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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Women's Fiction Submissions in the UK

Showing 10 agents that match your search.

Madeleine Milburn

💼 Agency: Madeleine Milburn Literary

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: http://madeleinemilburn.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Children's Book, Self-Help, Spirituality, Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Gail Honeyman, C.L. Taylor, Ashley Audrain, Matthew Blake, Charmaine Wilkerson

Interested in debut authors

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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

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Cathryn Summerhayes

💼 Agency: Curtis Brown UK

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

📣 Preferred contact method: 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

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Catherine Cho

💼 Agency: Paper Literary

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Previous clients: Soon Wiley, Sarah Underwood, Melissa Hogenboom

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Clare Wallace

💼 Agency: Darley Anderson Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

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

Previous clients: Caroline Crowe, Tom Ellen, A M Howell, Martyn Ford, Stewart Foster

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | MSWL

Hannah Ferguson

💼 Agency: Hardman & Swainson Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: James Bailey, Anna Bell, Isla Gordon, Siobhan Miller

Interested in debut authors

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Nicky Lovick

💼 Agency: WGM Atlantic

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

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

Previous clients: Simon Michael, Brenda Davies, Caroline Fabre, Alice Farnham

Interested in debut authors

| MSWL

Marilia Savvides

💼 Agency: 42 Management & Production

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: http://www.42mp.com/books

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: BIPOC, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Mystery, Narrative Nonfiction, #ownvoices, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction

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

Interested in debut authors

Emily MacDonald

💼 Agency: 42 Management & Production

🌍 Location: London, GB

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.42mp.com/books

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: BIPOC, Crime Fiction, Diverse Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Callum McSorley, Eleanor Tucker, Jenna Al-Ansari

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

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

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