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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Commercial Fiction Submissions

Showing 317 agents that match your search.

Stacey Glick

πŸ’Ό Agency: Dystel, Goderich & Bourret

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Self-Help

Previous clients: Larry D. Rosen, Jenny Hart, A. J. Hartley, Christie Matheson

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Jenni Ferrari-Adler

πŸ’Ό Agency: Verve Talent & Literary

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Commercial Fiction, Cookbook, Middle Grade, Short Story, Young Adult

Previous clients: Kristen Roupenian, Susie Yang, Mo Daviau, Rebecca Dinerstein, Eileen Pollack

Open to queries

Query Tracker | 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

Query Tracker | MSWL

Nancy Yost

πŸ’Ό Agency: Nancy Yost Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction

Previous clients: Beverly Jenkins, Stephanie Laurens, Suzanne Enoch, Miranda James, Victoria Thompson

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

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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 email or 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

Jodi Reamer

πŸ’Ό Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Stephenie Meyer, John Green, Dan Santat, Nicola Yoon, Ransom Riggs, Lisa Yee

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Anne Sibbald

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: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Memoir

Previous clients: Terry Brooks, Stuart Woods, Bob Colacello, Nicholas Christopher

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Irene Goodman

πŸ’Ό Agency: Irene Goodman Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Business Book, Cookbook

Previous clients: Lori Handeland, Linda Lael Miller, Amanda Elyot, Boyd Morrison, Juliet Grey

Open to queries

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Jennifer Weltz

πŸ’Ό Agency: Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Eva Holland, Carl Safina, Nancy Springer, Molly Greeley, Wendy Webb

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Julie Barer

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Book Group

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

Previous clients: Celeste Ng, Madeline Miller, Alice Sebold, Mia Alvar, Joshua Ferris

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

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.Β 

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.Β 

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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