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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions

Showing 654 agents that match your search.

Tamar Rydzinski

πŸ’Ό Agency: Context Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Commercial Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction

Previous clients: Danielle L. Jensen, Bryan Denson, Bruce Goldfarb, Nina Berry, Robin Constantine

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

Laura Langlie

πŸ’Ό Agency: Laura Langlie Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://querytracker.net/agent/434

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Feminism, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Emily Arsenault, Mignon Ballard, Melanie Benjamin, Jessica Benson, Marissa Burt, Meg Cabot, Sarah Dooley, Joan Druett, Jerramy Fine, Robin Hathaway, Mary Hogan, Lauren Lipton, Malinda Lo, Thomas Maltman, Leslie Margolis, Emil Ostrovski, Delia Ray

Open to queries

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Melissa Flashman

πŸ’Ό Agency: Janklow & Nesbit Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir

Previous clients: Stephanie Danler, Anne Boyer, Amina Cain, Emily Gould, Richard L. Hasen

Open to queries

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Madeleine Milburn

πŸ’Ό Agency: Madeleine Milburn Literary

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through online form

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult

Previous clients: Gail Honeyman, C.L. Taylor, Ashley Audrain, Matthew Blake, Charmaine Wilkerson

Open to queries

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Carly Watters

πŸ’Ό Agency: P.S. Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Toronto, CA

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Narrative Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Mystery, Romance

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

Open to queries

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Laura Rennert

πŸ’Ό Agency: Andrea Brown Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Chicago, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, Mystery, Romance, Children's Book, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Maggie Stiefvater, Jay Asher, Ellen Hopkins, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Barry Eisler

Open to queries

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Sarah Younger

πŸ’Ό Agency: Nancy Yost Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Christian, Commercial Fiction

Previous clients: Shannon Richard, Asa Maria Bradley, Gina Conkle, Alexis Daria

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Elizabeth Harding

πŸ’Ό Agency: Curtis Brown, Ltd.

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Jane Yolen, Karen Cushman, Robert Cormier, S.E. Hinton, Nikki Grimes

Open to queries

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Juliet Mushens

πŸ’Ό Agency: Mushens Entertainment

🌍 Location: London, GB

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://www.mushens-entertainment.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy

Previous clients: Jessie Burton, Taran Matharu, Richard Osman, Ali Land, Claire Douglas

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

Stephanie Tade

πŸ’Ό Agency: Stephanie Tade Agency

🌍 Location: Philadelphia, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through online form

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Self-Help, Spirituality

Previous clients: Jeff Corwin, Bob Stahl, Elisha Goldstein, Chris Downie, Kevin Griffin

Open to queries

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 your foot in the door of a publishing house β€” and onto the path of getting traditionally published.Β 

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.Β 

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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