Lee Melillo

Note: I will be closed to queries until October 2026 while I catch up on outstanding submissions. Thank you for your patience! 

I represent young adult and adult fiction across genres, as well as select pop culture nonfiction/cultural criticism. I strongly prioritize marginalized writers, including writers of color, queer writers, disabled writers, neurodivergent writers, etc. I especially invite Muslim and Arab authors, trans authors of color, and Polynesian, Micronesian, and Melanesian authors to reach out.

For my next open query period, I will be focusing on my adult fiction and nonfiction lists. I’m looking for upmarket and commercial fiction with, above all, strong craft and personality. You are also welcome to try me with more literary projects, but I am very selective given my list is already quite strong in that department. Otherwise, while I’m open to most genres, I’m a harder sell on high fantasy, hard sci-fi, and space operas (I prefer speculative fiction on the lighter side!). I’m unlikely to be interested in genre romance, crime fiction, or commercial thrillers unless there’s some sort of genre blend.

Adult Fiction

• UPMARKET CONTEMPORARY: Stories that universalize the highly specific—especially from BIPOC writers. Set in particular cultures (or subcultures) that authentically portrays a community while also navigating wider themes. Think Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom or Rebecca K. Reilly’s Greta & Valdin. 
• LIGHT FANTASY: I say “light” not “cozy,” because I do need a strong plot line—think Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series or Sangu Mandanna’s A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping. Happy to see contemporary or historical, but for the latter: please no US or Western Europe (especially no England!) Take me to eras I know nothing about, with unique magic systems inspired by the time and culture/local folklore.
• FEMINIST THRILLERS: Whether realistic or speculative, contemporary or historical, please send me your women (and queer people!) who are fed up and ready to do something about it. Think Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff or Promising Young Woman in book form. Just please, nothing about the dark underbelly of WASP communities. Anything about influencers is also going to be a hard sell for me.
• WEIRD GIRL LIT: from BIPOC authors only. I love the genre, but want to see a wider variety of perspectives and greater representation in this space. Would love anything that could comp to The Vegetarian by Han Kang, or even The Girls by Emma Cline.
• SOCIALLY-CONSCIOUS HORROR: Think I Saw the TV Glow or Get Out in book form. I love horror of all subgenres that uses its horror elements to explore social issues allegorically.

Young Adult Fiction

• SPECULATIVE CONTEMPORARY: I generally gravitate towards contemporary YA with some sort of speculative (fantasy, light sci-fi, horror, etc.) bent to it. I’m less likely to be a fit for realistic contemporary or issue-driven fiction here.
• HISTORICAL THRILLERS/MYSTERIES: Basically, if June Hur could’ve written it, I want to read it. I love thrillers/mysteries as strong plot engines to teach me about time periods/places less frequently platformed. Speculative elements welcome (think Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek). Particularly of interest would be stories set in the historical Middle East, Africa, or Pacific Islands.
• HIGH-CONCEPT FANDOM STORIES: I know this isn’t quite a genre, but I’d love something that delves into fandoms or fan culture in a wacky, freaky, and/or surrealist way. I’d love something like a YA Holy Boy by Lee Heejoo or Idol, Burning by Rin Usami. Anything that showcases the raw power of a teen girl (or queer kid) who loves something so, so, so much.

A few hyper-specific fiction wants include (across genres): 

• 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
• Authentic OCD and autism representation
• Anything with animated Barbie movie vibes (especially Fairytopia or Mermaidia)
• Girls/women who are disasters, kinda mean, or just generally suck (think Hannah from Girls, Dr. Santos from The Pitt, Devi from Never Have I Ever)

Pop Culture Nonfiction / Cultural Criticism

I’m VERY selective with nonfiction; I am only interested in receiving proposals from qualified figures within the entertainment and/or theatre industries, as well as platformed experts on fandom/pop culture topics. I’d love anything in the vein of Everything I Need I Get From You, explorations of 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.

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