A veteran New York editor turned independent agent, Jennifer Weis hunts for high-concept, plot-driven adult fiction and authoritative nonfiction from platform-driven experts — with a quietly dominant specialty in health, wellness, and autism-related narrative that her own deal record reveals far more clearly than her wishlist does.
In brief
Her stated wishlist emphasizes fiction — thrillers, women's fiction, romance — but her confirmed recent deal record is weighted heavily toward health, wellness, and autism nonfiction, with Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins imprints appearing repeatedly as landing spots.
Kate Swenson is a standout repeat client: Weis has sold multiple books by Swenson, co-brokered foreign rights on her titles, and secured a six-figure deal for her next project — a level of sustained partnership that signals deep loyalty to authors she believes in.
Her editorial background at St. Martin's Press (30+ years in the industry) gives her unusual credibility with editors; she pitches herself as a developmental partner, not just a deal-maker.
She reads widely for personal pleasure — Colleen Hoover, Sarah J. Maas, Kristin Hannah, and recent commercial fiction — which explains why she's genuinely open to commercial and upmarket women's fiction and romance, not just as a courtesy category.
Foreign rights are actively sub-agented through Kim Whalen at the Whalen Agency, meaning international sales are a realistic part of the picture for strong projects.
Lately
Her personal reading list for late summer 2024 included several major commercial fiction titles alongside a romantasy title, and she noted that her adult child's reading recommendations send her straight to the bookstore — signaling genuine enthusiasm for contemporary popular fiction and romance, not just professional tolerance of the category.
What Jennifer is looking for
She wants high-concept thrillers anchored in unusual or exclusive settings — the kind of premise that is both immediately gripping and socially specific. Character investment is non-negotiable. Authors she points to as touchstones include Lisa Jewell and Liz Moore, signaling a preference for psychological depth and literary texture over pure procedural pace.
She is after emotionally resonant, character-driven stories where readers become genuinely invested in the people on the page. She describes the target as books in the spirit of Catherine Newman's Sandwich — grounded, warm, and emotionally true rather than plot-engineered.
All contemporary romance is welcome, and she personally enjoys the genre (she reads Colleen Hoover, Sarah J. Maas, and Kristin Hannah for pleasure). She favors satisfying, positive conclusions over dark or tragic endings. Historical romance is considered, but selectively — the emphasis is on contemporary.
This is where her deal record is strongest, and it should be treated as a genuine primary category. She wants credentialed authors — doctors, researchers, practitioners — with a fresh angle on health, chronic illness, mental health, or psychology, and the platform to reach an audience. Recent confirmed sales span integrative medicine, neurology, and psychiatry. The target read: narrative enough to pull in a general audience, rigorous enough to carry authority.
She wants narratives that read like fiction — propulsive, immersive, emotionally driven. Special interest in stories that speak to women's lives. Personal mission and message are assets; so is a built-in platform. Her sales record includes successful autism memoirs and social-science narrative, suggesting she is particularly adept with stories that blend the personal and the informational.
She is drawn to nonfiction with a specific, arguable thesis that has the potential to shift how readers understand the world. Authors need a clear platform or expert credential. She reads widely in current affairs herself and is comfortable with books that take strong positions on timely subjects.
She accepts mainstream YA alongside adult fiction, applying the same standards: a strong hook, distinctive voice, and characters readers root for. No further sub-genre specificity is given; query with the same care as adult fiction.
Not the right fit
On Jennifer's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Jennifer
Email jweis@theweisagency.com directly, or use the submission form linked on her agency website — both routes are explicitly accepted.
Fiction queries must include a query letter, a synopsis, and the first three chapters as a Word document attachment. Do not paste in the body; attachments are specifically requested.
Nonfiction queries require a query letter plus a full proposal with chapter summaries and sample material, also as a Word document. A strong platform section is essential — her recent deals all involve credentialed, expert authors.
Lead your query with a distilled, high-concept hook of a few sentences. She explicitly values the ability to describe a complex plot simply — prove you can do it in your opening paragraph.
For health or wellness nonfiction, front your credentials and audience platform before your subject matter. Her recent deals are doctor-authored or expert-driven; she needs to see why you are the authoritative voice.
For fiction, show you know her taste: thrillers set in unusual or exclusive worlds, women's fiction with genuine emotional stakes, or romance that ends on a positive note. A vague 'commercial fiction' pitch will not stand out.
She typically responds within two to three weeks; if you have not heard anything within four weeks, she has passed. No follow-up is implied or encouraged in her guidelines.
Do not query by phone or postal mail — she explicitly does not accept unsolicited contact through those channels.