Literary Agent Jes Trudel
The information below is for research purposes only. Click the “Query Jes” button above for the most up-to-date information and query inbox status.
Jes Trudel is a literary agent with The Rights Factory who spent 15 years prior to that as a freelance editor and storytelling instructor. She has taught workshops to thousands of people around the world. She’s been a guest presenter with SCBWI, the 12×12 Picture Book Challenge, Write For Kids, and TSNOTYAW podcast, and has contributed to BoldFace, Children’s Book Insider, and the SCBWI blog. She founded WritingCommunity.ca.
I’m so happy you’re considering querying me. This time around, I’m doing things a little bit differently.
My roster is getting quite full, and as a result, I’m looking to fill one slot at a time, to address specific gaps. This also helps me manage submission volume so that I can still provide my existing clients with all the time and attention they deserve.
Right now, the specific gap I’m looking to fill is for a GRAPHIC NOVELIST (author/illustrator only). If you write and/or illustrate other things, too, that’s great, because I want to represent your full body of work. But for now I’d like to see a sample of your graphic novel script, a partial dummy, and a few full-colour illustrations. The age category of your graphic novel can fall anywhere in the 7-18 year old range, so chapter books through young adult. The genre can be any genre except horror or paranormal. Both fiction and nonfiction are welcomed, and it’s okay if your graphic novel plays with the form and mixes in other storytelling styles or elements.
My favourite graphic novels include:
- The Witch Boy series by Molly Knox Ostertag
- Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
- The Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi
- The Emmie & Friends series by Terri Libenson
- New Kid by Jerry Craft
- Real Friends by Shannon Hale
- Nat Enough by Maria Scriven
I would love to see graphic novels comparable to these non-graphic stories:
- Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
- The Summer I Turned Pretty (or anything by Jenny Han)
- When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
- The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
- The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula Le Guin
- Hatchet or Northwind by Gary Paulsen
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
A BIT ABOUT ME
I’m an editorial agent. My goal is to submit only the best work to publishers. If you like workshopping ideas and are open to constructive criticism, we’ll probably work well together. I don’t give mean or harsh feedback, but I am a matter-of-fact person, so I don’t always sandwich criticism between compliments. But I do gush over the good stuff, too. I love brainstorming, and my clients will often run story ideas past me to figure out if they’re on the right track, or to help decide which idea to work on first. I’ve even shared some of my story ideas with them when they get stuck!
I’m very responsive as an agent. It’s rare for my clients not to hear back from me within a day or two of receiving an email, and they know to nudge me if ever in doubt. My clients and I meet about three times a year over video call to talk about submissions and other projects they’re working on, and to talk career strategy. I believe a client/agent relationship is based on trust and collaboration. Sometimes, my clients have worries or concerns (and lots and lots of questions) and I always encourage them to get anything off their chest that they need to. In return, of course, I ask that they trust my expertise and respect my time, knowing that I will, of course, let them know if I feel they’ve crossed any bounds. So far so good!
I prefer to work with clients who have worked to develop their craft in multiple age categories and/or genres. I believe honing your craft in multiple categories makes you a better storyteller overall. I don’t expect anyone to be a master of multiple genres, or even have multiple manuscript polished and submission-ready, but I will want to get a sense of your overall body of work to help me decide if we will work well together long-term. I’m looking to represent authors across their careers. I’m accepting only children’s literature right now, but if you’re interested in writing books for adults in the future, don’t worry: I absolutely plan to represent adults books for my existing clients.
DIVERSITY IS IMPORTANT TO ME! If you’re part of a marginalized group, and are comfortable sharing that detail, please do, especially if your identity informs the story you’re submitting. I’m a big believer in letting marginalized people tell their own stories, and I’d hate to decline a submission over a misunderstanding!
Once you submit, don’t panic if you notice a typo. I don’t care about that! I just need a clear, concise query, and intriguing, well-crafted samples.
I hope this information helps you decide whether to query me, and I hope ultimately you’ll find us to be a good fit! I prefer submissions through Query Manager, but if you’re neurodivergent, disabled, or otherwise find it difficult to use this form, feel free to query me at jes at therightsfactory dot com. You don’t have to tell me why you chose email: you can just send it (no questions asked). Make sure you put QUERY in the subject line and your query letter in the body of the email. Attach your samples and script, or provide a link to where I can view the samples online.
I look forward to reviewing your submission!
All the best,
Jes
