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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Diverse Fiction Submissions

Showing 161 agents that match your search.

Allison Hunter

πŸ’Ό Agency: Trellis Literary

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Romance, Thriller, Chick Lit, Diverse Fiction, Historical Fiction, New Adult

Previous clients: Rosie Walsh, Lauren Ho, Randall Klein, Alexandra Borowitz, Katie Heaney

Open to queries

Query Tracker

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

Laura Langlie

πŸ’Ό Agency: Laura Langlie Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Feminism, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Emily Arsenault, Mignon Ballard, Melanie Benjamin, Jessica Benson, Marissa Burt, Meg Cabot, Sarah Dooley, Joan Druett, Jerramy Fine, Robin Hathaway, Mary Hogan, Lauren Lipton, Malinda Lo, Thomas Maltman, Leslie Margolis, Emil Ostrovski, Delia Ray

Open to queries

Query Tracker | 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

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Molly O'Neill

πŸ’Ό Agency: Root Literary

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, Graphic Novel

Previous clients: Adib Khorram, Lynne Kelly, Sarah Sax, Ellen T. Crenshaw, Sophia Glock

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Alice Williams

πŸ’Ό Agency: Alice Williams Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://www.alicewilliamsliterary.co.uk/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Lara Hawthorne, Pete Williamson, Fabi Santiago, Rachel Delahaye, Paul Whitfield

Query Tracker | MSWL

Ellen Geiger

πŸ’Ό Agency: Frances Goldin Literary Agency, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Women's Fiction, Short Story

Previous clients: Margaret Wise Brown, Adrienne Rich, Juan GonzΓ‘lez, James Kugel, Robert Tsai

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | 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

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

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

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