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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?
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