Linda Scalissi is a 3 Seas Literary Agency agent with a broad appetite across children's, commercial fiction, and genre categories, hunting especially for middle grade, YA, women's fiction, mystery, and romance.
In brief
Linda Scalissi represents a wide sweep of categories — from middle grade and YA through women's fiction, mystery, and romance — making them a strong candidate for writers who work across or between genre lines.
The wishlist explicitly covers all sub-genres within those categories, signaling Scalissi is open to both cozy and dark mystery, contemporary and historical romance, and literary and commercial YA alike.
Scalissi notes a growing interest in non-fiction pitches that arrive organically, suggesting an openness to compelling non-fiction even though it is not a headline category — a rare flex point worth noting for the right project.
The raw submission data does not include a public deals record, so the category breakdown above is based entirely on Scalissi's stated preferences rather than a trackable sales history; query with that context in mind.
Query status is unverified — writers should confirm the live submission portal state before sending, as no reliable observation date is available.
Lately
Scalissi describes the role of literary agent as one with constant new experiences and no shortage of variety — a signal that they are genuinely engaged with their list and not running on autopilot.
What Linda is looking for
Scalissi lists middle grade as a headline category and is open across sub-genres — adventure, humor, mystery, fantasy, and beyond. Projects with a strong sense of voice and a character young readers can root for are the core of what they are looking for here.
YA sits at the top of Scalissi's list with no stated sub-genre restriction. Contemporary, genre-blended, historical, and speculative YA are all on the table. A compelling teen protagonist and emotional authenticity tend to be the deciding factors in this space.
Women's fiction is explicitly named as a priority. Scalissi does not narrow it to a single flavor, so both commercial, relationship-driven narratives and more literary explorations of women's lives appear to be welcome.
Mystery is a headline category with all sub-genres invited — cozy, thriller-adjacent, procedural, and domestic suspense alike. Scalissi does not single out one flavor, which means the manuscript's execution matters more than the sub-genre label.
Romance is listed as a core interest and Scalissi is open to all sub-genres within it — contemporary, historical, paranormal, romantic suspense, and others. No heat-level restrictions are stated.
These categories appear in Scalissi's broader fiction appetite. They are welcomed but are not named with the same emphasis as the headline five, so they likely work best when they overlap with or complement those priority categories — e.g., a historical family saga with women's fiction sensibility, or a humorous middle grade adventure.
Scalissi does not actively solicit non-fiction but notes genuine intrigue when compelling non-fiction pitches arrive. This is an opportunistic rather than a primary lane — the project would need to be especially distinctive to rise to the top of consideration.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Linda
Send queries to the 3 Seas Literary Agency general query address — the publicly listed address is queries@threeseaslit.com — but check the agency's current submission guidelines page first, as procedures may have been updated.
Scalissi covers a wide range of categories; be explicit in the first line of your query about the category and sub-genre so they can route it correctly within their own reading priorities.
Because Scalissi values a personal connection with clients, a brief, genuine author bio that conveys who you are as a person — not just your credentials — may resonate more than a purely formal pitch.
If submitting non-fiction, acknowledge upfront that it falls outside their listed fiction categories and make the case for why the project would nonetheless appeal to a reader with Scalissi's sensibility.
All sub-genres within mystery, romance, YA, MG, and women's fiction appear to be fair game — do not pre-filter your project out; let Scalissi decide whether the sub-genre works for them.
Verify the live query status and any updated guidelines on the 3 Seas Literary Agency website before submitting — current status is unconfirmed and procedures may have changed.