Jenny Bent is the founder of The Bent Agency and a 30-year industry veteran whose list spans adult commercial fiction, romance, mystery, and YA/MG — united by emotional authenticity, strong storytelling, and a consistent track record of NYT bestsellers and major deals.
In brief
Her deal record reveals that adult commercial fiction — especially historical fiction, women's fiction, and romance — drives the bulk of her sales, even though she presents herself as genre-agnostic; writers in those lanes have the strongest shot.
She has deep, repeat relationships at a small cluster of imprints: Flatiron Books, Katherine Tegen/Harper, Berkley, Thomas & Mercer, and Bloomsbury Children's appear repeatedly across her most recent deals — a sign of genuine editorial trust on both sides.
Several of her clients are genuinely recurring: Lori Wilde at Avon (multi-book series deals), Roselle Lim with both adult and YA projects, Arvin Ahmadi with a two-book deal at Katherine Tegen, and Stephanie Garber continuing the Caraval universe — all pointing to long-term partnerships, not one-off sales.
Her YA list skews toward fantasy with dark or horror undertones and toward contemporary fiction with strong social themes — not straight contemporary romance or issue-only books.
She explicitly prioritizes books by BIPOC creators and her recent sales reflect that commitment: multiple recent deals feature authors who are Chinese American, Vietnamese American, or Iranian American.
Lately
Her most recent deal activity shows a strong push into romantasy at the adult level, with a seven-figure, three-book auction deal for a tarot-magic fantasy series — signaling she is actively building in that subgenre and has the editor relationships to compete for it.
What Jenny is looking for
Bent consistently closes major and pre-empt deals in adult fiction — historical fiction (particularly WWII-set), women's fiction with emotional depth, and literary fiction with commercial appeal. She wants manuscripts that balance strong plot with genuine feeling. Recent deals in this lane have gone to auction or landed pre-empts, suggesting she is selective but very active. Think: dual-timeline wartime stories, family sagas, and novels in the vein of HAMNET or CIRCE.
One of her most commercially productive categories. She handles both contemporary romance and darker, heat-forward romance (including dark mafia/dark romance), as well as upmarket women's fiction with a romantic thread. Multi-book deals, six- and seven-figure advances, and repeat authors all signal this is a genuine priority. She wants voice-driven, emotionally resonant stories — not formula.
A consistent performer on her list, from domestic psychological suspense to literary crime. She has sold Edgar Award–winning literary crime (Lori Roy), psychological thrillers with domestic stakes (Samantha M. Bailey, Liv Constantine), and plot-driven mysteries with a strong sense of place. She wants suspense with layered characters — not pure procedural.
She sells romantic fantasy at the adult level — including a recent seven-figure deal for a tarot-magic romantasy series — and dark YA fantasy with horror inflections. She wants fantasy grounded in specific, vivid worlds with genuine emotional stakes, not generic epic fantasy. Romantasy and historical-adjacent fantasy appear to be the subgenres she gravitates toward most strongly.
Her YA list balances socially conscious contemporary (feminist themes, identity, voice) with dark fantasy and genre-bending horror-adjacent stories. She has sold competitive YA at auction at major imprints. She is actively seeking books by BIPOC authors in this space. Strong, specific social commentary paired with a compelling romantic subplot is a recurring feature of her recent YA deals.
Her MG presence is smaller but active — she recently sold a two-book middle grade mystery series to Random House Children's. She appears drawn to MG with genuine humor, friendship dynamics, and light mystery or adventure elements. Not her highest-volume category, but clearly not off-limits.
She represents a narrow slice of nonfiction, focused on books that speak to personal transformation or inspiration with a strong authorial voice. Her flagship example in this space has sold over a million copies. This is not a primary lane — writers with highly platform-driven self-help or lifestyle projects would need a very strong hook and an existing audience.
Not the right fit
On Jenny's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Jenny
Send a query letter plus the first ten pages of your manuscript pasted directly into the body of the email — no attachments for the sample pages.
Address her directly and be specific about why your book fits her list; she represents a wide range, so naming the lane (e.g., 'dark romantasy in the vein of your Elise Kova work' or 'upmarket women's fiction with a WWII historical setting') helps her locate your project quickly.
Her deal record shows she responds strongly to manuscripts with a clear emotional core — lead your query with what the protagonist stands to lose, not just the plot mechanics.
If you are a BIPOC author, she has explicitly stated she is actively seeking your work and her recent sales confirm it — mention your background if you are comfortable doing so.
For adult fiction: comp to something on her existing list (e.g., Yangsze Choo's atmospheric literary fiction, or Liv Constantine's domestic suspense) only if the comparison is genuinely tight — vague comps read as padding.
For YA: she gravitates toward manuscripts that blend genre (fantasy + horror, mystery + tech) or that have a sharp social lens alongside romance — a query that names both elements signals you understand her taste.
Her submission email is [email protected]; rights inquiries go to Emma Lagarde at [email protected] — do not conflate the two.
Confirm the live status of her query form before submitting, as status can change without notice.