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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking #Ownvoices Submissions

Showing 28 agents that match your search.

Johanna Castillo

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, Romance, Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, Commercial Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Isabel Allende, Justin Baldoni, Emily Baldoni, Victoria Alonso, Leila Meacham, Reyna Grande

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Kristin Nelson

πŸ’Ό Agency: Nelson Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Denver, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, Chick Lit, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Marie Lu, Josh Malerman, Courtney Milan, Gail Carriger, Hugh Howey, Ally Carter

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

Adam Schear

πŸ’Ό Agency: DeFiore and Company

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, #ownvoices

Previous clients: Jake Wolff, Julie Lekstrom Himes, Scott Bedford, Jen Adams

Open to queries

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Tracy Marchini

πŸ’Ό Agency: BookEnds Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Newark, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Jennifer Robin Barr, Charlene Chua, Sally Deng, Margaret Finnegan, Rita Lorraine Hubbard

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

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Jessica Alvarez

πŸ’Ό Agency: BookEnds Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Newark, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Chick Lit

Previous clients: Stacey Kennedy, Sharon Culle, Amy Rose Bennett, Laurel Blount

Open to queries

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Jessica Faust

πŸ’Ό Agency: BookEnds Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Newark, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Self-Help, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Feminism, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Politics, Spirituality, Romance

Previous clients: Kay Finch, Vickie Fee, Krista Davis, Melissa Payne, Julie Stone, Laura Bradford

Open to queries

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Kim Lionetti

πŸ’Ό Agency: BookEnds Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Newark, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Romance, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction

Previous clients: Helen Hoang, Kennedy Ryan, Rochelle Weinstein, Christie Craig, Nicola Marsh

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Lane Heymont

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Tobias Agency

🌍 Location: Nashville, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Diana Rodriguez Wallach, John Maszka, Rachel Neff, Claire O'Dell

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Laurel Symonds

πŸ’Ό Agency: KT Literary

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ, African-American, #ownvoices

Previous clients: Angela Ahn, Aashna Avachat, Michal Babay, V.T. Bidania, Fleur Bradley, Nick Brooks, Christine Calella, Melissa Capriglione, Doug Cenko, Laura Dalesandro, Vera Greentea, Shelli R. Johannes, Sydney Langford, Carolyn LΓͺ

Query Tracker | MSWL

AntoinΓ«tte V. Sluytman

πŸ’Ό Agency: Looking Glass Literary & Media

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: African-American, BIPOC, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, Graphic Novel, #ownvoices

Previous clients: Elisa A. Bonnin

Query Tracker

#ownvoices Literary Agents in Other Countries 🌎

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. 

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. 

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 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

Reedsy | Looking for an agent? | 2024-09

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