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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Narrative Nonfiction Submissions

Showing 336 agents that match your search.

Susan Rabiner

πŸ’Ό Agency: Susan Rabiner Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Nonfiction, Business Book, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients: Herbert Bix, Greg Grandin, Andres Resendez, Linda Leavell, Mario Livio, Bruce Schneier, Holger Hoock

Open to queries

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Ellen Geiger

πŸ’Ό Agency: Frances Goldin Literary Agency, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Women's Fiction, Short Story

Previous clients: Margaret Wise Brown, Adrienne Rich, Juan GonzΓ‘lez, James Kugel, Robert Tsai

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Sandy Lu

πŸ’Ό Agency: Book Wyrm Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryMe

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Cookbook, Horror, Science Fiction, Women's Fiction, Business Book

Previous clients: Jennifer Harlow, Robert Baty, Angela Grace, Michael Dempsey, Michael Boccacino

Open to queries

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Alexandra Machinist

πŸ’Ό Agency: Creative Artists Agency

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/AMachinist/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

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

Open to queries

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Laurie Liss

πŸ’Ό Agency: Sterling Lord Literistic Inc.

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Spirituality

Previous clients: Richard Paul Evans, Rachel Maddow, Matt Richtel, Hannah Gadsby, Shankar Vedantam

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Bonnie Solow

πŸ’Ό Agency: Solow Literary Enterprises

🌍 Location: San Francisco, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Spirituality

Previous clients: Sylvia Browne, Jack Canfield, Danny Dreyer

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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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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 QueryManager

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

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

Open to queries

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Katie Kotchman

πŸ’Ό Agency: Don Congdon Associates

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Politics

Previous clients: Jill Althouse-Wood, Lauren Berger, Jenny Dearborn, Tom Faley

Open to queries

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Uwe Stender

πŸ’Ό Agency: Triada US Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Pittsburgh, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Graphic Novel, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction

Previous clients: Chloe Gong, Adiba Jaigirdar, Dana L. Davis, Elizabeth LaBan, Christi Paul

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.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

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