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Tuesday, September 20, 2016

11 Literary Agents Seeking Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

Updated 4/18/23

These 11 agents are seeking YA fantasy right now. All are from established literary agencies with solid track records. As always, make sure to read the agency website before submitting your query to see if your book would be a good fit.

Note: You can find a list of dozens of new and established agents seeking clients here: Agents Seeking Clients

IMPORTANT: You should NEVER query an agent without checking the agency website first. Submission requirements change, and agents may close their lists, or switch agencies. Query only one agent at the same agency at a time.

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Ms. Maddy Belton
of The Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency (UK)

After graduating from St Andrews University with a degree in English Literature and Art History, Maddy followed her love of literature to an internship at non-fiction literary agency Graham Maw Christie. At GMC, Maddy worked her way up to Agent and built a list of authors who wrote for both for adults and children, spanning history, tarot, and nature writing.


What she is seeking: SFF across all genres for all ages, including: grim dark, thriller, historical, romance, cozy fantasy, sci-fi, epic, YA fantasy, dark academia, contemporary fantasy, fantasy middle-grade, mythology, fairy tale and queer fantasy. Inspiring children’s non-fiction.

How to submit: Read the agency guidelines HERE.

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Rebecca Strauss (DeFiore and Company)

Before joining DeFiore and Co., Rebecca was at McIntosh and Otis for seven years where she was an agent and Director of Subsidiary Rights.  Prior to M&O, she was a foreign rights associate at Trident Media Group, and a book scout and development assistant at Sony Pictures. She’s originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and earned her degree in English Literature from Duke University.

What she is seeking: Fantasy and sci-fi.

How to Submit: Please email her at Rebecca [@] defliterary.com with a brief query letter containing information on your book, your bio and the first five pages in the body of the email. Please include the word “Query” and your book title in the subject line.

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Katelyn Detweiler
(Jill Grinberg Literary Management)

Katelyn Detweiler attended Pennsylvania State University as a Schreyer Honors College scholar, receiving a B.A. in English, emphasis in Creative Writing, and a minor in Women’s Studies, interning at the Penn State Press during her time there. Post college she moved to New York City for the Columbia Publishing Course, and from there worked in the marketing department of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. She joined Jill Grinberg Literary Management in 2010, and represents a client list that spans all age groups and categories, with an emphasis on fresh perspectives and strong voices. Katelyn is also a published YA author. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and children, and when she’s not writing, reading, and revising books, she enjoys venturing into the world outside, exploring green spaces and sampling new foods.

What she is seeking: For YA, Katelyn is drawn to magical realism, fantasy, speculative, historical, and light sci-fi, as long as the characters feel relatable and grounded in the teen experience. 

How to submit: Follow the agency guidelines HERE.

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Eric Smith (PS Literary)

Eric Smith is a literary agent at P.S. Literary, with a love for young adult books, sci-fi, fantasy, and non-fiction. He began his publishing career at Quirk Books in Philadelphia, working social media and marketing on numerous books he absolutely adored. Eric completed his BA in English at Kean University, and his MA in English at Arcadia University. A frequent blogger, his ramblings about books appear on Book Riot, Paste Magazine, Barnes & Noble’s blog, and more. As an author, he’s been published by Bloomsbury, Quirk, and Flux.

How to Submit: Queries should be directed to query@psliterary.com.

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Carrie Pestritto (Laura Dail Agency)

Carrie Pestritto worked at Writers House and Prospect Agency before becoming part of the LDLA team. She earned her BA in English, cum laude, from Amherst College in 2009, also spending a year studying abroad at St. Catherine's College, Oxford University. As an agent, she loves the thrill of finding new authors with strong, unique voices and working closely with her clients.  Carrie always strives to help create books that will introduce readers to new worlds and is drawn in by relatable characters, meticulous world-building, and unusual, compelling premises.

What she is seeking: Seeks high concept fantasy only; does not seek sci-fi or other.

How to Submit: Use her query manager HERE.

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Emily Van Beek (Folio Literary)

Representing an author or artist, whether aspiring or established, is an honor and a commitment I take very seriously. I am passionate about children’s and young adult books. I am passionate about negotiating the best deal possible. I am passionate about working together with our experienced and esteemed subsidiary rights and contracts teams to squeeze as much juice out of a single property as it will yield. I find it incredibly rewarding to work with new voices (and I’m thrilled to say that I’ve discovered several irresistible projects by debut authors and artists in the submissions pile). I’m also committed to helping established authors and artists continue to grow their careers. I am an “editorial” agent, in that I’ll work through as many drafts over the course of as many years as it takes to polish a manuscript I believe in to a high shine prior to submission. My goal is to build long-term relationships with authors and artists and to help them publish books that will stand the test of time.

How to Submit: Please send along your query letter and first ten pages of your manuscript in the body of the email to emily[@] foliolitmanagement.com.

Put the word QUERY in the subject line. If you haven’t heard from Emily in six weeks, then she is not the agent for your project.

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Christa Heschke (McIntosh & Otis)

Christa Heschke graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She started in publishing as an intern at both Writers House and Sterling Lord Literistic, where she fell in love with the agency side of publishing. Christa has been at McIntosh and Otis, Inc. in the Children's Literature Department since 2009.

What she is seeking: “For fantasy, I’d like to see unique takes or twists that make them stand out from what’s already on the shelf. I’m a sucker for folklore, especially non-western. I love re-tellings of all types — folktales, classic stories, etc., but again they have to be standout. I’m not looking for something that’s been done many times before. No urban fantasy please.”

How to Submit: Use her query manager HERE.

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Ginger Clark (Ginger Clark Literary)

Before starting her own agency, Ginger Clark was a literary agent with Curtis Brown LTD (New York). On the adult side of her list she represents science fiction, fantasy and horror. On the children’s side she represents middle grade and young adult fiction and non-fiction. In addition to representing her own clients, she also handles British Commonwealth rights for the agency’s children’s list. She attends the Bologna Book Fair every year on behalf of her agency, and visits London annually as well. Previously, she worked at Writers House for six years as an assistant literary agent. Her first job in publishing was as an editorial assistant at Tor Books. She is the Chair of the Contracts Committee of the Association of Authors’ Representatives, and a member of its International Committee. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and lives in Brooklyn with her husband.

How to Submit: Send a query letter and your contact information to submissions (at) GingerClarkLiterary (dot) com. Ginger will respond within two weeks, but only if interested in reviewing materials.

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Peter Knapp (Park & Fine Literary)

Peter is a literary agent at Park & Fine Literary & Media. Fueled by the thrill of reading a new story for the first time, he works creatively with clients and on marketing, branding initiatives and promotions to get great books into the hands of readers. Before joining  Park & Fine, he was a story editor at a book-scouting agency working with film clients, and he continues to look for new ways to partner with Hollywood on adaptations and multimedia properties.

How to Submit: Follow the instructions HERE.

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Becky LeJeune (Bond Literary Agency)

After working her way through college as a bookseller and earning a BS in Criminal Justice (with minors in English and Anthropology), Becky was accepted into the Denver Publishing Institute, one of a handful of graduate-level programs offering a crash course in publishing. It was there that she met Sandra Bond of Bond Literary Agency. After working for two years as managing editor for a cookbook imprint and another five as a commissioning editor for a local interest and regional history publisher, Becky reconnected with Sandra and has been working with her ever since.

How to Submit: Please use her query manager HERE.

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Andrea Somberg
(Harvey Klinger)
A literary agent for over twenty years, Andrea represents a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, including projects for adult, young adult and middle grade audiences. Her clients’ books have been NYTimes and USA Bestsellers, GMA and Target Book Club Picks, winners of ALA’s Alex Award and the Nebula, nominated for The Edgar Award, The Governor General’s Award, the Lambda Award, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, the Ohioana Award and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, Junior Library Guild Selections, PublishersMarketplace's Buzz Book Selections, and have been named best books of the year by NYPublic Library and Book of the Month Club.
What she is seeking: YA fantasy and science fiction.
How to submit: Follow the agency guidelines HERE.





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