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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions in New York City

Showing 121 agents that match your search.

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

Victoria Sanders

💼 Agency: Victoria Sanders & Associates

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Spirituality, Diverse Fiction, African-American, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Cookbook

Previous clients: Terence Taylor, Carolina DeRobertis, Kia DuPree, Karin Slaughter, Matthew Aaron Goodman

Interested in debut authors

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Amy Berkower

💼 Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Action & Adventure, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Ken Follett, Laurie Halse Anderson, Ann M. Martin, Erica Bauermeister, Ridley Pearson, Rachel Vail

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Michael Harriot

💼 Agency: Folio Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Humor, Thriller, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports

Previous clients: Ben Mezrich, Tony Fletcher, Alisa Bowman

Interested in debut authors

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Amy Giuffrida

💼 Agency: Belcastro Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Maria Tureaud, Jax McQueen, Sarah Elynn, Haley Hwang

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Ginger Clark

💼 Agency: Ginger Clark Literary

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Nonfiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Ursula K. Le Guin, Patricia Wrede, Elizabeth Wein, Tim Pratt, John Langan

Interested in debut authors

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Faye Bender

💼 Agency: The Book Group

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Memoir, Politics, Self-Help, Thriller

Previous clients: Rainey Hopson, Courtney Summers, Melissa Albert, Angeline Boulley

Interested in debut authors

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Emily van Beek

💼 Agency: Folio Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

🧑‍💻 Website: http://www.foliojr.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

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

Previous clients: Jenny Han, Lois Lowry, Morgan Matson, Julie Morstad, Tamora Pierce, Jordan Scott

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Victoria Doherty-Munro

💼 Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

📣 Preferred contact method: Email

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

Previous clients: Alexandra Ott, Jennifer Sommersby, Eliza Gordon

Query Tracker | MSWL

Carrie Pestritto

💼 Agency: Laura Dail Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

🧑‍💻 Website: http://www.ldlainc.com/

📣 Preferred contact method: Online submission form

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Action & Adventure, Business Book, Chick Lit, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Kalyn Josephson, Jon Birger, Lily Chu, Graci Kim, Claire Kann

Interested in debut authors

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

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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