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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Romance Submissions

Showing 156 agents that match your search.

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: Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, Chick Lit, LGBTQ, Action & Adventure, Horror, Romance

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

Open to queries

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Jim McCarthy

πŸ’Ό Agency: Dystel, Goderich & Bourret

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Humor, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Sports, Chick Lit

Previous clients: Richelle Mead, Cynthia Ceilan, Victoria Laurie, Carrie Ryan, Julia Templeton, Michelle Rowen

Open to queries

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Annelise Robey

πŸ’Ό Agency: Jane Rotrosen Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

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

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

Previous clients: Terri Garey, Monica McCarty, James Hayman

Open to queries

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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

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Laurie McLean

πŸ’Ό Agency: Fuse Literary

🌍 Location: San Francisco, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

Previous clients: Julie Kagawa, Brian D. Anderson, Pip Ballantine, Melissa D. Savage, Linda Wisdom

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Sarah Hornsley

πŸ’Ό Agency: Peters Fraser + Dunlop

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Romance, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction

Previous clients: Ciara Attwell, Olivia Beirne, Roxie Cooper, Drew Davies, Nick Hollin

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

Holly Root

πŸ’Ό Agency: Root Literary

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Chick Lit, Middle Grade, Romance

Previous clients: V.E. Schwab, Alison Cherry, Megan Crane, Kari Dell, Rae Carson

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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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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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Allison Hunter

πŸ’Ό Agency: Trellis Literary

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Romance, Thriller, Chick Lit, Diverse Fiction, Historical Fiction, New Adult

Previous clients: Rosie Walsh, Lauren Ho, Randall Klein, Alexandra Borowitz, Katie Heaney

Open to queries

Query Tracker

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 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

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