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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Commercial Fiction Submissions

Showing 321 agents that match your search.

Tracy Bohan

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Wylie Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction

Previous clients: Sally Rooney, Chimamanda Adichie, Katherine Angel, Michael Marks

Alexa Stark

πŸ’Ό Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Feminism, Romance, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: David Bergen, Gabriel Bump, Lindsay Cameron, Joseph Cassara, Matthew Klingle

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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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, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

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

Open to queries

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Cameron McClure

πŸ’Ό Agency: Donald Maass Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Crime Fiction, Horror

Previous clients: Robert McCammon, Robert Jackson Bennett, Ada Palmer, Amy Alkon

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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

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Celeste Fine

πŸ’Ό Agency: Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Commercial Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Politics

Previous clients: Sara Gottfried, Amanda Steinberg, Dave Asprey, J.J. Virgin, Joseph Pizzorno

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Sarah Burnes

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Gernert Company

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

Previous clients: Kieran Scott, Adam Gidwitz, Susan Burton, Rachel Kadish

Open to queries

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Andrea Somberg

πŸ’Ό Agency: Harvey Klinger, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction

Previous clients: Sarah Beth Durst, Erin Celello, B.A. Binns, Jessica Warman, Christopher Lee Barish, Lyla Ward

Open to queries

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Marcy Posner

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 QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Feminism

Previous clients: Joss Ware, Kristi Cook, Susan Hubbard

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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

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πŸ’‘ Shortlist agents to save them.