Meet Jessica Berg
Jessica Berg is a literary agent and author passionate about nurturing unique voices in publishing. As the founding agent of Rosecliff Literary, she focuses on character-driven stories and high-stakes narratives while helping authors navigate the industry. A multi-nominated writer with an MFA from Spalding University, Berg is a member of the AALA and EFA. She also provides developmental feedback for Writer’s Digest. She is represented by Amy Collins of Talcott Notch. Find out more about her here
Jessica will be teaching “The Basics of Author Branding: Make Your Name Mean Something,” and “The 6 Smartest Ways to Get Editors and Agents Obsessed With Your Query,” and participating on the panel “I finished it! …Now What?.“ She will be reviewing query letters as part of the manuscript evaluation team.
Please Note: Jessica will not be taking pitches at the conference.
Learn More About the Conference and Register
All attendees will receive available session materials and have access to the recordings for 90 days following the event
Q&A with Jessica
MWW: Things like author branding can be anxiety-inducing for writers and I’m really excited that you’ll present a session on the topic.. What are some of the most common misconceptions you’ve encountered regarding author branding? 
JB: How much time do we have? I hear everything about author branding ranging from “I don’t like social media,” to “It’s not useful,” to “I don’t want to be someone I’m not.” One of the biggest misconceptions is that branding is about creating an artificial persona. In reality, the best author brands are built on authenticity.
I always advise to think about less as trying to market yourself and more as trying to magnetize the right people to you. Put another way, social media is a cocktail party, not a networking event. That means you don’t have to show up online with a sales pitch. You just need to be interesting enough to make people want to engage with you.
Branding also doesn’t mean being on every platform all the time. (You still have to write your books!) It really means finding what’s enjoyable and sustainable for you. If you hate Bluesky but love writing long-form Instagram captions, lean into that. If you’d rather stab your eyes out than make TikToks but you love newsletters, do that. The goal isn’t to be everywhere. It’s to be somewhere in a way that feels natural and engaging.
MWW: You’ll be giving a session on query letter writing–and be available for Query Letter Critiques! What are some of the elements that make a query letter successful?
JB: A very good query letter is one that is well-formatted, has solid comps, and gives me the whole plot. Please don’t leave out what happens in the end! Most importantly? A great query doesn’t feel like a pitch. Think: FOMO. Think: invitation. You’re giving just enough to make the agent think, I need to read this manuscript immediately.
MWW: How much weight is put on an author having smaller publications when they submit a query? Does it matter more for some genres or topics?
JB: For fiction, smaller publications are a nice bonus but not a requirement. Agents care more about the strength of your manuscript. For nonfiction, especially prescriptive or platform-driven books, bylines and prior publications can be essential in proving your expertise. In literary fiction, journal publications can help, but they won’t make or break a submission. Ultimately, the book itself is what matters most
Join us this July 10 – 12, 2025 at the Ball State Alumni Center in Muncie, Indiana—or virtually, from the comfort of your own computer—and see for yourself the wonderful things MWW has to offer!
Learn More About the Conference and Register
All attendees will receive available session materials and have access to the recordings for 90 days following the event
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Alumni Success Story 
MWW Alumni Brian Reisinger’s book Land Rich, Cash Poor about the hidden stories of rural America, has won a few distinctions, including “Book of the Year” from the nonpartisan Farm Foundation. It was also a C-SPAN 2024 Author Series pick.
Learn more about Brian’s work here
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