JL Stermer is the founder of Next Level Lit, a NYC boutique agency championing underrepresented voices across adult and YA fiction and a sweeping range of nonfiction — with a particular emphasis on social justice, mental health, and culturally resonant storytelling that drives real-world change.
In brief
JL Stermer founded Next Level Lit after more than a decade of agenting experience, bringing deep industry relationships and a full-service philosophy that extends well beyond the book deal into podcasts, film, and TV.
The client roster skews heavily toward nonfiction — mental health, wellness, social justice, culture, and memoir — suggesting that despite an expansive fiction wishlist, Stermer's strongest editorial and commercial muscle is on the nonfiction side.
Repeat clients and a roster of named current authors (including Kati Morton, Elyse Myers, Francina Simone, and Zach Wahls) signal that Stermer builds long-term career partnerships rather than one-book relationships.
The submission guidelines explicitly welcome queer, neurodivergent, POC, and underrepresented voices — this is not boilerplate; the roster and stated taste consistently back it up.
Query status is unverified — the submission form is the authoritative source and writers must confirm it is open before submitting.
Lately
The agency's current submission page states that both fiction and nonfiction projects are actively being reviewed, with a response window of four to six weeks for potential matches. Stermer explicitly notes that every query is read with care even if a response is not guaranteed.
What JL is looking for
Stermer is drawn to contemporary, upmarket, and commercial adult fiction — especially stories that give readers a fresh angle on a familiar world or grant access to one they've only imagined. Family sagas, multigenerational narratives, women's fiction, rom-coms, domestic fiction, and book-club-ready literary crossovers are all in scope. Afrofuturism, climate fiction, and high-concept premises with strong character work are also welcome. The fiction must feel purposeful and grounded in a specific cultural perspective.
Commercial and upmarket YA is a genuine priority — contemporary romance, coming-of-age, YA rom-coms, high-concept YA, and stories centered on diverse and queer teen protagonists. YA nonfiction (both contemporary and historical narrative) is equally welcome. Stermer gravitates toward teen voices navigating identity, belonging, and systemic issues with wit and emotional honesty.
This is where the roster's depth is most evident. Stermer actively pursues memoir, investigative journalism, and narrative nonfiction alongside prescriptive self-help, wellness, and personal development. Subject areas of particular interest include mental health, social justice, human rights, feminist and gender issues, spirituality, pop psychology, pop science, pop culture, sports, humor, and projects at the leading edge of conversations happening right now. 'Big idea' books with a clear platform and a distinctive authorial voice are especially sought.
Stermer's background spans theater, fashion, and network TV, and that eclecticism shows in the roster. Books on fashion history, visual culture, illustrated gift nonfiction, and pop-culture criticism are all welcome — particularly when they carry a social or intersectional lens rather than treating style as surface.
Stermer is open to children's nonfiction and clever picture books, but specifically from author-illustrators. Writers-only pitching picture books should not query in this category. Social-emotional learning, diversity, and neurodiversity are themes of particular interest at the younger end.
Across all categories, stories centered on queer, BIPOC, immigrant, and diaspora experiences receive consistent emphasis — West African, Caribbean, South and Southeast Asian, Afro-Latinx, and African-American voices are all explicitly named as areas of interest. This is not a subcategory so much as an overarching filter that elevates projects across fiction and nonfiction alike.
Not the right fit
On JL's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query JL
Do NOT query by email — Stermer's agency page explicitly states the inbox is off-limits for queries. Use only the submission form.
Include a query letter plus the first five pages of your manuscript or a book proposal excerpt — these are the stated requirements, and deviation is likely to result in non-consideration.
Lead your query with your platform and lived expertise for nonfiction, or your cultural perspective for fiction — the agency's entire identity is built around voices that drive change, and anonymous or platform-free pitches will underperform.
If you write at the intersection of identity and a specific topic (mental health, fashion, sports, social justice), name that intersection explicitly in your opening paragraph. Stermer's roster demonstrates a consistent appetite for authors who occupy a specific, credible cultural space.
Queer, neurodivergent, POC, and diaspora writers should say so early — the submission guidelines and the roster both make clear these voices receive particular attention.
For fiction, ground your pitch in emotional stakes and cultural specificity rather than plot mechanics. The wishlist language — 'a new perspective on a world they already know OR a peek into a world they wish they knew' — is a useful diagnostic for your own query.
For picture books, confirm you are an author-illustrator before querying in that category. Writer-only picture book pitches are not sought.
Foreign rights are handled by a separate sub-agent (Taryn Fagerness); film and dramatic rights inquiries go directly to Stermer's email. This is useful context if your project has screen potential — you can reference it without conflating the two pathways.
Response time is four to six weeks for potential matches; no response after that window likely indicates a pass. Do not follow up before the window closes.