Mark Malatesta - Author Coach & Former Literary Agent
Mark Malatesta is a former literary agent and former AAR member (now known as the AALA). Now an author coach and consultant. Mark has helped 400+ authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books) get offers from literary agents and/or traditional publishers through his company Literary Agent Undercover, a division of The Bestselling Author.
Former Literary Agent - Mark Malatesta
Mark Malatesta was the president/owner of a literary agency prior to becoming an author coach and consultant. Authors Mark represented as a literary agent have been published with publishers such as Amacom, Andrews McMeel, Ballantine, Barron’s Educational, Broadway Books, Contemporary, Entrepreneur, Harcourt, F&W, Hyperion, Penguin, Pocket Books, Prentice-Hall, Random House, Renaissance, Scholastic, Simon and Schuster, Sourcebooks, St. Martin’s, and Workman.
When he was a literary agent, Mark Malatesta was a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR), which is now known as the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA). To become a member, a literary agent must provide references from member sponsors, and sell ten book traditional publishers within eighteen months. Members must also agree to abide by the association’s canon of ethics. Since Mark is no longer a literary agent, he is no longer a member, and his past membership does not imply an endorsement by the AALA for his current coaching and consulting services.
As a literary agent, Mark Malatesta represented notable clients such as Harry H. Harrison Jr. whose parenting and gift books, including Father to Son, have been on the New York Times and Book Sense list of bestselling nonfiction trade paperback books for more than ten years; and Michael
Dahl, author of more than 100 books for young readers including the Finnegan Zwake Mystery Series, published by Scholastic and Simon & Schuster. His work has been shortlisted for the Edgar Awards and the Anthony Mystery Awards.
Other well-known authors Mark Malatesta represented as a literary agent include news anchor Jim Brown, who received a six-figure offer for his mystery/thriller novels 24/7 and Black Valley, both books published by Random House and optioned for feature film; and Carol Plum-Ucci, the author of more than half a dozen YA novels published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt including The Body of Christopher Creed, which have been nominated for and won dozens of prestigious awards.
Former Marketing & Licensing Manager - Mark Malatesta
Prior to becoming an author coach and consultant, Mark Malatesta also served as the Marketing & Licensing Manager of Blue Mountain Arts, the book and gift publisher that invented e-cards, then sold their e-greetings division for nearly $1 billion dollars, as reported by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. During his time at Blue Mountain Arts, Mark was involved with every aspect of the business: administrative, creative, editorial, marketing, and sales.
Mark redesigned the Blue Mountain Arts book catalog, was responsible for the genre or “BISAC” classification of all books, and he scouted new talent. Mark was also responsible for all international book sales and licensing. He negotiated deals with publishers at industry events such as Book Expo America (BEA), the London Book Fair, and the Frankfurt Book Fair. He also traveled to Costco national headquarters and successfully pitched various book titles for placement in their stores. When Mark Malatesta left Blue Mountain Arts, their cards, books, and other products had been sold or licensed in many doezn countries.
Author Coach & Consultant - Mark Malatesta
Mark Malatesta founded the author coaching and consulting company, Literary Agent Undercover, a division of The Bestselling Author, in 2001. Since that time, Mark has helped more than 400 authors get offers from literary agents and/or traditional publishers. During his career as an agent and author coach, Mark’s writers have gotten six-figure book deals; been on the New York Times bestseller list; sold millions of books; had their work adapted for TV, stage, and feature film; had their work licensed around the world, and won countless awards.
Mark Malatesta’s most well-known clients include Nelson Johnson, author of Boardwalk Empire, adapted for HBO and produced by Martin Scorsese for HBO; and Scott LeRette, author of The Unbreakable Boy (Thomas Nelson), adapted for feature film with Lionsgate starring Zachary Levi, Amy Acker, and Patricia Heaton; and Leslie Lehr, author of A Boob’s Life: How America’s Obsession Shaped Me―and You, now being developed as a TV series by Salma Hayek for HBO Max.
Other Professional Background - Mark Malatesta
Prior to working in the publishing industry, Mark Malatesta worked with multiple social service agencies in South Florida, serving adults and children with psychological disorders and developmental disabilities. Mark was a Behavior Specialist, Behavior Safety Coordinator, and Community Educator. During this time he converted a group home for teens just released from locked facilities into a live-in foster home. Mark also developed, promoted, and conducted child abuse prevention workshops for the homeless.
Mark has worked with social service agencies in Colorado as well, where he served as an Emergency Intervention Specialist, Crisis Responder, and Trainer for staff, families, and caregivers of adults and children with developmental disabilities. Mark led multi-day seminars during which he taught both verbal and physical techniques to build rapport, facilitate learning and development, and prevent/de-escalate dangerous situations.
Education - Mark Malatesta
Mark Malatesta is a proud graduate of Ambassador University, formerly known as Ambassador College, a liberal arts school where he studied Psychology and Communications. One reason Mark attended Ambassador University is because he wanted to go to a “character institution” with a culture that put equal attention on who you are vs what you planned to study or do for a living.
Mark participated in a work/study program at the university, that allowed him to serve as a tree crew foreman (planting more trees than he cut down) to pay his way through school. While at Ambassador University, Mark also wrote hundreds of love poems (he’s a diehard romantic), with no idea he’d end up working in publishing. Mark’s original plan was to become a psychologist but discovered working with authors is a better fit (though author coaching and consulting do include some psychoanalysis)!
Prior to attending Ambassador University, Mark attended community college for one year after graduating high school one year early. He was given the opportunity, at no cost, through an early graduation program that allowed students with good grades to replace their last year of high school with a year of college.
Early Days - Mark Malatesta
Mark Malatesta was born in South Florida, where he grew up in poverty. As a result, he decided he would work harder than anyone else to gain an advantage. Many years later, Mark hasn’t forgotten his humble beginnings, doing his best not to take anything or anyone for granted.
Mark’s birth name is “Malatesta” but he used his stepfather’s name, “Ryan,” for many years, including the time when he was a literary agent. When Mark was a teenager, he legally changed his last name to Ryan at his mother’s request when she remarried. In 2007, Mark changed his last name back to Malatesta, to honor the memory of his father, who died when Mark was eleven.
Mark’s father was an honest and hardworking U.S. Navy veteran who was always kind to neighbors and strangers. Mark’s parents divorced when he was nine years old, and Mark grew up with his two older half-sisters. He found comfort in books, and found role models at the church his family attended.
Today - Mark Malatesta
Mark Malatesta continues to serve as head of the author coaching and consulting company, Literary Agent Undercover, a division of The Bestselling Author. He lives with his soulmate, Ingrid, who he met at a writers’ conference in Santa Barbara. Mark proposed 2-1/2 weeks later and, fortunately, Ingrid said yes. They’ve been in love for more than 20 years now–and they’re owned two Ragdoll cats: CoCo and YumYum.
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The Directory of Literary Agents is curated by Mark Malatesta, a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his author coaching and consulting company Literary Agent Undercover, a division of The Bestselling Author. Mark’s writers have gotten six-figure book deals, been on the NYT bestseller list, and been published with companies such as Random House, Thomas Nelson, and Scholastic. Click here to see Mark Malatesta Reviews.
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