JL STERMER

A white woman in her 40's with dark wavy hair wearing thick round glasses and a big smile.

A native New Yorker, JL has worked in theater, fashion, network TV and hospitality before finding her way to publishing. After attending Temple University in Philadelphia and The Fashion Institute of Technology, JL earned her BA in English from Columbia University.

With over a decade of agenting experience prior to starting NEXT LEVEL LIT she and her team are uniformly dedicated to getting authors book deals that build and grow careers.

When she's not at her desk, JL can be found roaming the city streets feeling energized by the creativity bubbling up through the heaviness of the pandemic. She loves park benches, preferably with coffee and a donut.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

Fiction: adult & YA, contemporary, upmarket, commercial: family stories, coming-of-age, rom-coms, general fiction that is giving readers a new perspective on a world they already know OR a peek into a world they wish they knew.

Nonfiction: prescriptive, narrative, memoir: style & fashion, art & culture, mental health, spirituality, self-help, sports, humor, pop culture/business/science/tech, social justice, human rights, feminist issues, men’s issues, projects that are on the leading edge of important conversations we are having today.

Queer, neurodivergent, POC, and all underrepresented voices are always welcome!

SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS

Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women's Football League, by Britni de la Cretaz and Lyndsey D'Arcangelo

Are U OK?: A Guide to Caring for Your Mental Health by Kati Morton

Counting Down With You, by Tashie Bhuiyan

 

Specializes In

FICTION: Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, GLBT, Multi-Cultural, Upmarket Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Family Saga

NONFICTION: Cultural/Social Issues, Current Affairs, Dating/Relationships, GLBT, Health & Fitness, Multi-Cultural, Narrative, Parenting, Pop Culture, Psychology, Self-Help, Spirituality, Sports, Women's Concerns

Considers

FICTION: Humor/Satire, Romance, Thrillers/Suspense, Upmarket Women's Fiction

NONFICTION: Investigative Journalism, History, Men's Concerns, Music, Nature/Ecology, True Crime, Technology