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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions

Showing 665 agents that match your search.

Elena Giovinazzo

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

Genres

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

Previous clients

Katherine Applegate, Jason Reynolds, Cassie Beasley, Holly M. McGhee

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Erin Niumata

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Folio Literary Management
๐ŸŒ Location - New York City, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://www.foliolit.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Spirituality

Previous clients

Carolyn Brown, Sandy Robins, Amy Clark, Josh Shipp, James Guiliani

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

Tracy Marchini

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

Genres

Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients

Jennifer Robin Barr, Charlene Chua, Sally Deng, Margaret Finnegan, Rita Lorraine Hubbard

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Carly Watters

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - P.S. Literary Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - Toronto, CA
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://www.psliterary.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email
โ˜‘๏ธ Interested in debut authors

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ

Previous clients

Colin Mochrie, Mary Akers, Danny Appleby, Jay Onrait, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Lorene Sauro

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

Amanda Urban

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

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Politics

Previous clients

Toni Morrison, Nora Ephron, Anthony Doerr, Donna Tartt, Tobias Wolff, Jennifer Egan

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Merrilee Heifetz

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
โ˜‘๏ธ Interested in debut authors

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients

Neil Gaiman, Robin McKinley, Octavia E Butler, Laurell K. Hamilton, Melissa Marr, Cynthia Voigt

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Elisabeth Weed

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, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction

Previous clients

Stephanie Clifford, Charles Finch, Brendan Duffy, Dan Marshall, Susan Meissner

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Kimberly Witherspoon

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

Genres

Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Cookbook, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Previous clients

Anthony Bourdain, Cindy Crawford, Lena Dunham, Dean Koontz, Josรฉ Andrรฉs

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Kari Stuart

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, Mystery, Thriller, Nonfiction, Business Book, Cookbook, Memoir, Self-Help, Spirituality, Sports

Previous clients

Amy Ephron, Kevin Roose, Maura Kelly, Mimi Kirk, Laura Marshall, Carol Miller, Samin Nosrat

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Annelise Robey

๐Ÿ’ผ Agency - Jane Rotrosen Agency
๐ŸŒ Location - New York City, US
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Website - https://www.janerotrosen.com/
๐Ÿ“ฃ Preferred contact method - Email

Genres

Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Literary Fiction

Previous clients

Terri Garey, Monica McCarty, James Hayman

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 2022

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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