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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions in New York City

Showing 116 agents that match your search.

Suzie Townsend

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

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

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

Genres: Fiction, Women's Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction

Previous clients: Laura Steven, Victoria Aveyard, Natalie Lloyd, Jennifer Ryan, Brigid Kemmer, Christine Day

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Joshua A. Bilmes

πŸ’Ό Agency: JABberwocky Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Politics, Sports, Graphic Novel, LGBTQ, Commercial Fiction

Previous clients: Charlaine Harris, Brandon Sanderson, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Peter V. Brett, Jack Campbell, Grady Hendrix, Lilliam Rivera, Simon R. Green.

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

Alex Glass

πŸ’Ό Agency: Glass Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Cookbook, Self-Help, Spirituality, Sports

Previous clients: Haylie Pomroy, Chad Kultgen, Matt Bondurant, Jon Cryer, Da Chen, Marcy Dermansky, Jennifer Esposito

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Laura Langlie

πŸ’Ό Agency: Laura Langlie Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://querytracker.net/agent/434

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

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Harvey Klinger

πŸ’Ό Agency: Harvey Klinger, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Crime Fiction, Memoir

Previous clients: Augusta Trobaugh, Natasha Mostert, Paul Elliott Russell, Paul Russell, George M. Taber, Julie Stav

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Jennifer Jackson

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, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, African-American, BIPOC, Crime Fiction

Previous clients: Jim Butcher, Elizabeth Bear, Tamsyn Muir, Saladin Ahmed, Anne Bishop, Seth Dickinson

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Elizabeth Harding

πŸ’Ό Agency: Curtis Brown, Ltd.

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Jane Yolen, Karen Cushman, Robert Cormier, S.E. Hinton, Nikki Grimes

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Jessica Sinsheimer

πŸ’Ό Agency: Context Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients: Margot Harrison, Shannon Alexander, Jonathan Chesner, Gwen Hayes

Query Tracker | MSWL

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

Caitlin Blasdell

πŸ’Ό Agency: Liza Dawson Associates

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction

Previous clients: Zen Cho, Charles Stross, Sarah Prineas, John Levitt, Rachel Neumeier

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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