Jane Chun is a list-building agent at Transatlantic Literary Agency who hunts for cinematic, emotionally rich fiction and nonfiction centering identity, diaspora, and the interior lives of characters who don't fit neatly into the world's expectations of them.
In brief
Jane Chun joined Transatlantic in 2023 after four years at a major New York agency, and is actively building their list — meaning genuine openness to debut and emerging voices right now.
Their stated taste runs deep on identity, diaspora, queerness, generational secrets, and found family, with a consistent through-line: characters whose inner worlds are as vivid as their external conflicts.
Chun explicitly wants headstrong, complicated women and characters who defy gender or heterosexual norms — not as decoration but as the engine of the story.
They are drawn to work that balances emotional weight with levity or absurdity (citing Parasite as a tonal touchstone), and are repelled by didacticism and exploitation of challenging material.
Recent public activity includes participation in #SEAsianPit, signaling an active, community-embedded approach to discovering underrepresented voices — writers from Southeast Asian diasporas have a natural entry point.
Lately
I'll be dipping into #queerpit throughout the day! If I ❤️ your pitch, please submit your query here: querytracker.net/query/janech... You can see my submission guidelines at the bottom of my MSWL page (see pinned tweet)
Hi, #SEAsianPit participants! If I ❤️ your pitch, please submit your query here: querytracker.net/query/janech.... You can see my submission guidelines at the bottom of my MSWL page: www.jane-chun.com/mswl
I read an epistolary novel this weekend, and now I'm craving epistolary middle grade and YA books. Writers, if you're working on one, I'd love to see your query in my inbox if it fits my MSWL! jane-chun.com/mswl
I'll be doing 1:1 pitches on May 9 if you want to chat about a book you're writing/querying!
I looked at this list again to see if there was anything I wanted to add to it or my #MSWL (there was! I added one new item to the "cravings" page and linked to that page and the "likes" page on my general MSWL)...and what I wouldn't do for stories that hit one or more of these things 🙏🙏🙏
Chun publicly participated in #SEAsianPit, a pitch event spotlighting Southeast Asian writers, and directed interested participants to their query form — a clear, on-the-record signal that they are actively seeking work from Southeast Asian diasporic voices right now.
What Jane is looking for
Chun wants fiction with atmospheric, cinematic prose and deeply felt characters — not just plot machines. Thematic sweet spots include identity in flux (generational, cultural, queer), diaspora stories that move beyond familiar immigrant narratives, buried secrets that reframe the entire story once revealed, rotten institutions examined at their peak or collapse, and the way past generations haunt present ones. Emotionally heavy material is welcome, especially when threaded with moments of absurdity or dark humor. Character studies that invite obsessive scrutiny are a particular draw.
YA is a genuine priority, not an afterthought. Chun is drawn to coming-of-age stories where the protagonist is actively wrestling with identity — cultural, sexual, gendered, or all three. Found family, tested friendships, long-broken relationships mended, and the slow revelation of what an institution or family has been hiding all resonate strongly. Characters who are headstrong in any register — quietly fierce, brash, conniving, goofy — are especially welcome. The same 'microscope' quality Chun wants in adult applies here.
MG is on the list but receives less explicit emphasis than adult and YA. The same thematic pillars apply: identity, community, family, secrets coming to light. Writers should ensure the voice is genuinely age-appropriate and not a thinly stretched YA.
Chun is interested in nonfiction but is highly selective and explicitly excludes prescriptive, self-help, business, leadership, religion, and spirituality categories. What they want is a compelling, intimate voice — the sense of a writer in the room with you — applied to topics that connect to their thematic interests: identity, community, power, memory, diaspora. The bar for voice is extremely high.
Chun explicitly lists graphic novels and graphic nonfiction as a category they are seeking. Given their broader taste, work in this format that engages with diaspora, queerness, or identity is a natural fit. Writers should confirm the submission guidelines for format-specific requirements.
Not the right fit
On Jane's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Jane
Submit through the query form linked from Chun's personal website (jane-chun.com) — that is the canonical submission channel, confirmed in their own public posts.
Before querying, read both the 'cravings' and 'likes' pages on their personal site. These are unusually specific and current, and a query that reflects genuine familiarity with them will stand out immediately.
If your book connects to Southeast Asian diaspora, note that Chun has publicly participated in #SEAsianPit — signaling this community as an active priority, not merely a line in a wishlist.
Lead with character interiority. Chun's stated non-negotiable is characters with rich inner worlds and emotional depth, so your query letter should convey that the protagonist has a vivid interior life, not just a compelling plot problem.
Tonal complexity earns points: if your work balances emotional weight with absurdity, dark humor, or silliness, name that tension explicitly rather than burying it. Chun cites Parasite as a tonal reference point — that combination of dread and dark comedy is a green light.
Avoid being vague about identity themes. Chun wants specificity: is this a story about a 1.5-generation immigrant negotiating two cultures? A queer character discovering their queerness? A character whose sense of self has been shattered by disillusionment? Name it precisely.
Do NOT pitch work that fits the excluded categories — especially romance (without having read their exception carve-outs), law enforcement/military thrillers, hard sci-fi, or verse novels. Submitting anyway signals you haven't done your homework.
Check their personal website's submission guidelines section for any format or material requirements before sending — Chun has directed queriers there for the full, current rules.