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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Young Adult Submissions in the UK

Showing 22 agents that match your search.

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

πŸ“Ί LIVE EVENT – November 24th, 2024

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

Gemma Cooper

πŸ’Ό Agency: Gemma Cooper Literary

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

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

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

Molly Ker Hawn

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Bent Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

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

Previous clients: Hilary McKay, Matt Killeen, Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, Alwyn Hamilton, Heidi Heilig

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

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Madeleine Milburn

πŸ’Ό Agency: Madeleine Milburn Literary

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through online form

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

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

Julia Churchill

πŸ’Ό Agency: A.M. Heath & Co. Ltd

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

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

Caroline Sheldon

πŸ’Ό Agency: Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

Previous clients: Julia Donaldson, Penny Dale, John Agard, Jean Ure, Kaye Umansky, Katie Flynn, Elaine Everest

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

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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