5 Literary Agents Seeking Thrillers

Updated 3/11/23

Here are five literary agents actively seeking thrillers. All of them work with reputable agencies.

Remember: ALWAYS check the agency website before submitting. Agents may switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements may change.

If these agents do not suit your needs, you can find a comprehensive list of new and established agents seeking clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

To find out more about these agents and their agencies check the Absolute Write forums. (Just type the name of the agency or agent into a google search with "absolute write.") The Absolute Write "watercooler" is where writers talk candidly about their experiences with agents and publishers.

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Lynnette Novak of Seymour Agency

Prior to joining The Seymour Agency, Lynnette spent seventeen years freelance editing. She worked with new writers, advanced writers, as well as New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Lynnette earned a bachelor of education degree from the University of Manitoba, where she specialized in English and French. She excelled in Advanced Creative Writing in university and studied writing for children and teens through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She was a Pitch Wars mentor in 2015 and 2016. Both her mentees acquired an agent.

How to contact: Use her submission form here.

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Stacey Donaghy of Donaghy Literary

Stacey began her career with the Corvisiero Literary Agency in New York, where she wore many hats from team manager and trainer, to intern, to agent. Stacey represents NY Times, USA Today, and Amazon Bestselling Authors, as well as Authors who have been nominated or have won awards for various works.

How to contact: Use her submission form here.

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Julie Stevenson of Lippincott Massie McQuilkin

Julie was an agent at Sobel Weber Associates and Waxman Leavell Literary before joining Lippincott Massie McQuilkin. She received her bachelor's degree in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.F.A in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She also worked in the editorial departments of Tin House and Publishers Weekly. She is drawn to fiction with unforgettable characters, an authorial command of voice, and a strong sense of narrative tension. She loves outsiders, weirdos, and innovators. She looks for work that explores the depths of human experience and the many facets of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and regional backgrounds. Julie loves editing and contemplating craft and storytelling with clients. She takes pride in connecting writers with editors and ultimately with readers. She's agented books that have won the Pulitzer Prize, the MWA Edgar Award, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, and the Tim McGinnis Award for Humor.

How to contact: Please query Julie directly at julie@lmqlit.com. Please note that Julie only responds to queries in which she is interested. If you haven't heard from her in 2-4 weeks, your project is not a good fit for her. You may include 5-10 pages of your manuscript in the body of your email.

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Alec Shane of Writers House

Writers House is a large agency which has represented hundreds of authors as well as licensing, and selling film/TV, foreign, audio, dramatic and serial rights. Alec is an Assistant Agent to Jodi Reamer. He is now in the process of actively building his own list.

How to contact: Send the first 10 pages of your manuscript, along with your query letter, to ashane@writershouse.com with “Query for Alec Shane: [TITLE]” as your subject heading – no attachments.

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Adrienne Rosado of Stonesong

CLOSED TO QUERIES

Adrienne has spent her entire career on the agency side of publishing and has an extensive background in subsidiary rights, which makes for a strong eye for projects that will make a splash in the international marketplace. Prior to joining Stonesong she was an agent with Leibo Management and Nancy Yost Literary, where she was literary director and director of subsidiary rights respectively.

How to submit: Send queries to submissions@stonesong.com. Include the word “query” in the subject line of your email to ensure it isn’t filtered as spam. Include the first chapter or first 10 pages of your work, pasted into the body of your email. Please do not send attachments.