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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions

Showing 657 agents that match your search.

Kevan Lyon

πŸ’Ό Agency: Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://www.marsallyonliteraryagency.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Kate Quinn, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Laura Kaye, Stephanie Dray

Open to queries

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Joanne Wyckoff

πŸ’Ό Agency: Carol Mann Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: http://carolmannagency.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Spirituality, Sports, Diverse Fiction, African-American, Feminism

Previous clients: Lauretta Hannon, Tony Wagner, David Gessner, Patti Moreno

Open to queries

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Bonnie Solow

πŸ’Ό Agency: Solow Literary Enterprises

🌍 Location: San Francisco, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://www.solowliterary.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Spirituality

Previous clients: Sylvia Browne, Jack Canfield, Danny Dreyer

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Holly Root

πŸ’Ό Agency: Root Literary

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://www.rootliterary.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Chick Lit, Middle Grade, Romance

Previous clients: V.E. Schwab, Alison Cherry, Megan Crane, Kari Dell, Rae Carson

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Laura Bradford

πŸ’Ό Agency: Bradford Literary Agency

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://bradfordlit.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, African-American, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, Alison Kent, Jenn Bennett, Rachel Solomon, Tessa Bailey

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Susan Golomb

πŸ’Ό Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York City, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: http://www.writershouse.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Cookbook, Self-Help

Previous clients: Jonathan Franzen, Krys Lee, William T. Vollman, Rachel Kushner, Imbolo Mbue

Open to queries

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Theresa Park

πŸ’Ό Agency: Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: http://www.parkfine.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Young Adult

Previous clients: Nicholas Sparks, Frances Cha, Deborah Harkness, Emily Giffin, Janice Lee, Robert Whitaker

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Kristin Nelson

πŸ’Ό Agency: Nelson Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Denver, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: http://www.nelsonagency.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, Chick Lit, LGBTQ, Action & Adventure, Horror, Romance

Previous clients: Marie Lu, Josh Malerman, Courtney Milan, Gail Carriger, Hugh Howey, Ally Carter

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Jessica Saint Jean

πŸ’Ό Agency: Root Literary

🌍 Location: Boston, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://www.rootliterary.com/team

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

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

Previous clients: Building a client list

Open to queries

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Lane Heymont

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Tobias Agency

🌍 Location: Nashville, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://www.thetobiasagency.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Diana Rodriguez Wallach, John Maszka, Rachel Neff, Claire O'Dell

Open to queries

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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 your foot in the door of a publishing house β€” 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 that publishers are looking to add to their lists β€” 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 send 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 2025

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 β€” 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

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Reedsy editors have worked as agents and acquiring editors. Ask for a "query letter review."