Jessica Sinsheimer is a veteran literary agent at Context Literary Agency whose sweet spot is sophisticated, escapist fiction starring characters—especially women and underrepresented voices—who claim power, outsmart systems, and win.
In brief
Currently closed to queries as of July 2025, but publicly signaled a planned reopening in 2026 — confirm on the agency's submissions page before sending anything.
Her stated taste skews heavily toward upmarket/commercial fiction with feminist energy: revenge plots, wish fulfillment, and characters who flip power dynamics. Nonfiction, particularly food-centric work, is a genuine secondary interest.
Her wishlist is notably broad — she explicitly says 'if you're not sure, go ahead and query' — but her emphasis on voice and contrast suggests she's more selective in practice than the wide category list implies.
She reads every query twice before deciding, and publicly warned writers that a three-month wait is not a rejection — patience is essential when querying her.
She co-founded a manuscript education platform (The Manuscript Academy), which signals deep engagement with the craft side of publishing and suggests she values writers who take the work seriously.
Lately
As I prepare to open again to queries in 2026, I wanted to mention that, with everything going on in the world (I try to only read queries when I can really focus) and my personal method (reading each one twice, in case I'm in the wrong headspace), I can't emphasize this enough: 3 months ≠ a no.
As she prepares to reopen to queries in 2026, she wanted writers to know that her two-read approach — reviewing each query at least twice to account for her own headspace — means a three-month wait is not a rejection and should not be interpreted as one.
What Jessica is looking for
This is her core: sophisticated, voice-driven fiction that bridges literary quality and commercial appeal. She gravitates toward books that are simultaneously beautiful and unsettling, heartbreaking and funny. Book-club-ready premises with high emotional or social stakes are a consistent draw. She's particularly drawn to the intersection of 'pretty and scary' and has expressed specific interest in a high-concept, big-budget-feeling dystopian with book-club sensibility.
Historical settings in which characters — especially women and marginalized people — hold far more power, agency, and fun than history would have permitted. She describes this as 'Bridgerton, but with magic,' and is interested in stories that give historically powerless figures escapist triumph. The further the character's power exceeds historical reality, the better.
She wants women at the center of crime and thriller narratives — solving crimes, navigating power structures, and, if the story earns it, committing crimes too. Psychological and domestic thriller registers are welcome; so are mysteries featuring BIPOC protagonists. Scheming, revenge, and meticulously planted clues that pay off in retrospect are signature elements she returns to repeatedly.
She's drawn to sophisticated, fresh romances — particularly those featuring neurotic or intellectually-driven protagonists navigating their feelings rather than surrendering to them. Adult rom-com and adult romantasy both register as active interests. Wish fulfillment, escapism, and underrepresented characters with happy endings are central to what she wants here.
She prefers speculative work that stays rooted in our recognizable world — the kind of story that begins in realism and veers into genre, rather than pure secondary-world fantasy. Climate fiction, magical realism, and literary SFF all fit her sensibility. AAPI and BIPOC voices in fantasy, sci-fi, and horror are explicitly named as high-priority. She is also open to YA in all these registers.
She applies the same taste standards across age categories — voice, contrast, underrepresented characters with power and agency. YA fantasy, YA thriller, YA upmarket, and YA rom-com all fall within her stated interests. The same aesthetic criteria (beautiful and scary, heartbreaking and funny) apply regardless of age group.
She identifies as a self-described 'lazy gourmet' and is genuinely open to cookbooks, food memoirs, and nonfiction works organized around food culture. This is not a token interest — it is explicitly named as an area she actively seeks.
Beyond food, she is open to nonfiction in humor, memoir, psychology, relationships, true crime, wellness, and travel. Her nonfiction appetite appears narrower than her fiction interests; strong voice and a distinct angle matter even more here.
Not the right fit
On Jessica's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Jessica
She is currently closed — do not query until the agency's submissions page confirms she has reopened, which she indicated would be sometime in 2026.
When open, send a query letter plus the first 10 pages pasted directly into the body of the email — no attachments for the initial submission.
Lead with voice. Her repeated emphasis on contrast (highbrow sentences, lowbrow content; beautiful settings, ugly motives) means the query letter itself should demonstrate tonal range, not just summarize plot.
Name the power dynamic explicitly. If your protagonist is a woman or underrepresented character who gains, reclaims, or subverts power, say so clearly — this is a core signal she responds to.
If your book fits multiple genres or sits at a genre intersection, lean into that. She is more likely to be excited by 'book-club dystopian' or 'historical fantasy with romantasy elements' than a single clean genre label.
Do not use the subject line to bury your genre. She reads high volumes; clarity about category and the novel's hook helps her triage and read in the right headspace.
She reads every query twice before deciding. Do not nudge before three months have passed — she has directly and publicly asked for this patience.
Food-related nonfiction writers: make the concept and your platform visible in the first paragraph. Her personal affinity for food culture is genuine but she'll want to see why this book has an audience beyond enthusiasts.
If your book features cleverly planted, retrospectively satisfying clues or a structure that rewards re-reading, mention that architecture explicitly — it is one of her stated pleasures.