Agent Spotlight: Jen Rofé
Happy Tuesday and welcome to Picture Book Spotlight!
Agent Spotlights tend to be the most frequented posts I share. They're especially helpful for my friends in querying trenches pursuing traditional publishing--a special shout-out and a high five if that's you!
Querying can be tedious, soul-sucking, nerve-wracking, and other compound adjectives without glowing connotations. It can also be thrilling. And necessary. And soul-fortifying. There's nothing like that feeling of sharing work with another human, knowing they'll be reading your book and carefully considering you as a business partner. This spring, when my second agent retired, I got reacquainted with those extreme emotions, and it gave me a lot more empathy for the authors I mentor and work with in my critique service.
I recently watched a video on social media featuring the recently late Sir Patrick Stewart sharing audition advice. I think it applies to authors in the query trenches, and I immediately thought of you. He said we have to remember that the person behind the table (at the audition), or in this case, the other side of the screen, desperately WANTS you to be the best thing and the very person they've been looking for. They want you to be great. They want to be blown away by what you do. Cast aside the timidity, the uneasiness, the fear, the insecurity. So what if...you told yourself that story and then wrote from that place? What risks might you take? How might your tone shift in the stories and queries you write?
Agents want you to be brilliant. So sit up straight. And be brilliant! 🥳
Today, I'm jazzed to spotlight my very own agent, Jen Rofé of Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She's fun, matches my energy, and has challenged me to grow as a writer in so many meaningful ways she probably doesn't even realize. And we've been BUSY!
Exhibit A...
Almost immediately after beginning our arrangement in May, we had not one but a two-book deal. If I'm honest, I'm still in shock about it and can't stop smiling thinking about kids laughing at Orwell's syrup-fueled shenanigans with Huxley. If you're unfamiliar with illustrator Skylar Hogan, check him out!
In addition to our Orwell & Huxley series selling this summer, we locked in ANOTHER book deal, which is my fifth one as a PB author. This one is an interactive comedy about a yak, and I can't wait to share more about it soon! Selling three picture books in six months is not something that was on my 2026 bingo board, but here we are. 😂 There are technically two more months to go, so we'll see if there are any last-minute surprises in store...
You hear a lot about the right champion at the right time, but I don't think I was prepared for what that meant until Jen Rofé. The trajectory of where I thought my career was going is now entirely different, and I'm grateful for how much my thinking has shifted about picture books because of her feedback. She's got a lot to share in this interview, and I'm eager to hear what you think--sound off in the comments! 🤓
To celebrate our most recent book deal, I've got a fall critique sale happening in my PB story coaching service until November 16th. If you didn't know, rush service (two weeks) is available for folks who need a faster turnaround on written critiques. Zoom and second-look critiques are available as well. And I do have a few spots available in my mentorship program. If you don't have a story that needs help but just want to talk shop, get some publishing advice, or have your burning questions answered, this sale also applies to author consultations.
I've definitely improved my craft since working with Jen, and I know it's coming through in the kinds of ideas I give to other authors. I'd love the chance to pass along all that I've learned from Jen and be part of your story or mentor you in your journey as a picture book author. Let's collaborate! This sale ends less than two weeks from the day of this post...don't miss out!
Alright. It is time for another highly anticipated Agent Spotlight. Lights fade to black. Silence your babies, pancake-eating dogs, and cell phones. Cue the curtain. Cue the SPOTLIGHT...
Here's Jen!
Hi, Jen! Welcome to Picture Book Spotlight. For all the curious authors out there, are you open to picture book submissions and still taking new clients? If so, what are you hoping to see? What are you hoping not to see?
I am open to picture-book submissions, but with some caveats: I accept them only on the first of every month and you must submit three texts in the one query. You can read more about this on my page at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency website.
As for what I’m looking for, I’m always looking for funny, for character-driven, for beautifully imaged and written, and for milestone moments with a twist. Also, the endings should elicit some kind of emotional response – like a laugh, or a hurrah!, or a heart explosion.
Give us a mini snapshot of your picture book wishlist. What three picture books would you have LOVED to represent? What do you like about them?
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen. This is one of my all-time favorite picture books. What I love about this one is that the journey is the reward. The reader sees how close Sam and Dave are to striking it rich, and in the end, Sam and Dave feel like they’ve struck it rich anyway. Also, the very subtle twist in the ending – revealed in the art -- is one I ponder again and again. What does it mean?!
The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi. Another one of my all-time favorites. I absolutely adore the magic and wonder in this story. This one makes my heart burst with longing to have this experience. I also love that the ending leaves you wondering -- What exactly is in that box?! Is it what we hope or was it all imagined?
Fancy Nancy by Robin Preiss Glasser and Jane O’Connor because it represents my goals: A beloved, kidcentric picture book turned series turned franchise with a cartoon and merchandise.
Thinking about effective queries that really grabbed your attention in the past, what kinds of things did those authors do?
I think most agents appreciate the query that feels personalized and concise. Why did the creator query you, and have they succinctly captured their work in the description of it? There’s also a real subjective element here, though – is their story or art exactly what I’ve been looking for? Or perhaps I didn’t realize I was looking for it!
If we submit to you, what are some essential questions we should ask ourselves beforehand?
There are at least two questions you should ask yourself of any agent you’re querying: 1. Why this agent/agency -- what have I seen or heard about this agent/agency that makes me believe they would be the right partner for me? 2. How will I feel if this agent offers me representation? It’s not uncommon for me to hear from creators who have an offer of rep they’re not excited about. But what if that offer of rep is the only one you get?
If we could put on “Jen Rofé eyes” to look critically at our stories, what is ONE THING that you always look for that we can too?
What about this story will compel a publisher to spend the significant sums of money and time it takes to publish this book? (And why will consumers spend $20 to buy it?) It’s a big, broad question that hopefully forces you to consider what new or different perspective on the subject you’re offering, what competition already exists in the marketplace, how your story stands out, and what marketing moments exist for it.
What makes readers curious and how can we ensure we’re fostering their curiosity on every page turn?
What a fun question! What one child finds curious another will find dull, but for that curious child I suppose what makes them curious is being interested in the character and/or the character’s journey. And that journey is revealed with every page turn. Page turns do heavy lifting in picture books – some will propel the story forward, some will surprise us with a turn or with the climax, and some will offer us the resolution. Perhaps a helpful way to think about page turns is the way you’d think about a chapter ending, which I consider akin to the moment in a TV show before the commercial break. What will get the reader to turn the page and not close the book?
What’s out and what’s in right now in the industry or market that you’re particularly mindful of?
So out right now (as of Summer 2026) is culture via food. And now that I’ve noted that, tomorrow someone will sell a picture book text about culture/food. Which is precisely why I try not to give too much thought to what’s in or out. Clients send me texts all the time with topics that are “out,” but if the approach is unique or brings something very different to the landscape, then let’s give it a whirl!
Complete the following sentence: "Jen is an agent who…"
will ask you “So What?” when you discuss your plot with her. I’ve found that asking “So What?” is a quick way to help writers determine if their plot points are effective. For instance — and I’m going to borrow from you here, Brian — if your story has a dog guarding a plate of someone else’s pancakes, then So What? What happens next to make that matter and how does it move the story forward? Let’s say that what happens next is the dog pours syrup on the pancakes. So What? What happens next to keep this interesting?
Thanks for sharing so much and hanging out with us, Jen! 🤓 Ending picture books with a "heart explosion" is my new go-to description. 😂
And thank YOU, kidlit fam for checking out Picture Book Spotlight and reading our interview. As a thank you for tuning in, Jen has offered to give away three picture books! The books up for grabs are...
TODAY IS THE DAY by Chelsea Lin Wallace and Adam Rex
THIS IS NOT A CHRISTMAS BOOK by Jory John and Pierre Collet Derby
A HOUSE IN MY BARRIO by Paola Santos and Olivia Sua
Since I will be shipping to each winner, this giveaway is for US residents only. See details below on how to enter the raffle to be one of our three winners! Best of luck and thanks for subscribing and sharing.
Also, if you haven't heard this from me in a while, your picture book needs a wolf. Its lack of wolves is noted. You should fix that. Happy writing, everyone!
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
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***The deadline for this contest is Tuesday, November 10th at 9 AM CST
Winners will be contacted on Tuesday, November 10th & announced on social media***
About Jen Rofé
I accept queries only via QueryTracker. See the link above.
I am accepting queries only from:
· picture-book text writers (*SEE NOTE BELOW)
· middle-grade writers
· chapter-book series writers
· author-illustrators
· illustrators
* I am open to queries for picture-book texts on the 1st day of each month, regardless of what day of the week the 1st falls on. I take time zones into consideration. You must query with 3 completed texts. See additional details via the link above.
While I am not seeking queries for YA, if you write in multiple categories that includes YA, please query me for one of the listed categories above and mention your YA work.
Jennifer came to agenting via education, having been a middle-school teacher for five years. She joined ABLA in 2005 and has never left!
Middle grade has always been Jennifer’s soft spot and she's open to all genres in this category – literary, commercial, contemporary, magical, fantastical, historical, and everything in between. A common theme in the middle-grade books Jennifer represents is children finding their space in their world — especially strong-willed underdogs or quirky, misunderstood, or overlooked children who come into their strength. Overall, Jennifer seeks projects in which children will see themselves and feel understood, or they will see others and gain understanding, or they will experience a version of themselves that they wish they were, or they will experience something that they want only to experience through the safety of a book.
In picture-book texts and authored-illustrated picture books, Jennifer seeks funny, character-driven stories; beautifully imagined and written stories; and milestone moments with a twist. The endings also elicit an emotional response – be it a guffaw, hurrah!, or a heart-tug.
In chapter books, Jennifer seeks commercial and action-packed series for emerging readers in the vein of Dory Fantasmagory, The Princess in Black, and The Dragon Masters.
In illustration, she seeks unique voices and perspectives that have a voice so strong that it’s immediately recognizable as belonging to the creator.
About Brian Gehrlein
Brian is a tired dad who thinks picture books and kids are pretty cool. He likes to make kids laugh and sometimes adults. He has some books out in the world and more on the way. Brian should go work on his new books or water his mums so they don't die like they do every year. Or he should eat a snack. Or all of those things...at the same time. This is the end of the bio.