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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions in New York City

Showing 121 agents that match your search.

Rachel Ekstrom Courage

💼 Agency: Courage Literary

🌍 Location: New York City, US

🧑‍💻 Website: https://rachelekstromcourage.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Business Book, Spirituality

Previous clients: Rachael Lippincott, Kristin Fields, Nina Laurin, Jeff Garvin, Sandra Block

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Stephen Barbara

💼 Agency: InkWell Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

🧑‍💻 Website: http://inkwellmanagement.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Sports, Children's Book, Business Book, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Middle Grade, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Lauren Oliver, Paul Tremblay, Laura Amy Schlitz, Lisa Graff

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Joshua A. Bilmes

💼 Agency: Jabberwocky Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

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

Previous clients: Brandon Sanderson, Charlaine Harris, Peter V. Brett, Jack Campbell, Tanya Huff

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

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Stacy Testa

💼 Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Spirituality

Previous clients: Clara Bensen, Lucie Britsch, Julie Carrick Dalton, Gerta Keller, Rheea Mukherjee

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Lisa Erbach Vance

💼 Agency: Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

🧑‍💻 Website: http://aaronpriest.com

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, Crime Fiction, Memoir, Mystery, Romance, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Harlan Coben, Gregg Hurwitz, Glen Erik Hamilton, B.J. Daniels, Rebecca Hardiman, Sandra Kitt

Interested in debut authors

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Rebecca Sherman

💼 Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book

Previous clients: Daniel Salmieri, Andrea Beaty, Grace Lin, John Hendrix

Interested in debut authors

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Annelise Robey

💼 Agency: Jane Rotrosen Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Literary Fiction

Previous clients: Terri Garey, Monica McCarty, James Hayman

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Jenny Bent

💼 Agency: The Bent Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Self-Help, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, African-American, BIPOC, Chick Lit, Crime Fiction

Previous clients: AG Howard, Lori Wilde, Julia London, Lynsay Sands, Lori Nelson Spielman, Amy Bourret

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Jessica Sinsheimer

💼 Agency: Context Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Action & Adventure, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ

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

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | MSWL

Jeff Kleinman

💼 Agency: Folio Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics

Previous clients: Garth Stein, Eowyn Ivey, Elizabeth Letts, Robert Hicks, Charles J. Shields, Karen Dionne

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 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

Recommended books

Reedsy | Query Letter Superhero | 2023-03

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