New Literary Agent Alert: Jennifer Grimaldi of Chalberg & Sussman
Literary agent alerts (like this one with Jennifer Grimaldi of Chalberg & Sussman) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building their client list.
About Jennifer:
Prior to joining Chalberg & Sussman as an agent, Jennifer Grimaldi worked at St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne, where she edited and acquired S. Jae-Jones’ New York Times bestseller WINTERSONG—a Labyrinth-inspired gothic YA—and worked with numerous bestselling and award-winning authors. Jennifer’s broad exposure to the domestic and foreign publishing markets as a scout with Barbara Tolley & Associates further shaped her taste for the eclectic. On those rare occasions without a book or Kindle in hand, Jennifer can be found replaying Dragon Age Origins, adding to her collection of increasingly elaborate board games (current favorite: Through The Ages), and entertaining friends and strangers alike with NYC trivia.
She is seeking:
Science fiction and fantasy in both adult and YA, historical fiction, romance and horror. She is particularly intrigued by strong world-building and sense of place, and would love to see a wide variety of diversity in the gender, sexuality, presentation, race, and mental/physical abilities of characters. She also loves stories inspired by true events or myths and fairy tales, and deconstructed tropes. More than any of the above, however, she looks for genre books supported by a strong emotional core. While she is not interested in issue books, she is interested in character studies in trauma, whether that be a mysterious disappearance, extraterrestrial abduction, or emotional abuse.
She is also enormously fond of rakes and scoundrels in all varieties (thieves, pirates, spies), multi-dimensional villains, atmospheric creepiness, and longing glances.
How to submit:
To query Jennifer, please email jennifer@chalbergsussman.com and include the first five pages of your manuscript in the body of an email. Jennifer accepts queries by email only. Please note that per agency policy, replies will be sent only for submissions being actively considered.
Jess Zafarris is the Executive Director of Marketing & Communications for Gotham Ghostwriters and the former Digital Content Director for Writer’s Digest. Her eight years of experience in digital and print content direction include such roles as editor-in-chief of HOW Design magazine and online content director of HOW and PRINT magazine, as well as writing for the Denver Business Journal, ABC News, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She spends much of her spare time researching curious word histories and writing about them at UselessEtymology.com. Follow her at @jesszafarris or @uselessety on Twitter.
