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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions

Showing 679 agents that match your search.

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

Darley Anderson

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

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book

Previous clients

Lee Child, Martina Cole, Margaret Dickinson, John Connolly, Tana French

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Vicky Bijur

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

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients

Laura Lippman, Lisa Genova, James Sallis, Christina Shea, Margaret Maron

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Michael Carr

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Veritas Literary
๐ŸŒ Location - San Francisco, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - http://veritasliterary.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Spirituality, Sports

Previous clients

Daniel Arenson, K.E. Blaski, David Dalglish, Mila Koumpilova

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Sarah Burnes

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

Genres

Fiction, Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients

Kieran Scott, Adam Gidwitz, Susan Burton, Rachel Kadish

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Simon Lipskar

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

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients

Dan Vyleta, Steven Sherrill, Karen Bao, Stephen Dyer, Jonah Lisa Dyer

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Ann Rittenberg

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

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients

Dennis Lehane, Laura Whitcomb, Debra Austin, Doug Magee, Katharine Greider, C.J. Box, Jim Edgar

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Hillary Jacobson

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - ICM Partners
๐ŸŒ Location - Los Angeles, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://www.icmpartners.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email
โ˜‘๏ธ Interested in debut authors

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Graphic Novel, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Historical Fiction

Previous clients

Tomi Adeyemi, Kate Elizabeth Russell, Karen Hamilton, Eiko Kadono

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Emily van Beek

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

Genres

Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction

Previous clients

Jenny Han, Lois Lowry, Morgan Matson, Julie Morstad, Tamora Pierce, Jordan Scott

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Steven Malk

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

Genres

Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients

Bob Shea, Michelle Zink, Matt de la Pena, Marla Frazee, Mac Barnett

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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Reedsy | Editorial Assessment scientist | 2023-10

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