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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Self Help Submissions

Showing 86 agents that match your search.

Susan Golomb

πŸ’Ό Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Cookbook, Self-Help

Previous clients: Jonathan Franzen, Krys Lee, William T. Vollman, Rachel Kushner, Imbolo Mbue

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

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

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

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

Alison Fargis

πŸ’Ό Agency: Stonesong

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Business Book, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Susan B. Anderson, Sara Bliss, Michael Buckley, Erin Gleeson, Eric Gorges

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

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Farley Chase

πŸ’Ό Agency: Chase Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports, Fantasy, Business Book, Horror, Politics, Self-Help

Previous clients: Alia Volz, Robert Weintraub, Gregory Crough, Gilbert King, Matt Stoller

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Elaine Spencer

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, Historical Fiction, Humor, Romance, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Crime Fiction, Thriller, Commercial Fiction, Feminism

Previous clients: Sara Ackerman, Joy Avery, Dakota Cassidy, Laure Greer, Carlos Evans

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

Jenny Bent

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Bent Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Self-Help, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, Horror

Previous clients: Angie Thomas, AG Howard, Lori Wilde, Julia London, Lynsay Sands

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

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

ZoΓ« Pagnamenta

πŸ’Ό Agency: Calligraph

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

Previous clients: Ravi Agrawal, Eduardo Porter, Ben Ratliff, Josh Kun

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Katie Kotchman

πŸ’Ό Agency: Don Congdon Associates

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

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

Previous clients: Jill Althouse-Wood, Lauren Berger, Jenny Dearborn, Tom Faley

Query Tracker | 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 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

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Reedsy editors have worked as agents and acquiring editors. Ask for a "query letter review."