Agent Spotlight: Jill Grinberg

This week's Agent Spotlight features Jill Grinberg of Jill Grinberg Literary Management, LLC.
Status: Open to submissions.

Photo by Ali Smith

About: "​Jill Grinberg has worked in New York publishing for the past two decades. She completed her B.A. in English Literature at Tufts University and Oxford University, UK, interning at Boston Magazine and the Boston Review before moving to Manhattan to enter book publishing. She started in the publicity department at HarperCollins, where she worked with high-profile authors and books like Amy Bloom’s National Book Award finalist Come to Me, and Thomas Moore’s #1 New York Times bestseller Care of The Soul. Realizing, thanks to Amy Bloom’s wise counseling, that she had a passion for author advocacy and book development from the ground up, she then moved to the agenting side of the business. She was a founding partner of Anderson Grinberg Literary Management, and went on to form her own firm, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. Jill feels a strong kinship with her great-grandparents who founded the historic Cafe Royal, a mecca for Jewish intellectuals and artists in New York City in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, and she continues their tradition of hosting tea and conversation with visiting writers and illustrators. Realizing that she had a passion for author advocacy and book development from the ground up, she then moved to the agenting side of the business. She was a founding partner of Anderson Grinberg Literary Management, and went on to form her own firm, Jill Grinberg Literary Management, in 2004. Jill represents numerous New York Times bestselling and prize-winning authors writing fiction and nonfiction, adult and children's." (Link)
About the Agency:
"We champion authors throughout their entire, varied careers.
"Jill Grinberg Literary Management is a hands-on, full service agency whose mission is helping authors to launch, develop and sustain successful careers.
"Founded by industry veteran Jill Grinberg, the agency's tastes are wide ranging—born out of deep curiosity and a passion for great writing in all its forms and for all readerships. Our clients win major awards—including the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the Printz Award and Newbery Honor—and regularly appear on U.S. and international bestseller lists. Our select client list features 46 New York Times bestsellers.
"Our authors include novelists and memoirists; historians and scientists; illustrators and musicians; cultural critics and humanitarians; entrepreneurs and innovators- united by the high quality of their writing, original and authentic voices, passion for their work, and brilliant storytelling.
"We represent nonfiction and fiction across the entire age and audience spectrum: adult, children’s, teen, and books that cross audiences. We also represent and are personally drawn to a variety of formats—straight text, text with visuals, graphic fiction and nonfiction. Whichever direction our authors move in, we are able to effectively represent their work and support them in the ways they require.
"Our relationship with our authors transcends any one book. It is about the way they write, the way their mind works, their particular passions and perspectives. We enter into partnerships with our authors from this place of deep connection and with the conviction that we can expertly champion
their work over the course of their career." (Link)
Web Presence:
Jill Grinberg Literary website.
Publisher's Marketplace page.
Twitter @JillGrinbergLit.
AAR Profile.
AgentQuery.
QueryTracker.
What She's Looking For:
Genres / Specialties:
Fiction: General, literary, romance, fantasy/science fiction, historical
Non-Fiction: Biography, memoir, history, travel, lifestyle, science, feminism, pop culture, current events
Young adult: Fantasy/science fiction, contemporary, historical, nonfiction
Children's: Contemporary, historical, fantasy/science fiction, nonfictionWhat She Isn’t Looking For:
Screenplays.
Editorial Agent?
Yes. See this post in the SCBWI Western Washington Newsletter
Clients:
Tyler Anbinder, Susanne Antonetta, Laurie Berkner, Estate of Ludwig Bemelmans, Barbara Dee, Rachel DeWoskin, Sara Donati, Henry Gee, Andy Griffiths, Christopher Healy, Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Melanie Katzman, Mikki Kendall, Ellen Klages, Kirby Larson, Margo Lanagan, Rosina Lippi, Alison Goodman, Justine Larbalestier, John Bemelmans Marciano, Melina Marchetta, Jaclyn Moriarty, Marissa Meyer, Catherine Gilbert Murdock, Garth Nix, Tiffany Pham, Alissa Quart, Jon Skovron, T.J. Stiles, Scott Westerfeld, Colin Woodard, among othersQuery Methods:
E-mail: Yes.
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
Ssend your query letter to info(at)jillgrinbergliterary(dot)com and attach the first 50 pages (fiction) or proposal (non-fiction) as a .docx file. (Link)
See the Grinberg Literary website for detailed instructions and complete, up-to-date submission guidelines.
Response Times:
Ms. Grinberg attempts to respond to all queries but cannot always do so given the volume of queries she receives.
What's the Buzz?
Ms. Grinberg is a long-established agent with an impressive clientele and track record.  Her clients seem quite happy under her representation and are quick to praise her. She’s noted to have a nice rejection letter and continues to respond to most submissions. 
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
None that I could find online.
Around the Web:
Jill Grinberg and the Art of the Query at the SCBWI Western Washington Newsletter (10/2013).
Jill Grinberg on Her Editorial Process at the SCBWI Western Washington Newsletter (10/2013).
Jill Grinberg Literary Management Rights Guides at Graal (2011 to Current).
Contact:
Please see the Grinberg Literary Management website or Ms. Grinberg's Publisher's Marketplace page for contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 5/7/2020.
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes
Last Reviewed By Agent: 5/13/2020
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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7(at)gmail(dot)com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's/teen fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying. The information found herein is subject to change.