We are so excited to welcome Jenny Simpson to the team!
From Jenny:
Greetings! I am beyond thrilled to be joining Paper Literary as a Literary Agent.
As an American born in Budapest, I was raised in London, UK and went to boarding school and university in the United States. Given my background, I relied on books as vehicles to transport to my various homes away from home no matter where I was in the world.
After moving to New York in 2016, I began my career in publishing as an assistant in the publishing department at ICM Partners, one of the biggest talent and literary agencies in the world. I was promoted to agent in 2021, handling subsidiary rights with a specific focus in audiobooks and first serial.
In my role, I negotiated and sold audio rights to leading audiobook publishers. As audio grew as a dominant format, so did podcasting. I worked as a liaison between the Publishing and Podcast departments at ICM (now CAA), handling original audio and podcast projects for our clients, with a specific focus in transitioning authors and journalists into the world of podcasting. I have always been fascinated by the many ways a story can reach so many different audiences in multiple forms. Audio, in particular, is an incredibly intimate form of storytelling, and it was an absolute joy to work with clients in connecting with their readers on a closer level.
During my time at ICM and CAA, I also placed book excerpts to major publications, such as The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Atlantic, to generate excitement and awareness for our newest titles ahead of publication. I was incredibly fortunate to work with agents, publicists, and editors on exciting promotional campaigns in the lead up to major book publications by bestselling authors and award-winning journalists.
At Paper, I will be building a subsidiary rights department as well as my own list. While I feel so lucky to have worked with the best of the best in the publishing business from my time at ICM and CAA, I am excited at the opportunity to discover talent and explore my own taste as an agent, and to use my expertise to build something new for the agency.
I am on the hunt for commercial fiction and select nonfiction titles on health and wellness-related topics. I always lean towards stories about domestic family dramas, adult and female friendships, and contemporary romances with a modern edge. I am constantly thinking about the various paths life can take you, so any story that incorporates a time loop (think OONA OUT OR ORDER by Margarita Monitmore), spans one’s lifetime on a specific anniversary or season (ONE DAY by David Nicholls) or has that Sliding Doors-esque quality (THE VERSIONS OF US by Laura Barnett).
I now reside in Belgium with my husband and dog, a Corgi named Olive! If you have a story that elaborates on the expat experience, particularly its impact on family life, marriages and friendships, please send my way! Similarly, I will always pick up a book set in a boarding school to take me back to my teenage self, a la Curtis Sittenfeld’s PREP and FOSTER DADE EXPLORES THE COSMOS by Nash Jenkins.
My nonfiction taste leans towards topics on self-improvement and self-discovery. I love approachable books with digestible scientific research that help improve everyday life for all. In other words, I always want to learn, but never want to feel too intimidated by the material. In a similar vein, I enjoy reading first-hand accounts from individuals navigating wellness obstacles on a path towards self-improvement, for example GROUP by Christie Tate.
Finally, I am forever grateful to the team at Paper Literary for giving me the chance to join their amazing agency. Thank you, and I am so excited to read your work!