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The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions

Showing 637 agents that match your search.

Matthew Bialer

πŸ’Ό Agency: Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Sports, Literary Fiction, Politics

Previous clients: Patrick Rothfuss, Tad Williams, Tracy Hickman, Margaret Weis, Dale Bailey, Kathleen O'Neal Gear

Open to queries

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | Agent Query

Stephen Barbara

πŸ’Ό Agency: InkWell Management

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Sports, Commercial Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Middle Grade, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Lauren Oliver, Paul Tremblay, Laura Amy Schlitz, Lisa Graff

Open to queries

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Carrie Pestritto

πŸ’Ό Agency: Laura Dail Literary Agency

🌍 Location: New York City, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Middle Grade, LGBTQ, Chick Lit, Fantasy, Narrative Nonfiction, Business Book, Crime Fiction, Feminism, Historical Fiction, Horror, New Adult, Self-Help

Previous clients: Kalyn Josephson, Jon Birger, Lily Chu, Graci Kim, Claire Kann

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

Robin Rue

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, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Previous clients: JoAnn Ros, S.L. Viehl, Kresley Cole, Dianne Emley

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Thao Le

πŸ’Ό Agency: Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

🌍 Location: San Diego, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through QueryManager

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Book, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Diverse Fiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ

Previous clients: Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Emily Duncan, Ali Hazelwood, Thea Guanzon, Sandhya Menon, Evelyn Skye, Jessie Sima, Jessica Kim

Query Tracker | Publishers Marketplace | MSWL

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

Emily Forland

πŸ’Ό Agency: Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: email

Genres: Fiction, Graphic Novel, Humor, Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction

Previous clients: Heidi Durrow, Alice Fulton, Bill Hayes, James Magnuson, Greil Marcus, Dominic Smith

Open to queries

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Pete Knapp

πŸ’Ό Agency: Park & Fine Literary and Media

🌍 Location: New York, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Children's Book, Middle Grade

Previous clients: Daniel Aleman, Julia Drake, Adalyn Grace, Ayana Gray, Sara Holland, Lucy Keating

Open to queries

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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

Query Tracker | MSWL

Howard Yoon

πŸ’Ό Agency: Ross Yoon Literary Agency

🌍 Location: Washington DC, US

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

πŸ“£ Preferred contact method: Submit queries through email

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics

Previous clients: Neal Katyal, David Greene, Elise Wu, Julianna Haubner

Open to queries

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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 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

πŸ’‘ Shortlist agents to save them.