2 Literary Agents Looking for Mystery, Romance, Women's Fiction, YA, MG and more

Updated 3/29/21

These agents are actively building client lists. As always, read the entire agency website before submitting. Submission requirements may change! Check to see what other writers have said about the agency on Absolute Write, and do a google search on the both the agency and the agent. It's always enlightening to see what pops up.

Michelle Richter is primarily seeking fiction, especially book club reads, women’s fiction, contemporary romance, literary fiction, and mystery/suspense/thrillers. Rebecca Podos is interested exclusively in Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction; particularly books about complex female relationships.

If these agents don't suit your needs, you can find a list of dozens of new and established agents seeking clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Michelle Richter of Fuse Literary Agency

About Michelle: Michelle Richter was formerly an editor at St. Martin’s Press. Michelle has a degree in Economics with a minor in Russian from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and left a career in finance for publishing. She joined St. Martin’s Press’ editorial department in 2006 after obtaining a Masters in Publishing from Pace University. Find her on Twitter at @michrichter1.

What she is seeking: Michelle is primarily seeking fiction, especially book club reads, women’s fiction, contemporary romance, literary fiction, and mystery/suspense/thrillers. Her favorite authors include Ann Patchett, Emma Straub, Laura Lippman, Richard Russo, Tom Perrotta, and Gillian Flynn. For nonfiction, she’s interested in fashion, pop culture, science/medicine, sociology/social trends, and economics.

How to submit: To query Michelle, please use the form HERE.

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Rebecca Podos at Rees Literary Agency

About Rebecca: Rebecca Podos (Rees Literary Agency) is a graduate of the MFA Writing, Literature and Publishing program at Emerson College, whose own fiction has appeared in Glimmer Train, Glyph, CAJE, Bellows American Review, Paper Darts, and SmokeLong Quarterly. She represents YA books by talented clients such as Rin Chupeco, Jen Anckorn, Ryan Bradford, Sarah Nicolas, Jen Estes, Kenny Logan, and more.

What she is looking for: In YA and Adult Fiction, she’s looking for:

• Character-driven fantasy rooted in folklore and culture, featuring diverse characters, myths, and monsters.
• Horror as a vehicle for exploring identity, otherness, and trauma.
• Genre crossovers and subgenres written from fresh perspectives; cozy sci-fi, horror romance, historical fantasy, etc.
• Queer contemporary and historical fiction with gorgeous prose and a strong hook.
• Queer and/or BIPOC romance across categories. Steam (in adult romance) is very welcome but not required!
• Cozy mysteries for millenials
• SFF with a strong romantic element, or romance with a strong SFF element. Send your sweeping, sexy Kushiel’s Dart-style epics, please!

In Nonfiction (reading selectively) she’s looking for:

• Deep dives into nerdy topics like TTRPG’s, cosplay, fandoms, and related pop culture
• A strong narrative voice paired with expertise, with comps like Radium Girls, The Victorian and the Romantic, Why Fish Don’t Exist
• Kid lit centering queer history
• Explorations of sustainability through an intersectional lens, food justice, urban gardening, and our relationship to the land 

She is not currently looking for: 

• Picture books, chapter books, or MG books
• Self-help or business nonfiction
• Dark romance (heavier themes and discussions are absolutely fine, I just prefer my ships on the fluffy side)
• Mysteries and thrillers with police protagonists or love interests

How to submit: Use her submission form HERE.