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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions

Showing 678 agents that match your search.

Sarah Hornsley

💼 Agency: Peters Fraser + Dunlop

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://petersfraserdunlop.com/agent/sarah-hornsley/

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Memoir

Previous clients: Ciara Attwell, Olivia Beirne, Roxie Cooper, Drew Davies, Nick Hollin

Query Tracker | MSWL

Kerry Sparks

💼 Agency: Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

🧑‍💻 Website: https://lgrliterary.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Narrative Nonfiction, Poetry

Previous clients: Jennifer Niven, Camille Perri, Jennifer Mathieu, Mark Pett, Susan Wittig Albert

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Susan Ramer

💼 Agency: Don Congdon Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

🧑‍💻 Website: http://www.doncongdon.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Kathryn Stockett, Rachel Weaver, Ellen Gilchrist, Amy Belding Brown, Rachel Louise Snyder

Query Tracker | Agent Query

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Andrea Somberg

💼 Agency: Harvey Klinger, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York City, US

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.harveyklinger.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Business Book, Cookbook, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Sports, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction

Previous clients: Sarah Beth Durst, Erin Celello, B.A. Binns, Jessica Warman, Christopher Lee Barish, Lyla Ward

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

Sarah Younger

💼 Agency: Nancy Yost Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

🧑‍💻 Website: http://www.nyliterary.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Christian

Previous clients: Shannon Richard, Asa Maria Bradley, Gina Conkle, Alexis Daria

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Warren Frazier

💼 Agency: John Hawkins & Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

🧑‍💻 Website: http://www.jhalit.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Business Book, Graphic Novel, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Short Story

Previous clients: Joyce Carol Oates, Mark Z. Danielewski, Olga Grushin, Jess Walter

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Katie Kotchman

💼 Agency: Don Congdon Associates

🌍 Location: New York City, US

🧑‍💻 Website: http://www.doncongdon.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, LGBTQ, Politics

Previous clients: Jill Althouse-Wood, Lauren Berger, Jenny Dearborn, Tom Faley

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | MSWL

Jennifer Jackson

💼 Agency: Donald Maass Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

🧑‍💻 Website: http://maassagency.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, African-American, BIPOC, Christian, Crime Fiction

Previous clients: Jim Butcher, Elizabeth Bear, Tamsyn Muir, Saladin Ahmed, Anne Bishop, Seth Dickinson

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Juliet Mushens

💼 Agency: Mushens Entertainment

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.mushens-entertainment.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy

Previous clients: Jessie Burton, Taran Matharu, Richard Osman, Ali Land, Claire Douglas

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | MSWL

Lori Kilkelly

💼 Agency: LK Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Chicago, US

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.lkliterary.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book

Previous clients: Camille Andros, David Bernardy, Shinji Fujioka, Lauren Eldridge, Julia Denos

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

What do literary agents do?

A literary agent represents your book to acquiring editors who want to publish it. In other words, an agent gets the foot of new authors in the door of a publishing house — and onto the path of getting traditionally published. 

In addition to championing you and your writing and serving as your point of contact with others in publishing, literary agents understand editors’ tastes and the types of books they are looking to add to their lists — a crucial component in getting any publishing house to invest in the works of new authors. Since most big publishers don’t accept unsolicited submissions, getting a literary agent who’s accepting submissions is the most realistic route to traditional publication, particularly for debut authors.

Aside from getting your foot in the door, what else do literary agents do?

  • They are expert negotiators, combining publishing acumen with a nose for the value of good, sellable writing;
  • They act as mediators between you and your publisher (when you don’t want to hurt your working relationship with an editor by talking brass tacks);
  • They manage the financial and marketing side of things while you concentrate on the writing; and
  • They often have strong editorial skills, helping refine your manuscript before you submit it to a publisher.

As you might've guessed, literary agents are especially important for debut authors, who often don't have a starting point in the vast maze that is the publishing industry. That's what a literary agent will become for you: a guide to help you throughout the publishing process, and kickstart your publishing career. 

New authors might be intimidated by the wealth of information and cautionary signs in the industry. It's especially tricky to research literary agents when some are open to submissions from new authors, and some are not.

If you're one of those debut authors, don't fret! We've got you covered with the resources that you need to gain your bearings. 

Resources for new authors landing a literary agent in 2024

You might think that a great book is all you need to catch a literary agent’s attention. But you’ll need to put in a good amount of work to land them — and that includes everything from the careful study of each agent's wishlist to personalizing your query letter for each candidate..

Whether you’re a new author learning how to research literary agents or an experienced writer refining your query letter, here are the resources that can give you a headstart.

Free online materials for debut authors

Recommended books

Reedsy | Editors working on Query Letter | 2023-10

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