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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Cookbook Submissions

Showing 70 agents that match your search.

Kimberly Witherspoon

πŸ’Ό Agency: InkWell Management

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Cookbook, Fantasy, Romance, Short Story, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Chick Lit

Previous clients: Anthony Bourdain, Cindy Crawford, Lena Dunham, Dean Koontz, JosΓ© AndrΓ©s

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Meg Thompson

πŸ’Ό Agency: Thompson Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Nonfiction, Cookbook, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Spirituality, Sports, Feminism, Self-Help

Previous clients: Lisa Leake, Ken Denmead, Kelle Hampton, Tom Hart, Tim Kreider, Emily Flake

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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

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Kari Stuart

πŸ’Ό Agency: Creative Artists Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

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

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Nonfiction, Business Book, Cookbook, Memoir, Self-Help

Previous clients: Amy Ephron, Kevin Roose, Maura Kelly, Mimi Kirk, Laura Marshall, Carol Miller, Samin Nosrat

Open to queries

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Christine Witthohn

πŸ’Ό Agency: Book Cents Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email.

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Cookbook, Feminism, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Previous clients: Kerrigan Byrne, Lisa Marie Rice, Anita Clenney, Sherelle Green, Yahrah St. John, A.C. Arthur.

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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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Peter Straus

πŸ’Ό Agency: RCW Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Action & Adventure, Cookbook, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Memoir, Politics, Romance, Science Fiction, Spirituality, Thriller, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Kazuo Ishiguro, Colm Toibin, Kate Atkinson, Jenny Pitman, Rupert Thomsom, Lucy Caldwell, Peter Carey, Rachel Cooke, Tom Crewe, Carol Ann Duffy, Anne Enright, Ian McEwan

Open to queries

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Cristina Concepcion

πŸ’Ό Agency: Don Congdon Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Commercial Fiction, Cookbook, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

Previous clients: David Sedaris, Susan Allen, Russell Baker, Jane Cleland

Open to queries

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Vicky Bijur

πŸ’Ό Agency: Vicky Bijur Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Cookbook, Crime Fiction, LGBTQ, Memoir, Nonfiction, Self-Help, Thriller

Previous clients: Laura Lippman, Lisa Genova, James Sallis, Christina Shea, Margaret Maron

Open to queries

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Brian DeFiore

πŸ’Ό Agency: DeFiore and Company

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Sports

Previous clients: Brandon Stanton, Frank Warren, David Potter, Benjamin Hale, Tom Ryan, Rick Yancey

Open to queries

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Cookbook Literary Agents in Other Countries 🌎

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

Recommended books

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