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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Thriller Submissions

Showing 241 agents that match your search.

Felicity Blunt

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, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Commercial Fiction, Feminism, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Jeffrey Deaver, Jennifer Egan, Abi Dare, Daphne du Maurier, Jilly Cooper

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Celeste Fine

πŸ’Ό Agency: Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Commercial Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Politics

Previous clients: Sara Gottfried, Amanda Steinberg, Dave Asprey, J.J. Virgin, Joseph Pizzorno

Open to queries

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David Fugate

πŸ’Ό Agency: LaunchBooks Literary Agency

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

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

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

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Humor, Science Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Business Book, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Sports

Previous clients: Chris Guillebeau, Andy Weir, Kevin Mitnick, Peter Clines, DJ Molles

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Mel Parker

πŸ’Ό Agency: Mel Parker Books, LLC

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Thriller, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Spirituality

Previous clients: Jon Birger, Mick Cornett, Dickson Despommier, Emily Parker, Robert McCaw

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Lisa Erbach Vance

πŸ’Ό Agency: Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: email

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction

Previous clients: The estate of Madeleine L’Engle, Harlan Coben, Gregg Hurwitz, Glen Erik Hamilton, B.J. Daniels

Open to queries

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Christopher Schelling

πŸ’Ό Agency: Selectric Artists

🌍 Location: Hartford, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Fantasy, Humor, Science Fiction, Thriller, Graphic Novel, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Rainbow Rowell, Kate Mulgrew, Augusten Burroughs, Haven Kimmel, Robert Wilder

Open to queries

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Joshua Getzler

πŸ’Ό Agency: HG Literary

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Business Book, Politics, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Geoff Rodkey, Paul Goldberg, Todd Moss, EM Powell, Jessica Burkhart, Gerald Elias

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Sandy Lu

πŸ’Ό Agency: Book Wyrm Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryMe

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Cookbook, Horror, Science Fiction, Women's Fiction, Business Book

Previous clients: Jennifer Harlow, Robert Baty, Angela Grace, Michael Dempsey, Michael Boccacino

Open to queries

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Jeff Kleinman

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 or online form

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics

Previous clients: Garth Stein, Eowyn Ivey, Elizabeth Letts, Robert Hicks, Charles J. Shields, Karen Dionne

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Simon Lipskar

πŸ’Ό Agency: Writers House

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Dan Vyleta, Steven Sherrill, Karen Bao, Stephen Dyer, Jonah Lisa Dyer

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.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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