Marissa specializes in pop culture, humor, narrative non-fiction, memoir, and children’s books (picture books/middle grade/YA).

She began her publishing career at Nan A. Talese/Doubleday and the Ellen Levine Literary Agency. She was an editor at Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books for seven years, where she published E. Lockhart, Ned Vizzini, and Maryrose Wood and her books received various honors, including New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers, Junior Library Guild Selection, and Whitbread Award Shortlist (YA).

Marissa is the author of the comic memoir Girl with Glasses: My Optic History (Simon Spotlight Entertainment) and the YA novel A Field Guide to High School (Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books); coauthor of the Boston Globe Bestseller Tipsy in Madras: A Complete Guide to ‘80s Preppy Drinking (Perigee/Penguin); and editor of the YA anthologies Not Like I’m Jealous or Anything: The Jealousy Book (Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books) and Does This Book Make Me Look Fat? (Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). She teaches Children’s Writing at Gotham Writers’ Workshop.

Marissa is currently closed to queries.

Please note:

PICTURE BOOKS: She is looking for young, funny, character-driven books with very little text (700 words or less). No rhyming. Please include your manuscript in the body of your query email.

MIDDLE GRADE & YA: No paranormal/fantasy/science-fiction. She’s looking for funny and poignant contemporary stories featuring real kids. Please include the first chapter in the body of your query email.

QUERY LETTER FORMAT: Your query letter should be short—no more than one page. (Think resume cover letter.)

1. First paragraph: Introduce your project in one sentence: “I’m writing to you about my picture book, TITLE.” If there is a reason you have chosen Marissa for your project (and hopefully there is!), include that here.

2. Second paragraph: In 50 words or less (two-to-three sentences), tell her about the book. But not too much. Think 30-second elevator pitch: “It’s a cross between STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE and THE LAST LECTURE.”

3. Third paragraph: Your bio. Be as specific as possible. You might not think it’s interesting, but she does. Why are you the only person in the world who can write this book?

4. Closing paragraph: (one-to-two lines) You look forward to hearing, etc.