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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking African American Submissions

Showing 24 agents that match your search.

Joanne Wyckoff

πŸ’Ό Agency: Carol Mann Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Spirituality, Sports, Diverse Fiction, African-American, Feminism

Previous clients: Lauretta Hannon, Tony Wagner, David Gessner, Patti Moreno

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Jennifer Jackson

πŸ’Ό Agency: Donald Maass Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, African-American, BIPOC, Crime Fiction

Previous clients: Jim Butcher, Elizabeth Bear, Tamsyn Muir, Saladin Ahmed, Anne Bishop, Seth Dickinson

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Laura Bradford

πŸ’Ό Agency: Bradford Literary Agency

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, 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

Jevon Bolden

πŸ’Ό Agency: Embolden Media Group

🌍 Location: Orlando, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Christian, Self-Help, Spirituality, Children's Book, Diverse Fiction, African-American, BIPOC, Commercial Fiction

Previous clients: Faith Brooks, John Eckhardt, Freddi Williams Evans, Sharon Norris Elliott, Sophia Ruffin

Open to queries

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Sophie Hicks

πŸ’Ό Agency: Sophie Hicks Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's Book, Action & Adventure, African-American, BIPOC, Crime Fiction, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction

Previous clients: Eoin Colfer, Emerald Fennell, Benedict Jacka, Paddy O'Reilly

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Sahara Clement

πŸ’Ό Agency: Neighborhood Literary

🌍 Location: Philadelphia, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries via email

Genres: African-American, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction

Previous clients: K. Ancrum, Jill Baguchinsky, Rin Chupeco, Erica Cameron, Mike Chen

Open to queries

AntoinΓ«tte V. Sluytman

πŸ’Ό Agency: Looking Glass Literary & Media

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: African-American, BIPOC, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, Graphic Novel, #ownvoices

Previous clients: Elisa A. Bonnin

Query Tracker

Michael V. Carlisle

πŸ’Ό Agency: InkWell Management

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Nonfiction, Business Book, Cookbook, Spirituality, Sports, Action & Adventure, African-American, BIPOC, Chick Lit, Children's Book, Christian, Crime Fiction, Diverse Fiction, Fantasy, Feminism, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Memoir, Middle Grade, Narrative Nonfiction, New Adult, #ownvoices, Picture Book, Poetry, Politics, Romance, Science Fiction, Self-Help, Short Story, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Previous clients: Lee Child, Andrew Child, Alicia Keys, Robert Harris, Antonio Damasio, James Gleick, Simon Schama, Dava Sobel, Elin Hilderbrand

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Tricia Skinner

πŸ’Ό Agency: Fuse Literary

🌍 Location: Dallas, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, African-American, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Nina Crespo, J.S. Dewes, Paris Wynters, Synithia Williams

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Beth Marshea

πŸ’Ό Agency: Ladderbird Literary Agency

🌍 Location: San Francisco, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction, African-American, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Cody Luff, Catherine Adel West, Martin Padgett, M Shelly Connor

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

African-American Literary Agents in Other Countries 🌎

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. 

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. 

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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