Jessica Watterson is a commercially-minded romance and fantasy powerhouse at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency whose client list reads like a bestseller roll call — she's closed to open queries and currently accepts new clients by referral only.
In brief
Her sales record tells the real story: Watterson has built one of the most commercially successful romance lists in traditional publishing, with multiple NYT and USA Today bestsellers including #1 NYT bestsellers Lyla Sage and Lyra Selene (Sunday Times #1). Her stated wishlist has historically mentioned women's fiction and kidlit, but her actual deal flow is almost entirely romance and romantasy — trust the sales.
She is currently closed to unsolicited queries and accepts new submissions by referral only. Her agency page confirms this as of the most recent check. Do not cold-query; a referral from an existing client or a conference connection is the realistic path in.
Her deal record skews heavily toward BookTok-friendly romance with strong spice levels — she has represented indie-to-trad transitions (Elena Armas, Lyla Sage, S.J. Tilly) and clearly has deep relationships with publishers buying in that commercial romance and romantasy space.
She explicitly flags a love of indie-to-traditional transitions and describes herself as hands-on through the full publishing process — a strong signal for self-published authors with proven readerships considering a move to traditional.
Her current agency page has dropped all mention of kidlit, picture books, and YA — categories her older wishlist posts included. Those are now explicitly excluded. Writers in those categories should not query her.
Lately
Her current agency page states she is only open to queries by referral, superseding any earlier open-query windows. The page emphasizes her focus on heart-pounding romance and broad-appeal fantasy with spice, and explicitly excludes all kidlit categories — a meaningful shift from earlier wishlist language that welcomed picture books and middle grade.
What Jessica is looking for
This is the undisputed center of her list. She wants romance with fresh, distinctive voices and propulsive, character-driven storytelling. Independent heroines are non-negotiable; she has little patience for domineering, 'alpha-hole' heroes. Spice is welcome and clearly preferred based on her deal record. Her recent sales suggest she is especially active in contemporary romance and sports romance, though her stated interest is broad.
She specifically calls out fantasy with broad commercial appeal — particularly when it carries romantic tension and spice. Her recent sales include romantasy titles that sit squarely in the BookTok-driven fantasy romance wave. This is a growing priority, not a side interest.
Her older wishlist articulated a clear appetite for millennial-focused women's fiction — stories about women navigating careers and identity, especially centering female friendships. She expressed particular interest in diverse authors writing in this space. That interest has not been contradicted by her agency page, but her recent deal flow suggests this is secondary to romance in her current priorities. She is not the right fit for stories centered on pregnancy or infant-rearing.
Not the right fit
On Jessica's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Jessica
A referral from an existing client or a warm introduction at a writers' conference is currently the only realistic path to her inbox. Cold queries will not be considered.
If you do reach her through a referral, lead with your commercial romance or romantasy credentials. Her list is built on page-turning, character-first stories with clear market positioning.
If you are an indie author with a proven sales record looking to transition to traditional publishing, make that central to your pitch — she has a documented track record and stated enthusiasm for exactly that path.
Emphasize your heroine's independence and your hero's emotional complexity. She has been explicit that domineering, alpha-hole heroes are not her taste.
Spice level matters: her recent deals skew toward books with romantic heat. Don't downplay it if it's a feature of your manuscript.
Do not pitch kidlit, YA, memoir, or nonfiction — these are explicitly excluded on her current agency page regardless of what older sources may say.
Verify her query status directly via her agency page before any submission attempt — referral-only status can shift without notice.