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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Literary Fiction Submissions

Showing 321 agents that match your search.

Dorian Karchmar

πŸ’Ό Agency: William Morris Endeavor

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, Feminism

Previous clients: Alexandra Curry, Marc Estrin, Robert Rosenberg, Patricia Wood, Kate Jacobs

Open to queries

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Michelle Brower

πŸ’Ό Agency: Trellis Literary Management

🌍 Location: Boston, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

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

Previous clients: Tolani Akinola, Zaina Arafat, Manuel Aragon, Clare Beams, Jamey Bradbury, Mikki Brammer, Brittany Bronson.

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Jennie Dunham

πŸ’Ό Agency: Dunham Literary

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

Previous clients: Robert Sabuda, Matthew Reinhart, Mark Bowden, Tod Goldberg, Margaret McMullan

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Margaret Sutherland Brown

πŸ’Ό Agency: Folio Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Kelly Carlisle, Teresa Link, Jill Orr

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

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Leigh Feldman

πŸ’Ό Agency: Leigh Feldman Literary

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Sarah Dessen, Charles Frazier, Matt Burgess, Parnaz Foroutan, Arthur Golden

Open to queries

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Adam Schear

πŸ’Ό Agency: DeFiore and Company

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, #ownvoices

Previous clients: Jake Wolff, Julie Lekstrom Himes, Scott Bedford, Jen Adams

Open to queries

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Warren Frazier

πŸ’Ό Agency: John Hawkins & Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Business Book, Graphic Novel, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Short Story

Previous clients: Joyce Carol Oates, Mark Z. Danielewski, Olga Grushin, Jess Walter

Open to queries

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Alexa Stark

πŸ’Ό Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

Previous clients: David Bergen, Gabriel Bump, Lindsay Cameron, Joseph Cassara, Matthew Klingle

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Emma Patterson

πŸ’Ό Agency: Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Patrick Arden, Louise Aronson, Rita Mae Brown, Kim Church

Open to queries

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Joanna Volpe

πŸ’Ό Agency: New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, Feminism, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Susan Dennard, Holly Black, Daniel Nayeri, Leigh Bardugo, Anna Jarzab

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

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

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