Jessica Faust is Always Hungry for New Clients

  • By: Jessica Faust | Date: Jul 07 2022

We’re so excited to kick off our summer of getting to know the BookEnds agents with our very own founder and leader, Jessica Faust! Buckle up and get ready to meet Jessica (again) with things you never knew before.

 

What is your agenting superpower?

Negotiations. I love negotiating and definitely do so courageously. I grew up watching my dad negotiate both for work and in life. Everywhere we went he would ask for a better deal or if they could toss something in. In my mind he always got something. So it’s become a part of my DNA. I do it at BookEnds of course, but I’ll also do it at the bike shop, definitely car dealer, and anywhere else where I think there might be some wiggle room or a free prize.

 

What do people often get wrong about you/what would they be surprised to know? 

That I’m fearless. I love to do things that frighten me whether it’s asking a publisher for far more money than I think they’ll give or riding a bike down the side of a mountain, but none of it is ever done without a twinge of fear. One of the things I often ask people at BookEnds is “does it scare you.” If it doesn’t maybe we’re not doing or asking enough. I once said I’m more afraid of missing out than I am of the thing that scares me. That’s mostly true. Except for scary movies. I’m not afraid of missing out on those.

 

What are 5 songs on your playlist (that represent you, that you always recommend, that you listen to on repeat, etc.)?

Little Red Corvette, Prince — really I’ll just throw on Prince all day.

Son of a Preacher Man, Dusty Springfield

Rush, Big Audio Dynamite II

Roar, Katy Perry

So What, Pink

 

What are 5 books on your reading list (that represent you, that you always recommend, that you would read over and over again, etc.) and why?

Dare to Lead, Brené Brown

It’s About Damn Time, Arlan Hamilton

Wolfpack, Abby Wambach

How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi

You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey, Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar

 

Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus

Kitchens of the Great Midwest, J. Ryan Stradal

Razorblade Tears, S.A Cosby

The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave

The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett

 

What does your reading list say about you? What does it say about your MSWL? 

I purposely didn’t pick anything I represented because it’s those kinds of books that often inform what I want to represent. I did cheat though and picked five fiction and five nonfiction (after I thought I couldn’t come up with five total).

With nonfiction, these are books that I’ve really connected with in various ways. They teach me to be better. Honestly, they’ve changed me and they’ve changed my life. In some cases, I read them every year.

With fiction, I’m not much for reading books over and over so I picked a couple that I’ve read more recently and that stuck with me. I like those big stories with lots of family–made, found, or born. I like relationships and books that bring me to places I’ve never been, but am now dying to go to. I also love feminism, food, strong women, and animals.

 

What would you like querying authors to know about you?

I feel like between the blog and YouTube there’s nothing left that people don’t already know. I think on the most basic level it’s that despite “have a very full list” (my own words) I am hungry for new clients in both fiction and nonfiction.

 

 

 

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