Find a professional editor to perfect your submission. โž”

Find a professional editor to perfect your submission

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy, come meetย them.

Reedsy Professionals

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions

Showing 682 agents that match your search.

Patricia Nelson

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC
๐ŸŒ Location - San Diego, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://www.marsallyonliteraryagency.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients

Candice Iloh, Mary McCoy, Axie Oh, Dahlia Adler, Anna Meriano, Kristi Wientge

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

Thao Le

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - San Diego, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://www.dijkstraagency.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients

Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Emily Duncan, Jessie Sima

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Faye Bender

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

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Memoir, Politics, Self-Help, Thriller

Previous clients

Rainey Hopson, Courtney Summers, Melissa Albert, Angeline Boulley

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Cristina Concepcion

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Don Congdon Associates
๐ŸŒ Location - New York, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://www.doncongdon.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email
โ˜‘๏ธ Interested in debut authors

Genres

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

Previous clients

David Sedaris, Susan Allen, Russell Baker, Jane Cleland

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Laura Bradford

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Bradford Literary Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - San Diego, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://bradfordlit.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Online submission form
โ˜‘๏ธ Interested in debut authors

Genres

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

Previous clients

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

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

Brian DeFiore

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - DeFiore and Company
๐ŸŒ Location - New York, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://www.defliterary.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Sports

Previous clients

Brandon Stanton, Frank Warren, David Potter, Benjamin Hale, Tom Ryan, Rick Yancey

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Joshua Getzler

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - HG Literary
๐ŸŒ Location - New York, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://www.hgliterary.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Online submission form

Genres

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Politics, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients

Geoff Rodkey, Paul Goldberg, Todd Moss, EM Powell, Jessica Burkhart, Gerald Elias

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

Cathryn Summerhayes

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Curtis Brown UK
๐ŸŒ Location - London, GB
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients

Ranulph Fiennes, Adam Kay, Lucy Foley, Sandi Toksvig, Shappi Khorsandi, Naomi Wood

Query Tracker

Matthew Bialer

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

Genres

Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports, Literary Fiction

Previous clients

Patrick Rothfuss, Tad Williams, Tracy Hickman, Margaret Weis, Dale Bailey, Kathleen O'Neal Gear

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Andrea Somberg

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

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

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | 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

โœ•