Bridget Smith is a Brooklyn-based JABberwocky agent who hunts for character-first SFF, emotionally layered YA, and literary fiction with genre DNA — always chasing the book that grabs her by the throat.
In brief
Her submission window is a hard constraint: she accepts queries only during the first ten days of each month, excluding December — missing the window means your email goes unread.
Her stated wish list and her deal record align tightly around adult SFF and YA; she has deep relationships with major genre imprints and a track record of placing books at top houses.
She consistently champions LGBTQ stories and protagonists across every category she represents — this thread runs through her YA, SFF, and literary fiction lists alike.
Her addition of adult rom-coms is recent and explicitly flagged as new territory for her; she is still not a fit for straight genre romance, so the distinction matters.
She came up through editorial-adjacent roles at a genre-focused publisher and a literary agency, which explains her dual fluency in commercial genre and more literary sensibilities.
Lately
Her agency page currently specifies a firm submission window: queries are only accepted during the first ten calendar days of each month, with December entirely excluded. This is a hard logistical gate, not a soft preference.
What Bridget is looking for
This is the center of gravity for her list. She gravitates toward the literary end of the genre spectrum — voice and character come before plot mechanics, and worldbuilding should shape who the characters become rather than overwhelm them. In fantasy, she welcomes nearly any subgenre. In SF, she wants stories that feel intimately personal even when the canvas is galactic. She has a particular hunger for romantic SFF with real emotional stakes, historical fantasy, and ambitious novels with a single scene or revelation that is genuinely unforgettable.
She is open across the full YA spectrum, but her sweet spots are emotionally rich contemporary with genuine humor, SFF that is both sophisticated and surprising in its execution, and historical fiction that excavates overlooked or underrepresented stories. The throughline across all YA she wants: a narrator whose voice makes the reader feel they know this person, messy girls who try hard and still fail, and concepts that are fresh in their framing rather than just fresh in their premise.
She prefers literary fiction that borrows tools from other genres — unusual structure, speculative elements, a plot that actually moves — over pure character study. Historical literary fiction about women, people of color, and LGBTQ figures is a particular priority. Contemporary literary fiction with a strong plot engine or a touch of the uncanny is also welcome. Her named non-client touchstones signal a taste for richly researched, atmospherically dense prose with moral complexity.
A recently opened category for her. She wants the same qualities she prizes in YA: warmth, strong voice, genuine humor, and emotional layering beneath the high concept. The premise should be distinct enough to travel beyond core romance readers to a mainstream or crossover audience. She is explicit that straight genre romance remains outside her wheelhouse — the rom-com label here means commercial fiction with romantic stakes and comedic energy, not category romance.
Listed among her represented fiction categories on her agency page, but she offers no specific wishlist guidance for MG in her current materials. Writers with MG projects should query with caution and confirm current appetite via the submission form.
Not the right fit
On Bridget's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Bridget
Timing is everything: she only opens her form during the first ten days of each month and never in December. Submit on day one of an open month to maximize your window.
Include the first five pages of your manuscript in the initial query — this is required by her form, not optional. Do not send a query letter alone.
For SFF pitches, lead with character and voice before worldbuilding. She has said explicitly that plot mechanics are secondary to who the people are and what they want.
If your adult project is a rom-com, make the high-concept premise unmistakable in the query letter and signal the mainstream/crossover appeal — she wants to know it can travel beyond core romance readers.
LGBTQ protagonists, stories about women, and underrepresented historical perspectives are a consistent through-line across her list in every category; if your project features these, name that clearly and early.
Do not query her for straight genre romance — she has been explicit that it is not the right fit regardless of how strong the manuscript is.
She has a background reading submissions for a major genre publisher and spent nearly eight years as an agent at a literary agency before joining JABberwocky. Pitches that demonstrate awareness of the literary-commercial tension in genre will resonate with her sensibility.