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OUR STAFF
Jody Rein is the front person at JRB, supervising all project development, strategizing sales, networking with publishers, negotiating contracts, pursuing subsidiary rights sales, and following up on thorny publisher/author disputes.
Jody has been a literary agent since late 1994, when she incorporated Jody Rein Books, Inc. Jody is known throughout the industry for her savvy in spotting and selling commercial and narrative nonfiction-and known as well for her integrity and tenacity.
Jody began her publishing career in 1981 as an editorial assistant for Contemporary Books in Chicago. She was promoted through the ranks there, and was transferred to Contemporary's New York office in 1987 as senior editor in the then-new, New York office. Jody moved to Dell Publishing Company (now part of Random House) in New York in 1987 as editor, and was quickly promoted to senior editor, and then executive editor. She remained with Dell through 1991, when she joined Avon Books (now part of HarperCollins) as executive editor. Jody stayed with Avon as editor-at-large and consultant after she moved to Colorado in 1992, but eventually she left the company and started up her literary agency.
Jody is a skilled writer herself, and ghostwrote a book published by Viking Penguin. The book received a starred review in Library Journal and an enthusiastic recommendation from Ann Landers in her column.
Jody was awarded an Editorial Fellowship to the Jerusalem Book Fair in 1989. She is a popular speaker at writers' and speakers' conferences nationwide, including the Maui Writers Conference and the renowned Writers @ Work conference in Salt Lake City. She has been a guest lecturer for many years at the University of Colorado's Introduction to Publishing Course, and she has been invited several times to attend the Renaissance Weekend. She is a former member of Women in Publishing and a current member of the Association of Authors' Representatives and The Authors Guild. She is listed and recommended in several prominent books on literary agents, and her work has been featured in many local and national publications.
Johnna Hietala works as a literary associate for JRB. Johnna is Jody’s right hand; she’s the bulldog who tracks and follows up on the many contractual payment and publication details crucial to an author's peace of mind, working closely with our bookkeeper Dee-Ann Failing. Johnna reviews incoming queries and proposals and handles all our day-to-day general office issues.
Johnna has completed work toward a master's degree in biology and holds a bachelor's degree in zoology from Southern Illinois University. She has worked a number of years in educational publishing and is a graduate of the University of Denver's Publishing Institute.Jennie Shortridge works as a scout and editor for JRB out of Portland, Oregon, and has a particular interest in finding great literary fiction authors for the agency. As a freelance writer and editor, Jennie has published in a variety of magazines and newspapers (including articles and essays in Mademoiselle, Glamour and Natural Home as well as book reviews and short fiction) and often works with other writers on their fiction and nonfiction projects. Jennie’s first novel, Riding with the Queen, was sold by JRB to NAL and published in October 2003. It’s wonderful!
Dee-Ann Failing is our bookkeeper. She pays our bills, tracks expenses, collects and pays money due to authors, and reviews royalty statements, keeping an eye on bottom-line numbers that make some of our more right-brain-oriented heads spin.
Trece O’Donnell, CPA, keeps a sharp eye on all our financial matters. Trece has extensive experience in all accounting functions; she has operated her own accounting business since 1987, where she specializes in consulting for independently owned businesses, large and small.
Jenny Meyer of the Jenny Meyer Literary Agency in New York City sells all but Asian foreign rights for JRB clients. A former associate at the Agnes Krup Literary Agency, Jenny bought the business when Agnes retired. JRB has worked with Agnes and Jenny for more than five years, and thanks to them, JRB books are in print with major publishers around the globe.
Howard Sanders at United Talent Agency in LA represents dramatic rights on select JRB titles. UTA, based in Beverly Hills, with affiliate agents operating in New York and London, is one of the entertainment industry’s premier talent and literary agencies. UTA represents many of the most widely-known figures in the motion picture, television, new media, publishing, music, modeling, commercial, licensing and public appearance fields.
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