Crystal Castro
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
My Manuscript Wish List®
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Submission Guidelines
My name is Crystal Castro and I am an editorial assistant at Little, Brown Books for Young readers. I am so excited to be considering YA and MG fiction titles for my list! Below is an ever-evolving outline of things I’d like to see in my inbox.
I am actively seeking:
ACROSS ALL AGE GROUPS:
- Character-driven narratives
- Contemporary projects
- Thrillers, mysteries, horror, fantasy
- Debut projects from BIPOC authors.
- Voicey manuscripts. I want to get a sense of the main character’s personality from the very first page!
YOUNG ADULT:
- Anything that feels dark and feminist. Give me girls who are angry, vengeful, and powerful. If you have something with a Bunny by Mona Awad (from the Bunnies POV), The Craft, girl-squad-that-eats-people vibe, I want it.
- Books about cults/cult-like groups. Bonus for dark academia vibes (think The Secret History by Donna Tartt or We Were Villians by M.L Rio, but with a punchy YA voice).
MIDDLE GRADE:
- Humorous stories about middle-grade issues (puberty, friend breakups, etc.)
- Fantasy, especially if there is some sort of school/academy element
Things I love:
- Sisters.
- Books that take place in a short period of time (1 day to 1 week).
- Short chapters.
- Books with BIPOC narrators that aren’t about being BIPOC.
I am NOT interested in:
- Adult manuscripts. I work at a children’s publisher and I am unable to consider projects for adult audiences (yes, even if they’re really good).
- Non-fiction.
- Unagented submissions.
- Books with racism plot lines.
Vital Info