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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Sports Submissions

Showing 64 agents that match your search.

Lisa Leshne

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Leshne Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email or QueryTracker

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Sports, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, Commercial Fiction, Humor, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Stacey Abrams, Julissa Arce, Leslie Lehr, Christie Pearce Rampone, AJ Mendez, Ivan Klima

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Matthew Bialer

πŸ’Ό Agency: Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports, Literary Fiction, Politics

Previous clients: Patrick Rothfuss, Tad Williams, Tracy Hickman, Margaret Weis, Dale Bailey, Kathleen O'Neal Gear

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

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

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

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, Fantasy, Romance, Nonfiction, LGBTQ, Sports, Thriller, Horror, New Adult

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

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

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David Black

πŸ’Ό Agency: David Black Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Spirituality, Sports

Previous clients: Mitch Albom, Erik Larson, David Kidder, Jenny Sanford, Noah Oppenheim

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Sydelle Kramer

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, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Sports, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Nate Silver, Alison Bechdel, Martha Nussbaum, Marya Hornbacher

Query Tracker

Joanne Wyckoff

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: Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Spirituality, Sports, Diverse Fiction, African-American, Feminism

Previous clients: Lauretta Hannon, Tony Wagner, David Gessner, Patti Moreno

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

James A. Levine

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: Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Spirituality, Sports

Previous clients: Tom Brady, Gisele BΓΌndchen, Safi Bahcall, Francis Bok, Cornelia Dean

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

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

Luke Janklow

πŸ’Ό Agency: Janklow & Nesbit Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Action & Adventure, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports, Cookbook, Horror

Previous clients: Anderson Cooper, Emma Watson, Simon Cowell, Brian Haig, Jilliane Hoffman

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.Β 

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.Β 

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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