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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Women's Fiction Submissions

Showing 198 agents that match your search.

Jonny Geller

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, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics

Previous clients: John le CarrΓ©, David Mitchell, Susanna Clarke, Sacha Baron Cohen, Nelson Mandela

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Kimberly Witherspoon

πŸ’Ό Agency: InkWell Management

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Cookbook, Fantasy, Romance, Short Story, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Chick Lit

Previous clients: Anthony Bourdain, Cindy Crawford, Lena Dunham, Dean Koontz, JosΓ© AndrΓ©s

Query Tracker | Agent Query

Jessica Sinsheimer

πŸ’Ό Agency: Context Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Cookbook, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help

Previous clients: Margot Harrison, Shannon Alexander, Jonathan Chesner, Gwen Hayes

Open to queries

Query Tracker | MSWL

Peter Straus

πŸ’Ό Agency: RCW Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Action & Adventure, Cookbook, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Memoir, Politics, Romance, Science Fiction, Spirituality, Thriller, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Kazuo Ishiguro, Colm Toibin, Kate Atkinson, Jenny Pitman, Rupert Thomsom, Lucy Caldwell, Peter Carey, Rachel Cooke, Tom Crewe, Carol Ann Duffy, Anne Enright, Ian McEwan

Open to queries

Query Tracker

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Kim Lionetti

πŸ’Ό Agency: BookEnds Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Newark, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Romance, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, #ownvoices, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction

Previous clients: Helen Hoang, Kennedy Ryan, Rochelle Weinstein, Christie Craig, Nicola Marsh

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

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Veronique Baxter

πŸ’Ό Agency: David Higham Literary Agency

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, Feminism, LGBTQ, Commercial Fiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Diana Wynne Jones, Richard Adams, Nick Butterworth, Jonathan Stroud, Alix Nathan

Open to queries

Query Tracker

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

Elizabeth Winick Rubenstein

πŸ’Ό Agency: McIntosh & Otis, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Feminism

Previous clients: Eleanor Brown, Phyllis T. Smith, Kimberly Frost

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, 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

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

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.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

Recommended books

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