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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Diverse Fiction Submissions

Showing 162 agents that match your search.

Daniel Lazar

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, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Hannah Kent, Chandler Baker, Raymond Villareal, Ingrid Law, Jennifer McMahon, Matt Rothschild

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Cecilia Lyra

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, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, Feminism, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Lene Andersen, Jenna Ferrey, Amy Rosen, Jessica Hinkson

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

Jess Regel

πŸ’Ό Agency: Helm Literary

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Diverse Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Humor, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Middle Grade, New Adult, Romance, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Rayo Casablaca, Emily Danforth, Heather Demetrios, Shea Ernshaw, Cecilia Galante, I.W. Gregorio, Adrienne Kress, Christina Li

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

Johanna Castillo

πŸ’Ό Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, Commercial Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Isabel Allende, Justin Baldoni, Emily Baldoni, Victoria Alonso, Leila Meacham, Reyna Grande

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

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Lane Heymont

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Tobias Agency

🌍 Location: Nashville, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Diana Rodriguez Wallach, John Maszka, Rachel Neff, Claire O'Dell

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Jennifer DeChiara

πŸ’Ό Agency: Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Self-Help, Spirituality, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Brent Hartinger, Richard Mintzer, Jeff Anderson, Franco Aureliani

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Patricia Nelson

πŸ’Ό Agency: Looking Glass Literary & Media

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Horror

Previous clients: Candice Iloh, Mary McCoy, Axie Oh, Dahlia Adler, Anna Meriano, Kristi Wientge

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

Laurie Liss

πŸ’Ό Agency: Sterling Lord Literistic Inc.

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Spirituality

Previous clients: Richard Paul Evans, Rachel Maddow, Matt Richtel, Hannah Gadsby, Shankar Vedantam

Query Tracker | Agent Query

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

Beth Phelan

πŸ’Ό Agency: Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Newark, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Horror, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance

Previous clients: Rick Riordan, Randy Ribay, Shveta Thakrar, Kacen Callender, Kat Cho, Lin Thompson, Camryn Garrett

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | 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. 

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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