Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Commercial Fiction Submissions in the UK

Showing 26 agents that match your search.

Karolina Sutton

💼 Agency: Creative Artists Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.caa.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller

Previous clients: Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Tara Westover, Malala Yousafzai, Anthony Doerr

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker

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

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

Looking for an editor to polish your query letter?

The best professionals are already on Reedsy, come meet them. Create your free account to request free quotes today.

Learn more about the Reedsy Marketplace.

Sallyanne Sweeney

💼 Agency: Mulcahy Associates

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://mmbcreative.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Memoir, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book

Previous clients: Juno Dawson, Steve Lenton, Jon Walter, Lucy Van Smit

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | MSWL

Darley Anderson

💼 Agency: Darley Anderson Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.darleyanderson.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book

Previous clients: Lee Child, Martina Cole, Margaret Dickinson, John Connolly, Tana French

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Stephanie Thwaites

💼 Agency: Curtis Brown UK

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: John Steinbeck, Isla Fisher, Cat Deeley, Celia Rees, A A Milne, Steven Butler

Query Tracker

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

Peter Straus

💼 Agency: RCW Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.rcwlitagency.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Kazuo Ishiguro, Colm Toibin, Kate Atkinson, Jenny Pitman, Rupert Thomsom

Query Tracker

Lizzy Kremer

💼 Agency: David Higham Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

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

Previous clients: Paula Hawkins, Lucy Dillon, Annie Bell, Laura Kemp, Sadie Matthews

Query Tracker

Kate Nash

💼 Agency: Kate Nash Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://katenashlit.co.uk/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Nonfiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Amanda Brittany, Casey King, Andie Newton, Maggie Baggot

Query Tracker | MSWL

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

Submitting your query letter?

Professional editors can help your query stand out for the right reasons.

Reedsy Marketplace UI

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account: