Amy Tannenbaum is a New York-based Jane Rotrosen Agency veteran who champions women's fiction, contemporary romance, and psychological suspense — with a particular eye for debut talent and the literary-commercial sweet spot.
In brief
Tannenbaum's editorial background at Harlequin and Simon & Schuster sets her apart: she offers hands-on manuscript development, not just deal-making, which makes her especially valuable to debut and career-pivoting authors.
Her stated wishlist centers on women's fiction, contemporary romance, thriller/psychological suspense, and the literary-commercial middle ground — and she explicitly welcomes works by marginalized voices across those categories.
She is one of the few agents at a major agency who actively courts established self-published authors, signaling she is comfortable with non-traditional publishing histories and platform-first career arcs.
Her touchstone names — Liane Moriarty, Tayari Jones, Elin Hilderbrand, Jodi Picoult — point to emotionally resonant, character-driven fiction with strong commercial hooks, whether light and beachy or socially weighty.
Queries go directly to her email address with all material pasted in the body — no attachments, no form — which is a firm formatting requirement that, if ignored, likely results in an unread submission.
Lately
Her agency page lists an unusually broad fiction range — commercial, crime, family saga, historical, horror, LGBTQ, literary, mystery, new adult, romance, thriller, and women's fiction — suggesting she is open to genre-adjacent and hybrid projects that fit her core interests, not just the most obvious categories.
What Amy is looking for
This is the core of her list. She gravitates toward stories that are emotionally rich and character-driven, with a strong sense of place or relationships at their center — think the tonal range from Elin Hilderbrand's sun-drenched ensemble drama to Jodi Picoult's issue-driven family sagas. She wants the kind of book that earns book-club conversation and wide commercial readership at the same time.
She represents multiple romance authors and has a deep genre background from her Harlequin years. She is drawn to contemporary settings with strong emotional arcs and genuine chemistry — not just steam, but stakes. A When Harry Met Sally sensibility (witty, real-feeling, eventually earned) is her stated ideal.
This rounds out her three primary categories. She favors suspense that leans psychological — unreliable dynamics, layered secrets, strong female perspectives — rather than action-thriller or procedural. The women's-fiction and suspense lanes often overlap on her list.
She explicitly seeks fiction that sits between literary and commercial poles — ambitious prose or subject matter that still prioritizes story and readability. Tayari Jones is her named reference point here: morally serious, beautifully written, but never inaccessible.
She names this as a distinct priority across genres rather than a standalone category — meaning a thriller, a romance, or a family saga by a writer from an underrepresented background will get her active attention regardless of which genre bucket it falls into.
The only nonfiction category she lists. Her interest appears selective and likely needs a strong narrative hook and established platform or access. A full proposal with sample chapters is required.
She selectively represents authors who have built a readership independently. This is a meaningful differentiator — she is interested in the full career arc, including positioning, release strategy, and promotion, not just the manuscript itself. Strong existing sales data would be essential.
Not the right fit
On Amy's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Amy
Paste all submission materials directly into the body of your email — the agency page explicitly prohibits attachments. Ignoring this is likely a dealbreaker.
For fiction, include a concise pitch, a synopsis, and the first three chapters — all in the email body, not as files.
For true crime nonfiction, send a full proposal plus sample chapters in the same no-attachment format.
Add relevant biographical information and any prior publishing history, including self-publishing sales data if applicable — she actively courts strong indie authors.
Address why your project fits her specific taste: name which of her core lanes your book occupies (women's fiction, romance, psychological suspense, literary-commercial) and gesture toward a touchstone author she has named if the comparison is genuinely apt.
If you are a debut author, say so clearly — she explicitly prizes finding and launching new voices, so this is an asset with her, not a liability.
She will only respond if interested; no response means a pass. Plan accordingly and do not follow up prematurely.
Send queries to atannenbaum@janerotrosen.com