JL STERMER

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