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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Young Adult Submissions

Showing 282 agents that match your search.

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

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

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Christine Witthohn

πŸ’Ό Agency: Book Cents Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email.

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Cookbook, Feminism, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Previous clients: Kerrigan Byrne, Lisa Marie Rice, Anita Clenney, Sherelle Green, Yahrah St. John, A.C. Arthur.

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Merrilee Heifetz

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, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Neil Gaiman, Robin McKinley, Octavia E Butler, Laurell K. Hamilton, Melissa Marr, Cynthia Voigt

Open to queries

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Susan Hawk

πŸ’Ό Agency: Upstart Crow Literary

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book

Previous clients: Rachael Allen, Marcie Colleen, Alison Oliver, Ruth Spiro, Sarah Tolcser, Shelley Tougas, Lisa Tyre

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

John Cusick

πŸ’Ό Agency: Folio Literary Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Julie Murphy, Christian McKay Heidicke, Laura Sebastian, Joan He, Abdi Nazemian

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Kelly Sonnack

πŸ’Ό Agency: Andrea Brown Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Chicago, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book

Previous clients: Christine Lynn Herman, Kim Smith, Sharon Cameron, James Burks, Joy Ang, Alastair Heim

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Jennie Dunham

πŸ’Ό Agency: Dunham Literary

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book

Previous clients: Robert Sabuda, Matthew Reinhart, Mark Bowden, Tod Goldberg, Margaret McMullan

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Molly O'Neill

πŸ’Ό Agency: Root Literary

🌍 Location: Los Angeles, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Diverse Fiction, Graphic Novel

Previous clients: Adib Khorram, Lynne Kelly, Sarah Sax, Ellen T. Crenshaw, Sophia Glock

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Paul Rodeen

πŸ’Ό Agency: Rodeen Literary Management

🌍 Location: Chicago, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book

Previous clients: Peter Brown, Lauren Castillo, Victoria Jamieson, Ryan Higgins

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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