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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Diverse Fiction Submissions in the UK

Showing 12 agents that match your search.

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

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How to Find a Literary Agent

During this one-day event, you’ll hear directly from literary agents, editors, and authors who will shed light on the querying process through presentations, panel discussions, and Q&As. Grab your ticket here.

Veronique Baxter

πŸ’Ό Agency: David Higham Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through 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, Commercial Fiction, Women's Fiction

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Lizzy Kremer

πŸ’Ό Agency: David Higham Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Stephanie Thwaites

πŸ’Ό Agency: Curtis Brown UK

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Thriller, Chick Lit, Diverse Fiction, Romance

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker

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Sophie Hicks

πŸ’Ό Agency: Sophie Hicks Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's Book, Action & Adventure, African-American, BIPOC, Crime Fiction, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction

Previous clients: Eoin Colfer, Emerald Fennell, Benedict Jacka, Paddy O'Reilly

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Caroline Walsh

πŸ’Ό Agency: David Higham Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

Previous clients: Antonia Barber, Joe Berger, Kathryn Cave, Eve Edwards, Candida Harper, Trish Cooke

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Michelle Kass

πŸ’Ό Agency: Michelle Kass Associates

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Action & Adventure, BIPOC, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Thriller

Previous clients: Derek Landy, Patrick Ness, Bridget O'Connor, Robert Farrar, Elizabeth Cook, John Milarky

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Ella Kahn

πŸ’Ό Agency: Diamond Kahn & Woods Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: http://dkwlitagency.co.uk/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Crime Fiction

Previous clients: Daniel Aubrey, Meg Fee, Tom Huddleston, Sandra Lawrence, Natalie Hart

Query Tracker | MSWL

Kate Nash

πŸ’Ό Agency: Kate Nash Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Diverse Fiction

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

Marilia Savvides

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Plot Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ, Narrative Nonfiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance

Previous clients: Hanna Jameson, Jessica Moor, Jack Anderson, Bexy Cameron, James Delargy

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 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 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

Reedsy | Looking for an agent? | 2024-09

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