Agent Spotlight Series: Katie Salvo

A warm welcome to Katie Salvo, senior literary agent at Metamorphosis Literary Agency.

A traditionally published novelist, certified copy editor, and avid reader with eclectic genre interests, Katie Salvo loves nothing more than to see authors succeed in introducing new ideas and fresh voices to the publishing industry. With a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, Katie has a background in literary criticism, philosophy, political theory, and history. She is particularly interested in representing women’s fiction, suspense, romance, middle grade, young adult, LGBTQ+, narrative nonfiction, and historical biography.

Katie: I currently have 13 clients and am in the process of building my list. An academic at heart, I started out my career concentrating mostly on academic texts of philosophy, political theory, and literary criticism. Successful author queries in these fields turned out to be hard to come by, so I turned my attention more towards Nonfiction Narrative, Women’s Fiction, and Young Adult Fiction. There’s a larger market for these genres and some very talented authors out there just waiting to make their debut.

Katie: By the time I make an offer of representation, I have already read the author’s full manuscript and know where it needs to be improved. It is important to first note that I go over the required edits with the author before signing. If the author is open to them, I’ll offer them a contract. If the author is not open to edits, I won’t offer the contract. Being able to take criticism and willing to edit a work until it’s the strongest manuscript it can be is what separates good authors from best sellers. 

When a manuscript is ready for submission to publishing houses, I make a list of acquisitions editors I believe will be interested in reading the manuscript. I then write a two-paragraph pitch, letting the acquisitions editor know what the manuscript is about and telling them a bit about the author. If the acquisitions editor is interested in reading the work, they will request the full manuscript. It could take months before he/she determines if the work is a good fit for their imprint, then they will contact me with an offer or a rejection. If an offer is received, I go over it with my client to make sure he or she is happy with it. As publishing is a tough, highly competitive industry, the author’s answer is usually yes, yes, yes! At that point, the publisher will assign an in-house editor to work with the author to make any changes they find necessary to get the work on the market. 

Katie: The market is so flooded with YA meet-cutes that it’s hard to get imprints to pick them up now. Memoirs are also hard to get picked up, as they really have to have that “wow factor” that sets them apart from the many political tell-alls out there.

Katie: Women’s Fiction is always in high demand, with the trend leaning towards under-represented voices. I would love to see more queries coming my way from disenfranchised authors with characters of color. The same is true of YA works. The industry wants to hear the voices of marginalized youth.

Katie: A good synopsis will always be short and to the point with the story’s ending included. No teasers or cliffhangers. The agent has countless other summaries to read, so it’s better to get right to the heart of the story. When I was a querying author, I always relied on the advice and examples provided in Writers Digest (https://www.writersdigest.com/successful-queries). Authors will find some agents’ favorite query letters and synopses using the link above.

Katie: “Wish You Were Here” by Renee Carlino. I won’t give the plot away but recommend having a box of tissues at the ready.

Katie: At Metamorphosis we take a lot of pride in our fabulous roster of agents and interns dedicated to elevating #OwnVoices writers who often go unheard. Our collective MSWL posted on our website and shared across social media includes LGBTQ+ authors, authors of color, authors with disabilities, authors with international perspectives, and authors who have stories to share that may reshape our vision of the world. We're a diverse group with our own stories to tell and truly enjoy reading about others.