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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Fiction Submissions in the UK

Showing 46 agents that match your search.

Sarah Hornsley

πŸ’Ό Agency: Peters Fraser + Dunlop

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

Cathryn Summerhayes

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, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients: Ranulph Fiennes, Adam Kay, Lucy Foley, Sandi Toksvig, Shappi Khorsandi, Naomi Wood

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

Juliet Mushens

πŸ’Ό Agency: Mushens Entertainment

🌍 Location: London, GB

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://www.mushens-entertainment.com/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

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Sallyanne Sweeney

πŸ’Ό Agency: Mulcahy Associates

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, New Adult, Politics, Romance, Science Fiction, Self-Help

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

Karolina Sutton

πŸ’Ό Agency: Creative Artists Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

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

Query Tracker

Will Francis

πŸ’Ό Agency: Janklow & Nesbit Associates

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Alex Cochran

πŸ’Ό Agency: C+W

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Tade Thompson, Luke Arnold, G.V. Anderson, Nicholas Binge, Dave Hutchinson, Mike Brooks

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Felicity Blunt

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, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Commercial Fiction, Feminism, Women's Fiction

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Peter Straus

πŸ’Ό Agency: RCW Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Action & Adventure, Cookbook, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Memoir, Politics, Romance, Science Fiction, Spirituality, Thriller, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Kazuo Ishiguro, Colm Toibin, Kate Atkinson, Jenny Pitman, Rupert Thomsom, Lucy Caldwell, Peter Carey, Rachel Cooke, Tom Crewe, Carol Ann Duffy, Anne Enright, Ian McEwan

Open to queries

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 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

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