

I’m open to most genres, as I prioritize good storytelling above all else. That said, I’m a harder sell on high SFF (I’d prefer lightly speculative projects: our-world-plus-magic, magical realism, or accessible sci-fi) and commercial thrillers without some sort of genre-blend. Please scroll to the bottom of this page to see all my hard-no’s on specific content.

YA Fiction

My YA taste can be described as stories I would’ve made a tumblr fanblog for when I was fifteen. Detailed, 3D characters driven by the emotions present in your teens – whether light or dark – so long as they’re raw, real, and explosive. I adore worlds I can get lost in, whether that’s an unfamiliar historical epoch, a magical world hidden within our own, a dystopian future resulting from the poor decisions of today, etc. I’d specifically love to see projects centered around:

• Fandom and fan culture.
• Teenagers dealing with OCD and/or autism.
• Well-researched historical fiction set outside the US or Western Europe.
• Old-money private schools from the perspective of scholarship students.
• Bubblegum thrillers and queer horror.
• Early 2010s-style dystopias, but with marginalized teens at the forefront.
• Animated Barbie movie vibes (bonus points for fairies or mermaids).
• Girls who are disasters, are kinda mean, or otherwise suck.
• All-consuming yearning and the ridiculousness it can cause.
• Rag-tag teams of misfits and weirdos who feel too much.

Adult Fiction

A lot of my interests in YA apply to adult, but with less emotional volatility and decisions driven by underdeveloped frontal lobes. I enjoy stories with themes that resonate as profoundly on societal levels as individual ones (think Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom). My current Adult list leans heavily literary/upmarket, with stellar writing, but I’m also open to more commercial fiction if the writing is very strong. Particular areas of interest include:

• Fiction centered around spaces and communities – public libraries or parks, isolated islands, or even a workplace.
• Women and other marginalized people who are fed up and ready to do something about it (ie, Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff).
• Late-bloomers (particularly autists) experiencing their first love.
• Lifelong outcasts finding people who truly care about them.
• Peasants/average people living in major historical eras.
• Hooky, high-concept romcoms with genuinely unique premises and queer and/or BIPOC protagonists.
• ‘Weird girl’ lit, but, again, from voices less represented in this genre. (Also, not just ‘girls.’)

Nonfiction 

I’m VERY selective with non-fiction; I am only interested in receiving proposals from qualified figures within the entertainment and/or theatre industries, as well as experts on fandom/pop culture topics. I’d love anything in the vein of Everything I Need I Get From You, particularly exploring the evolution of fanfiction in fandom spaces, the history of tumblr, and/or the Golden Age of YouTube Vloggers in the mid-2010s.

I’m also interested in receiving proposals about the creation of popular TV shows or film phenomenons. Particularly of interest would be Succession, Heated Rivalry, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, or 30 Rock. I’d also love something that delves into the rise of K-dramas and/or K-pop in international markets.

A few hyper-specific wants include (for YA or Adult)…

• Afrofuturism in the vein of Octavia Butler or Rivers Solomon
• Any sort of zany, (anti-)historical adult fiction, like My Lady Jane or Glorious Exploits
• Anything centered around the 2010s YouTube vlogger era
• A K-pop sasaeng thriller

I do NOT represent memoirs, picture books, middle grade, or graphic novels of ANY KIND! 

Also, no erotica; high fantasy or space operas; stories about AI; manic pixie dream girls; detective/private investigator protagonists; very experimental or structureless stories; anything US military/police/modern politics; WW1 or WW2; Greek/Roman mythology; British historicals (especially Regency Era); sports romcoms; stories romanticizing gang life or the mafia; explicit depictions or descriptions of sexual assault, graphic self-harm/suicide attempts, or violent cruelty towards people or animals; or anything where a pet dies.

Submission Guidelines

Please go to dunhamlit.com/how-to-submit for a detailed list of subscription guidelines.

Guidelines & Details