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DIRECTORY

The Best Literary Agents Seeking Women's Fiction Submissions

Showing 200 agents that match your search.

Patricia Nelson

πŸ’Ό Agency: Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Candice Iloh, Mary McCoy, Axie Oh, Dahlia Adler, Anna Meriano, Kristi Wientge

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

Sarah Younger

πŸ’Ό Agency: Nancy Yost Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Christian, Commercial Fiction

Previous clients: Shannon Richard, Asa Maria Bradley, Gina Conkle, Alexis Daria

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Andrea Somberg

πŸ’Ό Agency: Harvey Klinger, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction

Previous clients: Sarah Beth Durst, Erin Celello, B.A. Binns, Jessica Warman, Christopher Lee Barish, Lyla Ward

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

Julie Barer

πŸ’Ό Agency: The Book Group

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Celeste Ng, Madeline Miller, Alice Sebold, Mia Alvar, Joshua Ferris

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

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Jane Dystel

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 email

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

Previous clients: Colin Broderick, David Morrell, Scott Hamilton, Michele R. McPhee, Anne Stuart, Mary Ann Esposito

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Michelle Brower

πŸ’Ό Agency: Trellis Literary Management

🌍 Location: Boston, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Erika L. SΓ‘nchez, Tara Conklin, Hazel Gaynor, Erika Swyler, Viet Dinh

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL | Agent Query

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 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

Liza Dawson

πŸ’Ό Agency: Liza Dawson Associates

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Tawni O'Dell, Annie Barrows, Robyn Carr, Ross Gay, Marie Bostwick

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Sarah Hornsley

πŸ’Ό Agency: Peters Fraser + Dunlop

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Romance, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction

Previous clients: Ciara Attwell, Olivia Beirne, Roxie Cooper, Drew Davies, Nick Hollin

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

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

Women's Fiction Literary Agents in Other Countries 🌎

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

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