Jessica Berg

Jessica Berg is the founder and agency director of Rosecliff Literary, a boutique agency built on the belief that ambitious writers deserve transparency, strategy, and a seat at the table. She earned her MFA from Spalding University and brings more than a decade of experience to her work with clients.

In addition to her agency role, Jessica is a multi-nominated author. She serves as a contributing editor for Writer’s Digest and teaches globally on query letters, positioning, and sustainable author careers.

She lives online at @jessica__berg, where she talks about querying, writing life, and the realities of publishing.

You spent more than a decade as a developmental editor before becoming a literary agent. How does that editorial background influence the way you identify manuscripts with long-term commercial potential?

My editorial background means that my editor brain never shuts off. During my MFA, I learned how to analyze text and because of that, I’m always looking for ways a narrative can be improved. But time is finite and there are only so many authors I can sign, so when I’m evaluating the readiness of a project, I need it to be as close to done as possible.

If you sit down to read a novel, which genre do you gravitate to first?

I’m such a mood reader so it totally depends. Lately, I’ve been on a psychological thriller vibe. I’ll never say no to a well-plotted and well-researched historical fiction novel.

We know it’s hard to pinpoint what drew you to a book or a character, but besides “stories that explore grief, longing, ambition, and survival and the complicated ways they intersect”, what are you looking for when reading that query letter/synopsis/novel?

I want something that stays with me. That’s what I mean when mentioning the intersection. That’s so key because I think all of humanity is some sort of intersectional existence, and because of that I like to see how these very human experiences can be put up against one another on the page.

Are there any other social media links, websites, or other places to learn about you that we should add?

Personal Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessica__berg

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jessica__berg

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jesssica__berg/

Website: https://www.jessicaberg.me/

Rosecliff:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/roseclifflit

Newsletter: https://www.rosecliffliterary.com/newsletter

Free monthly event: https://www.rosecliffliterary.com/roundtable

If you could give any advice to a new writer/author, what would it be?

Don’t take rejections as an indication that you’re failing as a writer or a human. So many factors go into rejections and early on, it’s easy to internalize all of them. I know when I started out, every rejection I received hurt worse than the last. It took me about 10 years to develop a thick enough skin to realize the rejection wasn’t a verdict on my craft skills or my humanity. Let me save you that time and heartache!