Susan Velazquez Colmant is a Vice-President and subsidiary rights director at JABberwocky Literary Agency who champions emotionally rich romantic fantasy, upmarket women's fiction, and diverse voices across YA, new adult, and adult categories — with a particular gravitational pull toward immigrant narratives, complicated families, and coming-of-self stories.
In brief
Currently CLOSED to queries as of September 1, 2025 — Susan processed a high-volume summer window and is working through responses before reopening; check the agency page and their social channels for a reopening announcement.
Their annual query window in 2025 ran June 1–August 31, suggesting a structured seasonal intake model; writers should plan to pitch during a future window, not speculatively email.
The 2025 priority list is tightly scoped: romantasy, romance, fantasy, upmarket/book club fiction, women's fiction, and adult nonfiction (narrative nonfiction, pop science, pop culture, self-help) — all other genres are explicitly off the table for now.
Susan is also JABberwocky's subsidiary rights director handling audio and translation — meaning clients benefit from an agent with unusually broad deal-making relationships across formats and territories beyond domestic print.
Their personal taste gravitates strongly toward Latinx and diaspora narratives, multicultural and LGBTQIA+ protagonists, and stories set in Texas, the American Southwest, and Mexico — writers with those settings or identities at the center of their work have a meaningful signal advantage.
Lately
On September 1, 2025, Susan announced the close of their summer query window, noting that a strong volume of submissions came in over the summer months and that they need time to work through responses before reopening. They stated they will post an update when queries reopen or when they join any pitch events.
What Susan is looking for
Susan named romantasy as a top priority for 2025 and the genre sits at the very top of their stated list. They want romantic fantasy across age categories — the combination of emotional romance and fantastical world-building is squarely in their wheelhouse. Multicultural and LGBTQIA+ protagonists will almost certainly strengthen a pitch.
Romance broadly is explicitly on Susan's 2025 seek list. While no specific subgenres are named beyond the romantasy overlap, their general affinity for multicultural characters, coming-of-self arcs, and diverse voices should inform how writers frame romantic work.
Speculative and fantasy fiction beyond romantasy is actively sought. Susan gravitates toward unique voices and complicated family dynamics, suggesting character-driven fantasy with emotional depth will resonate over purely plot-driven adventure.
This is where Susan's most detailed and personal wishlist lives. They want 'coming-of-self' stories — protagonists at any life stage (25 to 85) who are discovering new parts of themselves or reckoning with their past. Family sagas with cross-generational conflict and eventual reconciliation are a particular love. Stories about the immigrant experience, especially diaspora narratives that capture the feeling of belonging fully to neither the home culture nor the new one, are strongly preferred. Historical settings in underexplored periods — specifically the Chicano movement, the American Southwest, and Mexico — are of special interest. Contemporary settings work too. Susan also has a noted fascination with cult dynamics and cult-like group psychology as narrative material.
Susan is actively building an adult nonfiction client list in 2025, with a stated special emphasis on writers from diverse backgrounds. The four named subgenres — narrative nonfiction, pop science, pop culture, and self-help — represent the full scope of what they're considering. This appears to be a growth area for them, making it a compelling moment for qualifying nonfiction writers to get on their radar during the next open window.
YA is listed as an eligible age category across romantasy, romance, fantasy, and upmarket fiction. Susan's background in coming-of-age storytelling and LGBTQIA+/multicultural voices aligns naturally with the YA space, though the 2025 framing emphasizes adult and new adult slightly more in the nonfiction and upmarket prose categories.
New adult is explicitly named alongside YA and adult as an eligible category for the genres Susan seeks. Writers in the 18–25 protagonist range working in romantasy, romance, fantasy, or upmarket fiction should feel confident including NA framing in their pitch.
Not the right fit
On Susan's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Susan
Queries are ONLY accepted through Susan's online submission form — do not email queries directly to their address; those are deleted without review.
Attach a 1–2 page synopsis AND the first 20 pages of your manuscript as a Word document; missing either attachment will likely disqualify a submission.
Susan's window was closed as of September 1, 2025 — monitor their agency page and social channels for a reopening announcement before preparing your submission.
The 2025 open window ran June 1–August 31, suggesting a recurring seasonal pattern; writers who miss a window may want to time preparation for early the following summer.
Lead your query with the genre, age category, and word count up front — Susan's submission parameters are explicit and narrow, and demonstrating fit immediately signals you've done your homework.
If your project features Latinx, diaspora, multicultural, or LGBTQIA+ voices — especially in settings tied to Texas, the American Southwest, Mexico, or the Chicano movement — name that directly and early; it's a documented taste priority, not a generic diversity checkbox.
Susan states that if your project matches roughly 60% or more of their wishlist, it's worth submitting even if some 'anti-list' elements are present — don't self-reject over partial mismatches; frame your pitch around the areas of strong alignment.
For nonfiction, Susan is actively building this part of their list in 2025 — writers with narrative nonfiction, pop science, pop culture, or self-help projects from diverse backgrounds may find this a particularly receptive moment when the window next opens.
Susan does respond to every query but notes submissions can occasionally go missing in the form system; if you haven't heard back within six months, a polite status-check email is explicitly welcomed.