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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Self Help Submissions

Showing 85 agents that match your search.

Stephanie Rostan

πŸ’Ό Agency: Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Spirituality, Chick Lit

Previous clients: Gillian Flynn, Lisa Lutz, Wendy Wax, Julia Dahl, Heather Swain

Open to queries

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Carol Mann

πŸ’Ό Agency: Carol Mann Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Spirituality, Politics

Previous clients: Jermaine Dupri, Samantha Marshall, Lauren Winner, Morris Dees, Roy Rowan

Open to queries

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Deidre Knight

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Knight Agency

🌍 Location: Atlanta, US

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: http://www.knightagency.net/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Self-Help, Diverse Fiction, LGBTQ, Sports, Thriller

Previous clients: TJ Klune, Rachel Reid, Gena Showalter, Don Piper, Cat Sebastian, Louisa Edwards

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Lorin Rees

πŸ’Ό Agency: Rees Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Boston, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients: Uzma Jalaluddin, Rin Chupeco, Arlene Weintraub, Will Holtham, Sylvia Lafair, Hank Gilman

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Frank Weimann

πŸ’Ό Agency: Folio Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Spirituality, Sports, Self-Help

Previous clients: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Laura Prepon, Bill Russell, Dan Abrams, Gregg Allman

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Stacey Glick

πŸ’Ό Agency: Dystel, Goderich & Bourret

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Self-Help

Previous clients: Larry D. Rosen, Jenny Hart, A. J. Hartley, Christie Matheson

Open to queries

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Cathryn Summerhayes

πŸ’Ό Agency: Curtis Brown UK

🌍 Location: London, GB

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Website: https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients: Ranulph Fiennes, Adam Kay, Lucy Foley, Sandi Toksvig, Shappi Khorsandi, Naomi Wood

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Danielle Egan-Miller

πŸ’Ό Agency: Browne & Miller Literary Associates

🌍 Location: Chicago, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Self-Help, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Romance

Previous clients: Elizabeth Blackwell, Kylie Brant, Jo Furniss, Iain Lawrence, Kimberly Brock

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Andrea Somberg

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, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction

Previous clients: Sarah Beth Durst, Erin Celello, B.A. Binns, Jessica Warman, Christopher Lee Barish, Lyla Ward

Open to queries

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Brian DeFiore

πŸ’Ό Agency: DeFiore and Company

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Sports

Previous clients: Brandon Stanton, Frank Warren, David Potter, Benjamin Hale, Tom Ryan, Rick Yancey

Open to queries

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 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

Recommended books

πŸ’‘ Shortlist agents to save them.