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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Bipoc Submissions

Showing 94 agents that match your search.

Joanna Volpe

πŸ’Ό Agency: New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, Feminism, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Susan Dennard, Holly Black, Daniel Nayeri, Leigh Bardugo, Anna Jarzab

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Brianne Johnson

πŸ’Ό Agency: HG Literary

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Fantasy

Previous clients: Wesley King, Fran Manushkin, Margo Kelly, Andrew Root

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

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

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Jenny Bent

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Bent Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Self-Help, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, Horror

Previous clients: Angie Thomas, AG Howard, Lori Wilde, Julia London, Lynsay Sands

Open to queries

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Lisa Erbach Vance

πŸ’Ό Agency: Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Diverse Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: The estate of Madeleine L’Engle, Harlan Coben, Gregg Hurwitz, Glen Erik Hamilton, B.J. Daniels

Open to queries

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Jessica Faust

πŸ’Ό Agency: BookEnds Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Newark, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Self-Help, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, African-American, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Feminism, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Politics, Spirituality

Previous clients: Kay Finch, Vickie Fee, Krista Davis, Melissa Payne, Julie Stone, Laura Bradford

Open to queries

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Jennifer Azantian

πŸ’Ό Agency: Azantian Literary Agency

🌍 Location: San Francisco, US

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

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

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Horror

Previous clients: S. A. Chakraborty, Heidi Lang, L.D. Lewis, Gwendolyn Clare

Query Tracker | MSWL

Kim Lionetti

πŸ’Ό Agency: BookEnds Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Newark, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Romance, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction

Previous clients: Helen Hoang, Kennedy Ryan, Rochelle Weinstein, Christie Craig, Nicola Marsh

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

Jessica Sinsheimer

πŸ’Ό Agency: Context Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients: Margot Harrison, Shannon Alexander, Jonathan Chesner, Gwen Hayes

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

Thao Le

πŸ’Ό Agency: Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Emily Duncan, Ali Hazelwood, Thea Guanzon, Sandhya Menon, Evelyn Skye, Jessie Sima, Jessica Kim

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

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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