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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Business Book Submissions

Showing 87 agents that match your search.

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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Susan Rabiner

πŸ’Ό Agency: Susan Rabiner Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Nonfiction, Business Book, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients: Herbert Bix, Greg Grandin, Andres Resendez, Linda Leavell, Mario Livio, Bruce Schneier, Holger Hoock

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Lorin Rees

πŸ’Ό Agency: Rees Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Boston, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients: Uzma Jalaluddin, Rin Chupeco, Arlene Weintraub, Will Holtham, Sylvia Lafair, Hank Gilman

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Warren Frazier

πŸ’Ό Agency: John Hawkins & Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Business Book, Graphic Novel, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Short Story

Previous clients: Joyce Carol Oates, Mark Z. Danielewski, Olga Grushin, Jess Walter

Open to queries

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Richard Morris

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: Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Narrative Nonfiction, Spirituality, Sports, Memoir, Politics

Previous clients: Gore Vidal, Robert R. McCammon, Andrea Hiott, Novella Carpenter

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Deidre Knight

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Knight Agency

🌍 Location: Atlanta, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: http://www.knightagency.net/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Self-Help, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Sports, Thriller

Previous clients: TJ Klune, Rachel Reid, Gena Showalter, Don Piper, Cat Sebastian, Louisa Edwards

Open to queries

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Frank Weimann

πŸ’Ό Agency: Folio Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Spirituality, Sports, Self-Help

Previous clients: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Laura Prepon, Bill Russell, Dan Abrams, Gregg Allman

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Alison Fargis

πŸ’Ό Agency: Stonesong

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Business Book, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Susan B. Anderson, Sara Bliss, Michael Buckley, Erin Gleeson, Eric Gorges

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Farley Chase

πŸ’Ό Agency: Chase Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports, Fantasy, Business Book, Horror, Politics, Self-Help

Previous clients: Alia Volz, Robert Weintraub, Gregory Crough, Gilbert King, Matt Stoller

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Lisa Leshne

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Leshne Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryTracker

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Sports, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, Commercial Fiction, Humor, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Stacey Abrams, Julissa Arce, Leslie Lehr, Christie Pearce Rampone, AJ Mendez, Ivan Klima

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

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

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Reedsy editors have worked as agents and acquiring editors. Ask for a "query letter review."