Senior Literary Agent at BookEnds with a decade of Harlequin editorial experience behind her, Jessica Alvarez is now laser-focused on romance — all heat levels, all subgenres — while maintaining a robust foreign-rights practice that consistently moves her clients into European and audio markets.
In brief
Her agency page has narrowed her wishlist to romance only — older sources listing mysteries, thrillers, nonfiction, and cozy mysteries reflect past interests that her current page explicitly supersedes. Query romance; do not query nonfiction or mysteries expecting a warm reception.
The deal record tells a clear story: her dominant commercial relationships are with romance-forward imprints — Forever, Dell, Montlake, Canary Street, St. Martin's, Kensington, and Union Square all appear — signaling strong placement power in mainstream commercial romance.
Pippa Grant, Sarah Adams, Hannah Bonam-Young, and Lynn Painter appear as repeat clients with multiple titles and international rights sales, suggesting she builds long author relationships rather than one-book partnerships.
Her foreign-rights track record is unusually deep for a single agent: titles have landed in France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Finland, and Mexico, plus audio deals through Podium — a genuine competitive advantage for romance authors chasing global reach.
She brings an editorial eye honed over ten years at Harlequin (historical romance, romantic suspense, inspirational romance), which means she works manuscript-level with clients — a meaningful differentiator for writers whose drafts aren't yet fully polished.
Lately
Her current agency page states she is exclusively seeking romance at this time, a meaningful narrowing from earlier profiles that included mysteries, thrillers, nonfiction, and cozy mysteries. She continues to welcome subrights inquiries from indie and established authors regardless of genre.
What Jessica is looking for
This is her exclusive fiction focus right now. She welcomes all heat levels — from inspirational and sweet through steamy — and all romance subgenres. Diversity is a stated priority: she actively wants novels featuring BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters. Her deal record confirms commercial, contemporary, and historical romance placements across major imprints. Touchstone reads she has recently named include works by Abby Jimenez, Rachel Reid, and Sarah MacLean, which collectively signal she enjoys voice-driven contemporary romance as well as emotionally charged historical romance.
She explicitly and repeatedly flags her willingness to take on subrights work for authors who already have their primary representation or are publishing independently. Given her foreign-rights track record — placements across France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Finland, and Mexico, plus audio — this is a credible and active specialty, not a side note.
Not the right fit
On Jessica's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Jessica
Romance only: her current page has narrowed her active search to romance exclusively — do not query nonfiction, mysteries, or thrillers expecting consideration as a new client.
Lead with subgenre and heat level in your opening line. She represents the full spectrum from inspirational to steamy, but she needs to know immediately where on that spectrum your book sits.
Diversity is a genuine priority, not a checkbox: if your manuscript features BIPOC or LGBTQ+ characters, name that prominently and authentically in the query — it aligns directly with what she says she wants more of.
Comp to her taste signals: she recently named Abby Jimenez, Rachel Reid, and Sarah MacLean as enjoyable reads. If your voice or premise shares DNA with voice-driven contemporary romance or emotionally textured historical romance, make that connection explicit.
If you are an indie or established author seeking subrights representation rather than full agenting, she explicitly welcomes that inquiry — frame your query accordingly and lead with your existing sales record and target territories.
Her editorial background at Harlequin means she responds well to a query that demonstrates structural awareness — briefly signaling that you understand genre conventions (and how your book plays with or subverts them) will resonate.
She states she replies to all queries, with a target turnaround of around two weeks for queries and approximately three months for requested manuscripts — factor that into your follow-up timeline.