Agent Looking to Build List – Jaida Temperly

Jaida Temperly

Jaida Temperly at New Leaf Literary is actively building both her Children’s and Adult list. She has a particular love for all things Middle Grade, especially those that are a bit quirky, strange, and fantastical (a la The Mysterious Benedict Society, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, Snicker of Magic, Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, etc.). She’s also open to YA submissions (all genres), and picture books by author-illustrators with completed dummies.

For all other fiction (both Adult and Children’s) she has an affinity for magical realism, historical fiction, and literary fiction, as well as stories with a strong mystery and/or religious undertones (The Westing Game, A Discovery of Witches, The DaVinci Code, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Outlander, The Rule of Four, etc.).

On the non-fiction side, she’s actively seeking topics that are offbeat and a bit strange (Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, etc.), as well as photography projects that offer unique insight into the human experience (Humans of New York, The Scar Project, etc.).

Prior to joining New Leaf Literary, Jaida grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, studied classical ballet, and briefly attended medical school. She loves art history, traveling, logic puzzles, horticulture, and numerous other topics that come in handy for Trivia Night and crossword puzzles.

You can follow Jaida on Twitter and find her Pinterest #mswl here.

Submission Guidelines

At New Leaf Literary & Media, we are always on the lookout for fresh talent. One of our favorite things to discuss in a meeting is a new project that excites us. So please query us with a story that excites you! Here are our guidelines to do so:

We accept only email queries.

Only query us for fiction when your manuscript is COMPLETE.

Only query us for non-fiction when your proposal is COMPLETE.

Do not query more than one agent at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc.

How to Query:

• Send query to query [at] newleafliterary [dot] com. Please do not query via phone.
• The word “Query” must be in the subject line, plus the agent’s name
• ie – Subject: Query, Jaida Temperly
• You may include up to 5 double-spaced sample pages within the body of the email
• NO ATTACHMENTS, unless specifically requested
• Include all necessary contact information
• You will receive an auto-response confirming receipt of your query
• We only respond if we are interested in seeing your work

If we have requested your proposal and/or manuscript (partial or full) please do not contact us for updates any time before eight weeks.

Please DO contact us if we are considering your work and you have received an offer from another agent or an editor.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy