“I also believe there are more options available to authors today and that’s exciting—don’t forget, your path is unique and you are the main character in your publication story!” –Jennifer Chen Tran, Glass Literary Management
The 2025 Agents Symposium is a year-long program of monthly events with literary agents – taking writers step by step along the journey to publication. We’re happy to share Q&As with some of our featured agents here. To register for Jennifer Chen Tran’s presentation on August 30 on “Understanding Publishing Contracts” click here.
An Interview with Jennifer Chen Tran
Jennifer Chen Tran is a literary agent at Glass Literary Management. With over a decade of experience in publishing, Jennifer is passionate about nurturing and championing authors and their creative lives. She represents a wide range of talent, including journalists, physicians, entrepreneurs, thought-leaders, chefs, and graphic novelists, among others. Prior to joining Glass Literary Management, Jennifer was a literary agent at several top literary agencies and served as Of Counsel at The New Press. She obtained her Juris Doctor from Northeastern School of Law in Boston, MA, and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. She is an attorney in good standing in New York and California. Jennifer is an editorial agent who believes in the art of collaboration and works closely with her authors from concept to publication, and beyond. As a person of color and daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Jennifer is committed to amplifying voices from BIPOC, LGBTQ, underrepresented and marginalized communities. Her ultimate goal is to work in concert with authors to shape books that will have a lasting positive social impact on the world – books that illuminate, entertain, and inspire.
Scribe: How would you describe your personal approach to working with an author?
Jennifer Chen Tran: I am an editorial agent. This means that I work closely with my clients to edit their manuscript or their book proposal and make it as strong as possible before going on submission. Because the marketplace is so competitive, it’s important that my clients and I work together to best position the project for success and in my experience, that usually means quite a bit of developmental and conceptual work. I really enjoy collaborating with my clients, that is where the magic happens! In addition, I try to be as transparent as possible during our relationship—I try keep my clients informed of where we are in the submissions process, answer any questions they may have, such as during the offer and contract negotiation process, and serve as a sounding board and guide throughout the sometimes labyrinthine publishing process.
Scribe: What do you look for in a debut author?
JCT: For fiction, a singular voice and interesting complex characters captures my attention. Authors who explore themes that I’m personally interested in, such as identity, politics, belonging, and found family always piques my interest. In fiction, I love challenging and somewhat unlikeable characters, especially complex women. On the non-fiction side, I look for a fresh approach to a topic, expertise and platform, such as stories of lesser-known figures, stories that focus on sub-cultures, social and environmental justice; just as important as the topic is whether the author is the right person to write about the topic, whether now is the right time for the project, whether they bring an engaged audience to the table, and, of course, a compelling book proposal. I’m a very intuitive person, so often the decision about whether to work with an author is partially based on my intuition, but I also analyze whether the author would be a good fit for my overall list and whether I have the vision to know how to sell the project at a high-level—it’s very much a head and heart type of decision.
Scribe: What’s one piece of advice you find yourself giving to others time and time again?
JCT: Publishing is a marathon, not a sprint. In our instant-gratification culture it can be hard to learn how to enjoy the process, practice patience, celebrate the small wins, and be present. I also always tell authors not to compare themselves to others; everyone has their own path to publication, and it may look different than your fellow author friends’ paths, and that’s OK.
Scribe: What excites you the most about the publishing industry today?
JCT: I think the publishing industry is finally putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to representation and uplifting underrepresented and marginalized voices—which wasn’t always the case. I hope that this is a sign of positive things to come, for too long authors of color, neurodiverse authors, marginalized authors, LGBTQIA+ authors have not been getting the attention they rightfully deserve. I also believe there are more options available to authors today and that’s exciting—don’t forget, your path is unique and you are the main character in your publication story!
Scribe: Tell us about a recent book/project that you worked on that excited you and you want everyone to know about?
JCT: I’m over the moon to share that I recently sold Christine Ha’s narratively-driven cookbook COOKING FROM MEMORY to DK, an imprint of Penguin Random House in a pre-empt and “significant” six-figure deal. Christine is fondly known as “The Blind Chef” and she made waves when she won season 3 of Master Chef as the first differently-abled chef. Although that TV win was over a decade ago, Christine has continued to hit incredible milestones as a chef, having been nominated for a James Beard Award in three separate categories, among other accolades. I’m so excited to bring her second cookbook to the world, which will be published in 2017. Her cookbook will dive deeper into the world of Vietnamese cuisine and reveal the backstory behind Christine’s unique path to becoming a chef. The cookbook is also a love letter to her mother, who passed away when Christine was only 14 and who inspired her to become a chef, and also to the differently-abled community. OK, I’ll stop gushing now but you can tell how excited I am about this book project!
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Thanks, Jennifer!
Click here for more information on the 2025 Agents Symposium, an event that focuses on the craft of writing, the business of publishing, and building a literary community.
