Jaida Temperly is a New Leaf Literary & Media agent who gravitates toward intellectually daring adult fiction — literary, speculative, and horror — with a sharp appetite for narratives that destabilize the mainstream and amplify marginalized perspectives.
In brief
Jaida Temperly's stated core is adult literary fiction with a distinctly unsettling or subversive edge — think quiet dread, moral ambiguity, and formal experimentation — not cozy or commercial-mainstream fare.
The wishlist skews heavily toward fiction, but Jaida also has a real (if selective) appetite for prescriptive and narrative nonfiction with genuine commercial hooks — not all agents at this agency take nonfiction, so this is a meaningful door.
A background in biology and a brief stint in medical school, combined with a stated love of secret societies, religious history, and conspiracy theories, telegraphs the kind of subject matter that will genuinely excite them — pitch accordingly.
Jaida's all-time fiction favorites (Han Kang, Paul Beatty, Susanna Clarke, Herman Koch) reveal a consistent taste for cerebral prose, genre-bending structure, and socially critical undercurrents — work that is literary but never safe.
Query status is unverified — confirm the live submission form state before querying; do not assume open.
Lately
Jaida Temperly has publicly stated a desire to find smart adult literary fiction with the kind of cerebral, destabilizing energy found in titles by Han Kang and Ben Marcus — signaling that formally experimental work is a top priority.
What Jaida is looking for
This is Jaida Temperly's primary passion. They are hunting for intellectually ambitious literary fiction that challenges assumptions and unsettles comfortable narratives. Favorites such as Han Kang's The Vegetarian, Ben Marcus's The Flame Alphabet, and Paul Beatty's The Sellout reveal a taste for prose that is formally inventive, socially charged, and morally complex — not literary fiction as prestige decoration, but fiction that genuinely disturbs. International settings, unreliable perspectives, and stories centered on marginalized experiences are all strong draws.
Jaida Temperly actively seeks adult fiction that bends or rewrites reality — alternate histories, magical realism threaded through literary narratives, and speculative premises rooted in the social or political. Historical fiction is welcomed when it illuminates something urgent about human nature rather than serving as simple period backdrop. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a named touchstone, signaling that ambitious, dense, world-building-rich work is entirely on the table.
Horror is listed as an active interest alongside literary and speculative fiction, and Jaida's broader taste profile — a love of darker human experiences, conspiracy theories, and moral unease — suggests this is genuine rather than token. Work that sits at the literary-horror intersection, or that uses horror as a vehicle for social commentary, will resonate most strongly.
Upmarket fiction with emotional depth and a distinct authorial voice is welcome, particularly when it foregrounds marginalized experiences or contains political or cultural commentary. Pure commercial or beach-read women's fiction is less likely to excite; Jaida's taste trends toward work with literary ambition even within accessible frameworks.
Jaida considers prescriptive nonfiction selectively, but only when it has a genuine commercial hook and practical utility for a broad readership. Named touchstones are motivational and habit-science titles with mass-market appeal. A niche self-help angle is unlikely to clear the bar — the work needs to feel like a genuine category standout.
Narrative nonfiction that ventures into dark, taboo, or morbidly fascinating territory aligns closely with Jaida's sensibility. Works that reframe unsettling subjects — death, the body, the grotesque — with curiosity and wit rather than pure shock value are the model. This is a selective interest, not a volume category.
Not the right fit
On Jaida's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Jaida
Send queries to query@newleafliterary.com — confirm current guidelines on the agency's website before submitting, as details may have changed.
Lead with what makes the work unsettling, subversive, or structurally unusual — Jaida's named favorites are books that disturb expectations, not ones that comfort them.
If your manuscript involves conspiracy theories, secret societies, alternate history, religious history, or international settings, name that explicitly in the query letter — these are stated personal passions, not just genre checkboxes.
For literary fiction, reference the tradition your work sits in rather than only comp-ing recent bestsellers; Jaida's touchstones span decades and include Man Booker Prize winners and formally experimental literary authors.
For nonfiction, demonstrate the commercial hook upfront — explain who the mass audience is and why the work fills a genuine gap; Jaida's nonfiction interest is selective and tilts toward proven category strengths.
If your work foregrounds marginalized experiences or questions dominant cultural narratives, say so clearly and early in the letter — this is a central part of what Jaida seeks, not a secondary detail.
Avoid pitching the work as 'feel-good' or 'uplifting' — the named comps across all categories share an edge of darkness, moral complexity, or social critique.
Verify the live submission form status before querying — the current open/closed state could not be confirmed from available information.