Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Literary Fiction Submissions

Showing 321 agents that match your search.

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

Christine Witthohn

πŸ’Ό Agency: Book Cents Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email.

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Cookbook, Feminism, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Previous clients: Kerrigan Byrne, Lisa Marie Rice, Anita Clenney, Sherelle Green, Yahrah St. John, A.C. Arthur.

Query Tracker

Donald Maass

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, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Previous clients: Nnedi Okorafor, Brent Weeks, Anne Perry, Todd McCaffrey

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Henry Dunow

πŸ’Ό Agency: Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports, Short Story, Spirituality, Politics

Previous clients: Aimee Bender, Alice Sebold, Peter Mountford, Jean Thompson, Robin Black, Hilma Wolitzer

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Looking for an editor to polish your query letter?

The best professionals are already on Reedsy, come meet them. Create your free account to request free quotes today.

Learn more about the Reedsy Marketplace.

Cristina Concepcion

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, Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Commercial Fiction, Cookbook, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

Previous clients: David Sedaris, Susan Allen, Russell Baker, Jane Cleland

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Marya Spence

πŸ’Ό Agency: Janklow & Nesbit Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Jess Arndt, Gabriella Burnham, Arabelle Sicardi, Yrsa Daley-Ward

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Luke Janklow

πŸ’Ό Agency: Janklow & Nesbit Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Action & Adventure, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports, Cookbook, Horror

Previous clients: Anderson Cooper, Emma Watson, Simon Cowell, Brian Haig, Jilliane Hoffman

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Laura Langlie

πŸ’Ό Agency: Laura Langlie Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Feminism, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Emily Arsenault, Mignon Ballard, Melanie Benjamin, Jessica Benson, Marissa Burt, Meg Cabot, Sarah Dooley, Joan Druett, Jerramy Fine, Robin Hathaway, Mary Hogan, Lauren Lipton, Malinda Lo, Thomas Maltman, Leslie Margolis, Emil Ostrovski, Delia Ray

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Lisa Leshne

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Leshne Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email or QueryTracker

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Sports, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, Commercial Fiction, Humor, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Stacey Abrams, Julissa Arce, Leslie Lehr, Christie Pearce Rampone, AJ Mendez, Ivan Klima

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Tracy Bohan

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Wylie Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction

Previous clients: Sally Rooney, Chimamanda Adichie, Katherine Angel, Michael Marks

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.Β 

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.Β 

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 2025

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

Get a professional opinion on your query letter

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