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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Self Help Submissions

Showing 89 agents that match your search.

Alex Glass

πŸ’Ό Agency: Glass Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Cookbook, Self-Help, Spirituality, Sports

Previous clients: Haylie Pomroy, Chad Kultgen, Matt Bondurant, Jon Cryer, Da Chen, Marcy Dermansky, Jennifer Esposito

Open to queries

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πŸ“Ί LIVE EVENT – November 24th, 2024

How to Find a Literary Agent

During this one-day event, you’ll hear directly from literary agents, editors, and authors who will shed light on the querying process through presentations, panel discussions, and Q&As. Grab your ticket here.

Margret McBride

πŸ’Ό Agency: Margret McBride Literary Agency

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Self-Help, Politics, Women's Fiction, Feminism, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Benjamin Bikman, Grant Sabatier, Sheldon Bowles, Brandon Webb

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Louise Fury

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Fury Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Graphic Novel, Romance, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Self-Help, Sports, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Cookbook, Crime Fiction, Humor

Previous clients: Fred Aceves, Lindsay Emory, Lonnie Busch, Dante Medema

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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, BIPOC, 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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Amy Giuffrida

πŸ’Ό Agency: Belcastro Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Romance, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Commercial Fiction, Women's Fiction, Self-Help, Fantasy, Narrative Nonfiction, Thriller

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Kari Stuart

πŸ’Ό Agency: Creative Artists Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

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

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Nonfiction, Business Book, Cookbook, Memoir, Self-Help

Previous clients: Amy Ephron, Kevin Roose, Maura Kelly, Mimi Kirk, Laura Marshall, Carol Miller, Samin Nosrat

Open to queries

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Curtis Russell

πŸ’Ό Agency: P.S. Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Toronto, CA

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Politics, Self-Help, Sports

Previous clients: Pamela Beason, Nick Powdthavee, Gail Vaz-Oxlade, Gerry Dee, Tommy Europe

Open to queries

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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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Susan Rabiner

πŸ’Ό Agency: Susan Rabiner Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Nonfiction, Business Book, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients: Herbert Bix, Greg Grandin, Andres Resendez, Linda Leavell, Mario Livio, Bruce Schneier, Holger Hoock

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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

Query Tracker | 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 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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