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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions in the UK

Showing 52 agents that match your search.

Will Francis

💼 Agency: Janklow & Nesbit Associates

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://janklowandnesbit.co.uk/agency/will-francis

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics

Previous clients: Jasper Fforde, Evan Davis, Charles Cumming, Kevin Fong

Query Tracker

Alice Williams

💼 Agency: Alice Williams Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.alicewilliamsliterary.co.uk/

📣 Preferred contact method: 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

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | MSWL

Sarah Hornsley

💼 Agency: Peters Fraser + Dunlop

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://petersfraserdunlop.com/agent/sarah-hornsley/

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Memoir

Previous clients: Ciara Attwell, Olivia Beirne, Roxie Cooper, Drew Davies, Nick Hollin

Query Tracker | MSWL

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Veronique Baxter

💼 Agency: David Higham Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.davidhigham.co.uk

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, Feminism, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Diana Wynne Jones, Richard Adams, Nick Butterworth, Jonathan Stroud, Alix Nathan

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker

Felicity Blunt

💼 Agency: Curtis Brown UK

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Previous clients: Jeffrey Deaver, Jennifer Egan, Abi Dare, Daphne du Maurier, Jilly Cooper

Query Tracker

Juliet Mushens

💼 Agency: Mushens Entertainment

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.mushens-entertainment.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy

Previous clients: Jessie Burton, Taran Matharu, Richard Osman, Ali Land, Claire Douglas

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | MSWL

Kari Stuart

💼 Agency: Curtis Brown UK

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

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

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

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Gemma Cooper

💼 Agency: The Bent Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: http://www.thebentagency.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

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

Previous clients: B.B. Alston, Derek Bacon, Ruth Fitzgerald, Shirley Marr

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

Julia Churchill

💼 Agency: A.M. Heath & Co. Ltd

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://amheath.com

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

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

Previous clients: Joan Aiken, Lloyd Alexander, Zillah Bethell, Helen Douglas

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | MSWL

Jonny Geller

💼 Agency: Curtis Brown UK

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics

Previous clients: John le Carré, David Mitchell, Susanna Clarke, Sacha Baron Cohen, Nelson Mandela

Query Tracker

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 the foot of new authors in the door of a publishing house — 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 they are looking to add to their lists — 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 submit 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 2024

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 — 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

Reedsy | Editors working on Query Letter | 2023-10

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