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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Historical Fiction Submissions

Showing 167 agents that match your search.

Elyse Cheney

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Cheney Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Business Book, Short Story, Thriller, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Dave Eggers, Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey, Carol Leonnig, Phil Rucker, Masha Gessen, Reza Aslan, Manning Marable, Adelle Waldman, Julia Pierpont, Mark Owen, Mark Leibovich, Gayle Lemmon, Josh Foer, Scott Kelly, Lauren Collins.

Open to queries

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Joshua Getzler

πŸ’Ό Agency: HG Literary

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Politics, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Geoff Rodkey, Paul Goldberg, Todd Moss, EM Powell, Jessica Burkhart, Gerald Elias

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Rob McQuilkin

πŸ’Ό Agency: Massie & McQuilkin

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Literary Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Poetry

Previous clients: Kim Addonizio, Douglas A. Martin

Open to queries

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Farley Chase

πŸ’Ό Agency: Chase Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports, Fantasy, Business Book, Horror, Politics, Self-Help

Previous clients: Alia Volz, Robert Weintraub, Gregory Crough, Gilbert King, Matt Stoller

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Daniel Lazar

πŸ’Ό Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Hannah Kent, Chandler Baker, Raymond Villareal, Ingrid Law, Jennifer McMahon, Matt Rothschild

Open to queries

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Susan Ramer

πŸ’Ό Agency: Don Congdon Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Kathryn Stockett, Rachel Weaver, Ellen Gilchrist, Amy Belding Brown, Rachel Louise Snyder

Open to queries

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Andrea Somberg

πŸ’Ό Agency: Harvey Klinger, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction

Previous clients: Sarah Beth Durst, Erin Celello, B.A. Binns, Jessica Warman, Christopher Lee Barish, Lyla Ward

Open to queries

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Jennifer Weltz

πŸ’Ό Agency: Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

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

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Eva Holland, Carl Safina, Nancy Springer, Molly Greeley, Wendy Webb

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Jennifer Jackson

πŸ’Ό Agency: Donald Maass Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, African-American, BIPOC, Crime Fiction

Previous clients: Jim Butcher, Elizabeth Bear, Tamsyn Muir, Saladin Ahmed, Anne Bishop, Seth Dickinson

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Erin Niumata

πŸ’Ό Agency: Folio Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

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

Previous clients: Carolyn Brown, Sandy Robins, Amy Clark, Josh Shipp, James Guiliani

Open to queries

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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

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