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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions in New York

Showing 216 agents that match your search.

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

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Irene Goodman

πŸ’Ό Agency: Irene Goodman Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

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

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Business Book, Cookbook

Previous clients: Lori Handeland, Linda Lael Miller, Amanda Elyot, Boyd Morrison, Juliet Grey

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

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

Open to queries

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Nicole Aragi

πŸ’Ό Agency: Aragi Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: http://www.aragi.net

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Feminism

Previous clients: Jonathan Safran Foer, Nathan Englander, Edwidge Danticat, Colson Whitehead, Junot Diaz

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Kimberly Witherspoon

πŸ’Ό Agency: InkWell Management

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Cookbook, Fantasy, Romance, Short Story, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Chick Lit

Previous clients: Anthony Bourdain, Cindy Crawford, Lena Dunham, Dean Koontz, JosΓ© AndrΓ©s

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Robin Rue

πŸ’Ό Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Previous clients: JoAnn Ros, S.L. Viehl, Kresley Cole, Dianne Emley

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Frances Coady

πŸ’Ό Agency: Aragi Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: http://www.aragi.net/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

Previous clients: Ocean Vuong, Anna Cox, Gary Younge, Michael Cunningham, Sharon Olds

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Monika Verma

πŸ’Ό Agency: Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Nick Offerman, Janie Bryant, Allie Brosh

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Mitchell S. Waters

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, Mystery, Nonfiction, Memoir, Thriller, Humor, Young Adult

Previous clients: Joy Castro, Sarah Schulman, Michael Thomas Ford, Laurel Ann Nattress, Vestal McIntyre

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

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

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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