Jenna Land Free
Literary Agent
I am a hands-on editorial agent who builds authors’ careers, not just their books.
With two decades of publishing experience, my work as an agent is informed by my past on the other sides of the editing desk. As an editor, I worked with authors such as David McCullough to shepherd his bestselling 1776 into illustrated form, and Stan Lee to create an interactive experience of his Marvel Universe. And as a ghostwriter and book collaborator, I have nurtured seventeen books through from idea formation to finished manuscript, including Carine McCandless’s The Wild Truth, Diane Tavenner’s Prepared, William Stixrud and Ned Johnson’s The Self-Driven Child, and Kwane Stewart’s What It Takes to Save a Life.
My favorite projects challenge us to be better citizens and better humans. Among the deals I’ve recently secured for clients: a journalist writing about the importance of social prescribing for a more robust healthcare system; a victim of the war on drugs writing about discovering Hamlet in solitary confinement, and other books that changed his life; and a therapist and parent writing about how to navigate the emotional challenges of raising a disabled child.
I live in Seattle, Washington with my husband and two daughters. I’m a pet-lover, a volunteer with the child welfare nonprofit Strong Families, and an enthusiast of whatever gets me on the water or a mountain.
What I’m looking for: Journalism that takes readers deeply into a world they’ve never seen before; leaders in sociology, psychology, medicine, child welfare, politics, education, and the environment; history for a general audience; uncommon personal stories that offer perspective into something greater than the individual.
What I’m not looking for: Fiction; children’s books; cookbooks; diet books (although books around body positivity intrigue me).
How to submit to me: Please submit queries to jenna@foliolit.com. Due to the quantity of submissions, I’m not able to reply to every submission individually, though I wish I could. If you haven’t heard back from me in four weeks, I’m afraid it wasn’t the best fit for me.