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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions

Showing 657 agents that match your search.

Gemma Cooper

πŸ’Ό Agency: Gemma Cooper Literary

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

Previous clients: B.B. Alston, Derek Bacon, Ruth Fitzgerald, Shirley Marr

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

Will Francis

πŸ’Ό Agency: Janklow & Nesbit Associates

🌍 Location: London, GB

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics

Previous clients: Jasper Fforde, Evan Davis, Charles Cumming, Kevin Fong

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Danielle Egan-Miller

πŸ’Ό Agency: Browne & Miller Literary Associates

🌍 Location: Chicago, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Self-Help, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Romance

Previous clients: Elizabeth Blackwell, Kylie Brant, Jo Furniss, Iain Lawrence, Kimberly Brock

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Rob McQuilkin

πŸ’Ό Agency: Massie McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

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

Previous clients: Kim Addonizio, Douglas A. Martin

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace

Lizzy Kremer

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, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Women's Fiction, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Feminism, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Paula Hawkins, Lucy Dillon, Annie Bell, Laura Kemp, Sadie Matthews

Open to queries

Query Tracker

Joanna Volpe

πŸ’Ό Agency: New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, Feminism, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Susan Dennard, Holly Black, Daniel Nayeri, Leigh Bardugo, Anna Jarzab

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Cassandra Rodgers

πŸ’Ό Agency: 5 Otter Literary

🌍 Location: Toronto, CA

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Business Book, Memoir, Politics, Sports

Previous clients: Dayle Furlong, Gabriele Wills, James R. Wallen, Kath Jonathan

Query Tracker

Laura Rennert

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: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, Mystery, Romance, Children's Book, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction

Previous clients: Maggie Stiefvater, Jay Asher, Ellen Hopkins, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Barry Eisler

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL | Agent Query

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

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

Recommended books

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