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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions

Showing 682 agents that match your search.

Amy Berkower

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Writers House
๐ŸŒ Location - New York City, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://www.writershouse.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Action & Adventure, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients

Ken Follett, Laurie Halse Anderson, Ann M. Martin, Erica Bauermeister, Ridley Pearson, Rachel Vail

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Allison Hunter

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Trellis Literary
๐ŸŒ Location - New York City, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://www.trellisliterary.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email
โ˜‘๏ธ Interested in debut authors

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Romance, Thriller

Previous clients

Rosie Walsh, Lauren Ho, Randall Klein, Alexandra Borowitz, Katie Heaney

Query Tracker

Margret McBride

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Margret McBride Literary Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - San Diego, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://www.mcbrideliterary.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Online submission form

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Self-Help

Previous clients

Benjamin Bikman, Grant Sabatier, Sheldon Bowles, Brandon Webb

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Sandy Lu

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Book Wyrm Literary Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - New York City, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://www.bookwyrmlit.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Online submission
โ˜‘๏ธ Interested in debut authors

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Cookbook, Horror, Science Fiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients

Jennifer Harlow, Robert Baty, Angela Grace, Michael Dempsey, Michael Boccacino

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

Jennifer Weltz

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - New York, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://www.jvnla.com
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients

Eva Holland, Carl Safina, Nancy Springer, Molly Greeley, Wendy Webb

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Carrie Pestritto

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Laura Dail Literary Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - New York City, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://www.ldlainc.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Online submission form
โ˜‘๏ธ Interested in debut authors

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients

Kalyn Josephson, Jon Birger, Lily Chu, Graci Kim, Claire Kann

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Liz Darhansoff

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Darhansoff Verrill Feldman Literary Agents
๐ŸŒ Location - New York, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://www.dvagency.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients

Annie Proulx, Neal Stephenson, Lee Smith, Nanci Kincaid, Lynda Barry

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Peter Straus

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - RCW Literary Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - London, GB
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://www.rcwlitagency.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients

Kazuo Ishiguro, Colm Toibin, Kate Atkinson, Jenny Pitman, Rupert Thomsom

Query Tracker

Karolina Sutton

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Creative Artists Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - London, GB
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://www.caa.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email
โ˜‘๏ธ Interested in debut authors

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics

Previous clients

Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Tara Westover, Malala Yousafzai, Anthony Doerr

Query Tracker

Miriam Kriss

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Irene Goodman Literary Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - New York City, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://www.irenegoodman.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email
โ˜‘๏ธ Interested in debut authors

Genres

Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction

Previous clients

Lilith Saintcrow, Jackie Morse Kessler, Karen Mahoney, Kelly Keaton

Query Tracker | Agent Query

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 โ€” and onto the path of getting traditionally published.ย 

In addition to championing you and your writing and serving as your point of contact with others in publishing, literary agents understand editorsโ€™ tastes and the types of books they are looking to add to their lists โ€” a crucial component in getting any publishing house to invest in the works of new authors. Since most big publishers donโ€™t accept unsolicited submissions, getting a literary agent whoโ€™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 donโ€™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.ย 

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.ย 

Resources for new authors landing a literary agent in 2023

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

Whether youโ€™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

Save agents to shortlist them

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