Here are ten new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.
All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.
Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.
NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")
You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.
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Karolina joined WME in 2024 after having gathered over eight years of commissioning experience at publishing houses both in the UK and abroad, with training in intellectual property law. She is based out of London and works closely with the American office to find the best home for agency’s talent.
What she is seeking: Her areas of focus are psychology, health and wellness, self-development, smart thinking, business, as well as narrative nonfiction including memoir.
In nonfiction, she’s on the lookout for dedicated experts and authentic voices who offer a novel lens through which the reader can look at the surrounding reality, whether inspiring or discerning. She’s particularly interested in authors whose works could stand alongside THE CREATIVE ACT by Rick Rubin, PRINCIPLES by Ray Dalio, STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER by Fern Brady, ULTRA-PROCESSED PEOPLE by Chris van Tulleken, BARBARIAN DAYS by William Finnegan, THE LOST PIANOS OF SIBERIA by Sophy Roberts.
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I joined the agency in 2024 after stints in scouting, editorial and audio. I’ve got an academic background and managed the reviews side of Grimdark Magazine before becoming an agent. I will be actively building my list in 2025 once I open to queries in January 2025.
What she is seeking: Crime, Gothic, Horror, LGBTQ, Magical Realism, Mystery, New Adult, Psychological Thriller, Romance, Romcom, Science Fiction, Speculative, Speculative Literary, Thriller, Upmarket Speculative, Young Adult. In fiction I’m looking at adult and YA stories. I am not currently looking for children’s books, and prefer YA on the older side. My heart is in fantasy and horror especially, though I am happy to read most genres (preferably with a bit of the supernatural). Atmosphere and a strong voice are two of the most important elements for me. My favourite stories are commercial and accessible but have something to say. I am keen on stories that centre diverse characters, be that queer, neurodivergent, disabled or BIPOC – and I’d love to hear from writers who are writing in English as a second language. I’m probably not the right agent for very spicy books.
In non-fiction, I’m mainly interested in serious trade books situating themselves in the history/archaeology/sociology area. I want to learn something new about things I’d never even considered looking into. For me, these need to be accessible to a wide audience but solidly researched. I’m probably not the right agent for books that are humour-driven.
How to submit: She requests you submit a short synopsis and the first three chapters / first 50 pages as a Word document or PDF attachment along with your query letter. She is keen to get a sense of who you are from your query and happy to accept alternative formats for accessibility reasons. Fabienne accepts submissions via email. Send materials to: fabienne@ki-agency.co.uk
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Julia Kim of
The Rights Factory (CANADA)
After wasting many years studying literature in graduate school, she worked as a freelance editor and an Assistant Editor at Dundurn Press before joining The Rights Factory in 2024.
What she is seeking: Julia is looking for literary fiction and select genre fiction (mystery, crime, horror, historical). She is also seeking a range of nonfiction topics including history, politics, current affairs, women's issues, biography and memoir, food and lifestyle, art and culture, film and TV, pop culture.
She is keen to support BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and historically underrepresented writers. As a second-generation Korean Canadian based in Toronto, she has a particular interest in diverse stories from diasporic communities in North America and beyond.
How to submit: Use her querytracker HERE.
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Ms. Kodie Van Dusen of
The Rights Factory (CANADA)
Kodie Van Dusen is a published author. She is a sucker for well-structured stories that contain hints of the whimsical, the horrific, and the absurd, favoring authors like Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, and George Orwell who have something reflective and important to say about the nature of humanity.
What she is seeking: Fiction —Absurdist, Horror, Science Fiction, Speculative, Commercial, Upmarket, Magical Realism | Non-Fiction — narrative journalism, philosophy, psychology, parenting, women’s issues, true crime, memoir, cultural criticism, politics.
In adult fiction she will consider: absurdism, upmarket horror (strong literary themes with accessible commercial hook and structure), science-fiction (think more Douglas Adams and Ted Chiang, less Frank Herbert). However, more important than genre is that authors understand what they’re trying to say with their stories and make a strong philosophical point, demonstrating a fundamental understanding of story structure.
For nonfiction she is actively acquiring: narrative journalism (in the style of Johann Hari and Neil Strauss), philosophy, psychology, parenting, women's issues, true crime, select memoirs, cultural and corporate criticism, and politics.
How to submit: Use her querytracker HERE.
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Ms. Sara Shandler of
The Book GroupSara Shandler joined The Book Group in 2025 after twenty-six years in publishing, most recently as the Editor-in-Chief of Alloy Entertainment, where she collaborated with authors from the inception of their stories through publication. Sara’s introduction to publishing began around the dinner table with her can-do-anything hippie parents who encouraged her to write the bestselling book Ophelia Speaks, which gave voice to the experience of teenage girls and was published when she was just eighteen-years-old. This early success inspired Sara’s lifelong passion for connecting the dots between a blue sky idea and a best seller.
Sara is proud to have worked on many New York Times best sellers, Book Club selections, and award winning novels, including two National Book Award finalists, a Printz Honor, Walter Dean Myers Award Honors, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Carnegie Medal, the William C. Morris Award, the Stonewall Award for Teens, the Lambda Literary Award and the Coretta Scott King-Steptoe Award for New Talent. Many of the novels Sara developed and edited have been successfully adapted to TV and film. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, three children and dog, and spends summers in Fire Island.
What she is seeking: Sara is interested in working with authors across a range of genres, especially upmarket and book club fiction, plot-driven and emotionally resonant YA and middle grade, narrative non-fiction, topical personal development, social psychology and parenting non-fiction and author-illustrators telling stories in unconventional ways. She is compelled by narratives that connect with readers and contribute to cultural conversations.
How to submit: Follow the submission guidelines HERE.
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Ms. Laura Bennett of
The Liverpool Literary Agency (UK)
Laura developed a love of writing early, attending her first Creative Writing course at college. She then decided to study Writing at Liverpool John Moores University, obtaining a BA before pursuing a career in teaching. She began work at a college for young adults with special needs, and then moved to a vocational college while studying for a post-compulsory PGCE. Laura taught English for a few years, and also ran several Creative Writing courses before returning to LJMU to obtain an MA in Writing. She then worked as a teaching assistant at a local secondary school, before leaving that job to pursue a career in editing.
What she is seeking: Young Adult and Adult Fantasy (including Urban), SF, Dystopian, Steampunk, Post-Apocalyptic genres.
How to submit: Please follow the agency guidelines HERE. Note: Laura accepts submissions from anywhere in the UK and Ireland.
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Cody is a coordinator in the International Rights department, working with publishers around the world to help WME books reach new audiences in translation. He’s worked with WME clients including Terry Hayes, Tom Clancy, Julia Fox, Emma Straub, Nnedi Okorafor, Jean Kwok, Kim Ghattas, and Mary Roach.
What he is seeking: Cody is actively looking for authors and projects originating outside the English language. He is interested in fiction writers who marry literary prose and a singular voice with a plot-driven, suspenseful structure, like Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Virginia Feito, Javier Cercas, Anna Burns, or Asako Yuzuki. For nonfiction, he is interested in writing that explores timely issues from a relevant and unique vantage point. Cody reads both Spanish and English.
How to submit: For fiction projects, please send Cody your query letter and bio, along with the first three chapters of your manuscript. For nonfiction, please send only the query and your bio. For works originating in languages other than Spanish or English, please include a translation sample of at least 10 pages and a synopsis in English. See
submission details here.
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A.J. Van Belle (they/them) is a junior agent at the Booker Albert Literary Agency. They are also a writer of fiction and nonfiction for adults and children, an editor, and a biologist. They have a BA in art with a minor in English from Columbia College, an MA in anthropology and an MS in biology from California State University, and a PhD in biology from Boston University.
What they are seeking: A.J. is actively building a diverse list and welcomes queries from marginalized writers. In YA and adult fiction, they’re seeking horror, thriller, and SFF with dark and atmospheric elements. They’re also open to select MG across all genres. In all categories, they’re drawn to books that merge literary sensibilities with compelling plotlines. Some of their favorite authors include Paolo Bacigalupi, Nnedi Okorafor, Jordanna Max Brodsky, Yangsze Choo, Natasha Pulley, T. Kingfisher, and Jenna Satterthwaite.
In nonfiction, they’re seeking fresh ideas in science, popular science, self-help, and health/wellness from authors with established platforms. As a scientist who has published NSF-funded research in ecology, they welcome queries from authors whose expertise links with evolution, ecology, statistics, microbiology, and biogeoscience.
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Danielle Marshall of
Jane Rotrosen Agency
Danielle Marshall joined JRA in 2025 after more than 30 years working in publishing and bookselling, with varied experiences across the book business including Editorial Director for Lake Union Publishing, marketing and publicity roles at Workman and Simon & Schuster, as well as frontlist book buyer for the largest independent bookstore on the west coast. An avid reader and editor, she is known as a strong advocate for her authors and for building bestselling brands.
What she is seeking: Danielle is looking for fresh voices in women's fiction, literary fiction, book club fiction, contemporary romance, historical fiction, mystery and suspense, as well as memoir and selected self-help nonfiction.
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Rhian was inspired to write her first novel at 12 years old after winning her primary school’s Eisteddfod, and she’s not stopped writing since. After moving from her Welsh hometown to London and realising that a career in management consultancy was a fate worse than death, she left the industry to pursue her love of reading and writing. She’s since obtained a Publishing MA from UCL and currently works as a literary agency assistant.
What she is seeking: I’m seeking commercial fiction with a primary focus on romance, including romcoms, romantasy, paranormal romance, and dystopian romance. I am also open to some horror, but specifically horroromance that’s more of the gothic ilk than anything super gory.
I’m most interested in the new adult space, and I’m particularly keen to receive LGBTQ+ submissions across all genres. In the contemporary romance space I’m exclusively interested in romcoms, and I love anything with lots of banter and tropes – bonus points if a book has a speculative edge (think Ashley Poston) and male love interests who reject ideas of toxic masculinity.
I especially love anything in the fantasy, paranormal, and dystopian space that has a humourous edge to its tone akin to the Emily Wilde series. Although I’m open to epic fantasy, my taste typically veers towards more grounded fantasy (Godkiller by Hannah Kaner is probably my limit)! For these speculative genres, the romance doesn’t necessarily have to be central to the story – I love a brilliant fantasy plot with a side of romance. In horroramance, an atmospheric and immersive setting is key and I’m particularly interested in dark academia, both in the literal sense and aesthetically.
Spice at all levels is welcome, but no erotica.
I’m open to some YA fiction, but specifically fantasy, paranormal, or dystopian (i.e. no YA without fantasy elements). I’m generally closed to non-fiction, but am happy to receive submissions that explore the LGBTQ+ and/or neurodivergence experience. I am always looking for books from marginalised authors.
How to submit: You can submit to her at: rhiansubmissions@theblairpartnership.com
