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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Commercial Fiction Submissions in Australia

Showing 12 agents that match your search.

Thomasin Chinnery

πŸ’Ό Agency: Zeitgeist Agency

🌍 Location: Sydney, AU

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

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

Genres: Young Adult, Children's Book, Picture Book, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fiction, Thriller

Previous clients:

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During this one-day event, you’ll hear directly from literary agents, editors, and authors who will shed light on the querying process through presentations, panel discussions, and Q&As. Grab your ticket here.

Clare Forster

πŸ’Ό Agency: Curtis Brown Australia

🌍 Location: Melbourne, AU

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Children's Book, Picture Book, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult

Previous clients: Tiffiny Hall, Jack Heath, Michelle Wright, Emily Bitto, Patti Miller

Open to queries

Debbie Golvan

πŸ’Ό Agency: Golvan Arts Management

🌍 Location: Melbourne, AU

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

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

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Irma Gold, Jingjing Xue, Gail Morgan, Koraly Dimitriadis, Wendy Orr

Query Tracker

Benython Oldfield

πŸ’Ό Agency: Zeitgeist Agency

🌍 Location: Sydney, AU

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

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

Genres: Fiction, Crime Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's Book, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Diverse Fiction, Fantasy, Feminism, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Romance

Previous clients: Sophie Hardcastle, Lech Blaine, Dawn Parker

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Tara Wynne

πŸ’Ό Agency: Curtis Brown Australia

🌍 Location: Sydney, AU

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Self-Help, Children's Book, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Jared Thomas, Joanna Nell, Sara Foster, Gabriel Bergmoser

Query Tracker

Jane Novak

πŸ’Ό Agency: Jane Novak Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Sydney, AU

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method:

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book

Previous clients: Ellen Broad, Michael Aiken, Petra James, Imbi Neeme, Gail Jones

Gaby Naher

πŸ’Ό Agency: Left Bank Literary

🌍 Location: Sydney, AU

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

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

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Heather Rose, Candice Fox, Angelica Banks, Stephanie Parkyn

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Margaret Connolly

πŸ’Ό Agency: Margaret Connolly Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Sydney, AU

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book

Previous clients: Les Murray, Kate Jennings, David Ireland, Rachael Treasure, Julie Vivas

Grace Heifetz

πŸ’Ό Agency: Left Bank Literary

🌍 Location: Sydney, AU

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

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

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Bri Lee, Nakkiah Lui, Emily Maguire, Chris Hammer

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Lyn Tranter

πŸ’Ό Agency: Australian Literary Management

🌍 Location: Sydney, AU

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Short Story, Thriller, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics

Previous clients: David Marr, Amanda Lohrey, Melissa Ashley, Robert Dessaix, Sarah Bailey

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 2024

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

Reedsy | Looking for an agent? | 2024-09

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