Jessica Faust and James McGowan have worked together at BookEnds for over a decade, since James interned for the agency in 2015. Jessica, the President and CEO, hired James as her assistant shortly after, in 2016. Since then, the two have been in lockstep about their work, the agency, and publishing.

In that time, they have built the BookEnds social media presence, streamlined the agency’s daily operations practices, and created and hosted a weekly series on YouTube to demystify the publishing industry and process for authors and illustrators at all stages of their career.

Following James’ promotion to Director of BookEnds Jr in 2026, Jessica and James work together closely to oversee the agency’s shared vision and goals. Through her work as CEO, Jessica provides the strategic leadership that drives our continued growth and success. She actively works to ensure BookEnds remains true to its original vision as fierce advocates for its clients. James oversees the agency’s children’s publishing arm, BookEnds Jr., and is focused on supporting our agents in their representation of the market’s top authors and illustrators.

If you’d like to see more of Jessica and James, visit our Youtube, or view their individual pages on the website!