Jennifer De Chiara is the founder and president of her own New York agency, a veteran of Simon & Schuster and Random House editorial, who casts a deliberately wide net across adult fiction, children's books, and nonfiction—with a consistent gravitational pull toward underdog stories, voice-driven prose, and work that centers LGBTQ and outsider experiences.
In brief
De Chiara founded her agency in 2001 after stints in editorial at two of publishing's biggest houses, giving her an unusually deep understanding of what acquisitions editors actually want—a genuine edge for her clients.
Her stated wishlist is notably broad ('query me if in doubt'), but the clearest throughlines are: voice-first literary and commercial fiction, LGBTQ-centered work across all age categories, and celebrity/Hollywood nonfiction that reflects her background as a former dancer and actress.
Her represented authors include Brent Hartinger, a pioneering voice in LGBTQ YA fiction, signaling a long-standing and genuine commitment to queer storytelling rather than a trendy add-on.
She actively accepts screenplays in addition to books—an unusual and underreported feature of her practice that writers with crossover projects should note.
She queries by email with pages in the body (not as attachments), which is a specific and easy-to-get-wrong submission detail that will immediately mark a query as careful or careless.
Lately
Her agency page emphasizes a sweeping openness to queries—she explicitly encourages writers who are uncertain whether their project fits to query anyway, a signal of genuine breadth rather than a narrowly curated list.
What Jennifer is looking for
Her single strongest stated enthusiasm in adult fiction. She is hunting for manuscripts with a distinctive, beautiful voice above all else. The story must make her feel something—she describes wanting to be kept up at night and to finish a book changed in some way. Underdog and outsider protagonists are a particular draw.
Openly welcomes commercial storytelling as long as the protagonist is someone she can genuinely learn from. Women's fiction and chick-lit are explicitly on her list, though she rules out bodice-rippers. Fun is fine; depth at the core is required.
Part of the broad adult fiction tent she actively welcomes. No specific sub-genre restrictions stated. The same voice-and-protagonist standard applies.
One of her most consistent and long-standing priorities, evident both in her explicit wishlist language and in her client roster. She welcomes LGBTQ-centered work across adult, YA, and middle-grade categories. This is not a trend chase—her representation of pioneering LGBTQ YA author Brent Hartinger suggests a deep, ongoing commitment.
Character-driven stories with a truly distinctive narrative voice are the priority. She is open to every genre with one exception: she describes herself as not a big science fiction fan, so hard sci-fi YA is a tough sell. LGBTQ YA is particularly welcome.
Same voice-first, character-driven standard as YA. Genre flexibility is broad, with the same light caveat around science fiction.
Welcomes a wide tonal range: soft and gentle, quirky, or outright funny; rhyming or non-rhyming. She does not state a preference for author-illustrators over authors, but writers should confirm current picture book submission expectations before querying.
A clear passion area. She is specifically drawn to memoirs about people who have overcome extraordinary adversity—triumph-of-the-human-spirit narratives. Celebrity and entertainment-world memoirs are an especially strong match given her personal background in dance and acting.
Her former life as a dancer and actress makes this a genuinely personal interest, not a checkbox. She actively wants celebrity biographies, autobiographies, behind-the-scenes books, and anything covering the performing arts or popular culture.
Passionate about books that help readers live their best lives—health, wellness, exercise, and spiritually oriented titles. Her reference points lean toward the contemplative, Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra style, rather than hard-nosed business self-help, though she does not explicitly exclude the latter.
An uncommon offering for a literary agency. She accepts screenplay queries via a specific format: a logline, a 150-word description, and a bio, with a designated subject line. Writers with book-to-screen crossover projects should take note.
Not the right fit
On Jennifer's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Jennifer
Send fiction and children's book queries to her direct email address (jenndec@aol.com) with the first twenty pages pasted into the body of the email—not as an attachment. This is a firm, specific instruction and ignoring it is an easy way to be dismissed.
Include a one-paragraph bio and a one-paragraph synopsis in the body of the email alongside the pages.
For nonfiction, the approach differs: attach a complete book proposal (including a sample chapter) as a Word document, and include your bio and a one-paragraph synopsis in the email body.
Screenplay queries require their own format: a logline, a 150-word description, and a bio, with 'Screenplay Query' in the subject line.
Lead with voice in your query letter—her wishlist language returns to 'voice' and 'make me feel something' repeatedly. If your opening pages don't immediately establish a distinctive narrator or perspective, revise before querying.
Underdog and outsider protagonists are an explicit draw; if your main character fits that archetype, surface it clearly in your synopsis.
LGBTQ-centered projects across any age category or genre are a genuine priority—don't bury that aspect of your story.
If your nonfiction touches on Hollywood, the performing arts, or celebrity life, her personal background as a former dancer and actress makes her a particularly well-matched reader—mention the subject area prominently.
She encourages writers who are unsure whether their project fits to query regardless—a rare and genuine invitation to take a chance on an atypical project.