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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions in Los Angeles

Showing 32 agents that match your search.

Molly O'Neill

💼 Agency: Root Literary

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

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

Previous clients: Adib Khorram, Lynne Kelly, Sarah Sax, Ellen T. Crenshaw, Sophia Glock

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Helen Breitwieser

💼 Agency: Cornerstone Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Narrative Nonfiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Katherine Center, Tessa Dare, Robert Evans, Beth Fataskey, Ursula Vernon

| Agent Query

Amanda Urban

💼 Agency: ICM Partners

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Politics

Previous clients: Toni Morrison, Nora Ephron, Anthony Doerr, Donna Tartt, Tobias Wolff, Jennifer Egan

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Holly Root

💼 Agency: Root Literary

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Chick Lit, Middle Grade, Romance, Thriller

Previous clients: V.E. Schwab, Alison Cherry, Megan Crane, Kari Dell, Rae Carson

Interested in debut authors

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Daniel Kirschen

💼 Agency: ICM Partners

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Thriller, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports

Previous clients: Ann Patchett, Michael Chabon, Chuck Palahniuk, Ayelet Waldman, Elizabeth Greenwood

| Publishers Marketplace

Suzanne Gluck

💼 Agency: William Morris Endeavor

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Business Book, Spirituality, Short Story, Young Adult

Previous clients: Judy Blume, Jill Abramson, Elizabeth Berg, Meg Wolitzer

Interested in debut authors

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Alexandra Machinist

💼 Agency: ICM Partners

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.caa.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Memoir

Previous clients: Kevin Kwan, Martha Hall, Jen Sincero, Tomi Adeyemi, Beatriz Williams, Sabaa Tahir

Interested in debut authors

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Chris Ferebee

💼 Agency: Christopher Ferebee

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

🧑‍💻 Website: christopherferebee.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Memoir, Spirituality

Previous clients: Cindy Beall, Christa Black Gifford, Rob Bell, Shauna Niequist, Jonathan Merritt

| Publishers Marketplace

Bonnie Nadell

💼 Agency: Hill Nadell Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

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

Previous clients: David Foster Wallace, Antonya Nelson, Lynn Schooler, Richard Polsky, Kate Racculia

Interested in debut authors

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Hillary Jacobson

💼 Agency: Creative Artists Agency

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

🧑‍💻 Website: https://www.caa.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Graphic Novel, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Historical Fiction, Horror

Previous clients: Tomi Adeyemi, Kate Elizabeth Russell, Karen Hamilton, Eiko Kadono

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

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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