A former librarian turned agent who founded their own boutique shop, championing under-represented voices across mystery, romance, upmarket/book-club fiction, historical fiction, narrative nonfiction, picture books, and verse novels — with a soft spot for everyday joy.
In brief
Two decades in special, public, and school libraries shape Zampetti's approach: the right book for the right reader, now applied to matching clients with editors.
The throughline of the whole list is centering under-represented voices — disability, poverty, women, neurodivergence, and Judaism, Islam, and non-Western religions — and the messy, layered intersections of identity, told with joy.
Across genres they want a strong commercial premise, distinctive prose, and layers of meaning that linger; in mystery and historical fiction, setting should work like a character.
Querying is on a tight cadence: open roughly two weeks each quarter, with responses to queries in about four to eight weeks. Picture books are an especially narrow door because the list is already full.
Lately
It's that time again! @literaryagentsofchange is raising funds to support their work of making agenting more equitable and inclusive. If you're looking for an AskMeAnything call or a query critique: www.32auctions.com/organization...
Decisions, decisions! Responding to queries is getting harder - because they’re getting better. I got 613 queries when I opened in April. I’m down to 74 - and now I have to winnow those down to 15-20 requests. Wish me luck! 🤞🏻📄 🤞🏻
Reviewing queries in between meetings this morning, and I've noticed a micro-trend - folks querying MG and YA novels when I am not open to fiction in those categories. That's an automatic pass at this time. 🙁
Opening up to queries from April 6-17th in QueryManager! 😃 I'm focusing on my adult list: book club or historical fiction, upmarket mysteries, romance, or women's fiction. For kidlit, I'm only seeking narrative nonfiction - MG/YA. manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/le...
I'm delighted to welcome @jessicabraindelhoffman to Open Book Literary! Jessica Russak-Hoffman is a Seattle-based reporter for Jewish News Syndicate & winner of the 2026 Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award for HOW TO CATCH A MERMAID (WHEN YOU'RE SCARED OF THE SEA). Welcome to #TeamZampetti, Jessica!
Reported being deep in a reading period that opened in April: down from 613 queries to 74, and now narrowing those to roughly 15-20 requests — a note that decisions are getting harder because the queries keep getting better.
One thing that is overarching for me — I was a former librarian — is that I'm looking for that sweet spot in the middle of the Venn diagram where there is immediate interest to the child reader and at the same time there is interest for the gatekeepers: parents, school librarians, educators. That gives a much longer life to the books. I'm looking for books that hit that beautiful sweet spot right in the middle.
I am definitely seeking young adult in particular. I have more picture book clients and more middle-grade clients than YA right now. I am also interested in author-illustrators — I don't currently have any on my list and I would like to. Right now I am looking for books that have not just a fresh or unique take on their world but that convey that particularly with humor, positive energy, and joy.
I am not closed to picture books. I do still welcome them — people send me picture book text queries and I read them all very seriously. I do have more picture book clients than YA, though, so that's the area where I'm most actively building. Picture book biographies are one area where the market feels a little saturated to me right now.
I very much have a weakness for lyrical nonfiction, and I love books that cross over between fiction and nonfiction — things like fictional biography. Send me all of your authors who work in that space. Two of my clients are scientists who have been involved in science for a long time, and one just sold a picture-book mystery about the periodic table. That's the kind of work I get excited about.
I keep a fairly small list on purpose — right now around 13 clients — because I believe all of my clients deserve a lot of individual attention. I'm not looking to expand much beyond 20. I open to queries one week per month, typically the first full week, and I take my query inbox very seriously. All but perhaps one of my clients came through my slush pile.
I'm seeing very high-quality queries — people are doing their research. More often a pass is about fit, not the quality of the work: for example, I may already have clients writing that type of book. And sometimes it's not an instant decision. My client Andrea Shapiro and I were in conversation through my query inbox for almost two years before I signed her — I kept inviting her to continue querying me as she developed her craft. So don't be discouraged if it takes time.
What Leslie is looking for
Diverse detectives and amateur sleuths, settings that function as a character, and a fair-play puzzle the reader could solve but probably won't. True-crime sensibilities that center victims and social impact rather than spectacle.
Under-represented main characters and love interests, with an upmarket voice that still delivers the tropes. The premise: everyone deserves love.
Upmarket or literary fiction that balances complexity with commercial appeal in equal measure — distinct prose and multiple layers of meaning that keep a reader thinking after the last page.
Under-represented time periods and places, with setting as a living character and a focus on the sovereignty and history of specific cultures and communities (the Hawaiian people cited as an example).
For children, science and/or art stories that land in the sweet spot shared by kids, parents, and teachers. For adults, the remote wilderness and the natural world (in the vein of My Octopus Teacher or Blackfish), plus true crime centered on victims and social impact.
Verse novels for middle grade, YA, or adult readers, as well as novels-in-stories.
Sly, dry humor; themes of resilience, compassion, and forgiveness; and difficult or sophisticated subjects handled in a way that suits the youngest readers. Especially selective here because the picture-book list is already large.
Not the right fit
Threads through Leslie's deals
Several titles on the roster are children's nonfiction built around the natural world and scientific curiosity — which lines up directly with Zampetti's stated appetite for kids' science-and-art narrative nonfiction and adult stories of the wild. Treat this as taste signal, not a sales claim.
On Leslie's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Leslie
Time it: unsolicited queries are accepted only about two weeks each quarter, so confirm the window is open before sending.
Referrals and conference connections are treated as solicited and have their own dedicated links — use them if you have one.
Expect a response on queried material in roughly four to eight weeks.
Lead with a clear commercial premise paired with distinctive prose and real thematic depth — the calm-sea-with-hidden-depths quality Zampetti describes.
For mystery and historical fiction, make the setting do work, and bring under-represented characters and communities to the center.
Picture-book hopefuls should know the bar is high here; the list is full, so the concept and voice need to stand out.