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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Thriller Submissions

Showing 238 agents that match your search.

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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Vicky Bijur

πŸ’Ό Agency: Vicky Bijur Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Cookbook, Crime Fiction, LGBTQ, Memoir, Nonfiction, Self-Help, Thriller

Previous clients: Laura Lippman, Lisa Genova, James Sallis, Christina Shea, Margaret Maron

Open to queries

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Gail Hochman

πŸ’Ό Agency: Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Children's Book, Young Adult

Previous clients: Scott Turow, Michael Cunningham, Leah Stewart

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Donald Maass

πŸ’Ό Agency: Donald Maass Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Previous clients: Nnedi Okorafor, Brent Weeks, Anne Perry, Todd McCaffrey

Open to queries

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Uwe Stender

πŸ’Ό Agency: Triada US Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Pittsburgh, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Graphic Novel, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction

Previous clients: Chloe Gong, Adiba Jaigirdar, Dana L. Davis, Elizabeth LaBan, Christi Paul

Open to queries

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Alex Cochran

πŸ’Ό Agency: C+W

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Tade Thompson, Luke Arnold, G.V. Anderson, Nicholas Binge, Dave Hutchinson, Mike Brooks

Open to queries

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Jodi Reamer

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, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Stephenie Meyer, John Green, Dan Santat, Nicola Yoon, Ransom Riggs, Lisa Yee

Open to queries

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Marcy Posner

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 QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Feminism

Previous clients: Joss Ware, Kristi Cook, Susan Hubbard

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Liz Darhansoff

πŸ’Ό Agency: Darhansoff Verrill Feldman Literary Agents

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Thriller

Previous clients: Annie Proulx, Neal Stephenson, Lee Smith, Nanci Kincaid, Lynda Barry

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Stephen Barbara

πŸ’Ό Agency: InkWell Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Sports, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Middle Grade, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Lauren Oliver, Paul Tremblay, Laura Amy Schlitz, Lisa Graff

Open to queries

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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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