Alyssa Maltese is a New York-based agent at Root Literary with a sharp appetite for unputdownable fiction across YA and adult categories, plus platform-driven nonfiction — united by a commitment to marginalized voices and stories that genuinely help readers.
In brief
Maltese operates across three lanes — YA fiction, adult fiction (literary/upmarket/thriller/horror), and adult nonfiction — making them one of the broader-mandate agents at Root Literary.
The bio's consistent through-line is books that help people, which signals a preference for emotional resonance and real-world relevance over pure escapism, even in genre work.
Historical fiction is welcomed but comes with a specific filter: untold stories of women, ideally outside Western settings — a precise brief that most historical pitches will not meet.
Adult nonfiction has a real gate: platform and established expertise are required, not optional. Aspiring or early-career nonfiction writers should not query without those credentials.
The submission categories listed on the agency form (general fiction, romance, suspense/thriller, juvenile fiction, history, mind/body/spirit, science) align with the wishlist prose but confirm Maltese is not a specialist — they work the full commercial-to-literary spectrum.
Lately
Maltese's current agency profile emphasizes a commitment to representing books that 'help people' — a recurring phrase that functions as a values filter across all categories, not just nonfiction.
What Alyssa is looking for
Coming-of-age stories that help young readers locate their own identity and sense of self-worth. Genre elements — speculative, fantasy, romance, horror, or historical — are welcome as seasoning, but the work should remain grounded in the real world rather than fully world-built. Marginalized protagonists and creators are actively encouraged.
Contemporary or lightly speculative novels that combine literary-quality prose with commercially compelling premises. Maltese is casting a wide net here — the sweet spot is fiction sophisticated enough for book clubs but propulsive enough to keep readers up at night. This is the broadest and most active lane in their wishlist.
A narrow but genuine interest: Maltese wants historical fiction that recovers overlooked stories of women, with a strong preference for non-Western settings. Conventional Western European historical narratives are unlikely to be the right fit. The pitch should center on what has been hidden or forgotten, and why this particular story matters now.
Actively seeking across all three modes — thriller, suspense, and horror — and is open to science-fiction elements woven into any of them. This openness to genre hybridization suggests Maltese values concept and execution over strict category purity. Adult readership assumed.
Both prescriptive how-to/self-help and research-driven narrative nonfiction are on the table, but only from writers with established credentials and a demonstrable platform. Preferred topic areas include psychology, mental health, media criticism, pop culture, taboo subjects (death, sex), and nature or animal science. This is not an entry point for first-time nonfiction writers without a built-in audience.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Alyssa
Use the online submission form — Maltese's profile specifies this as the only accepted route; email queries are not indicated.
Lead your query letter with the emotional core and the 'help people' angle: what does your book give to readers? Maltese explicitly names this as a unifying value.
For YA, emphasize how the story supports the protagonist's developing identity — that framing maps directly onto what Maltese says they are looking for in the category.
For historical fiction, make immediately clear that your protagonist is a woman in a non-Western setting and that the story recovers something genuinely overlooked — generic historical pitches will not land.
For adult nonfiction, lead with your platform and credentials before the book concept. Without established expertise and audience, this query is premature.
Maltese welcomes genre blending (e.g., thriller with sci-fi elements, YA with speculative threads) — if your book crosses categories, name the dominant genre first and frame the secondary element as an enhancement, not a complication.
Avoid querying with poetry, screenplays, middle grade, picture books, or graphic novels — these are hard exclusions, not soft preferences.