3 Agents Actively Seeking Literary and Commercial Fiction, Nonfiction, Kidlit

Updated 6/21/23

These three agents are actively seeking writers. Jennifer Chen Tran (Folio Literary Management) is interested in representing literary and commercial fiction. In nonfiction, she loves books that broaden her world view or shed new light on “big ideas.”  Amanda Annis (Trident Media Group) is looking for literary fiction and nonfiction. Wendi Gu (Sanford J. Greenburger Associates) wants illustrators, children's literature, and adult literary fiction and nonfiction that speaks to cultural identity negotiation, displacement, and race relations.

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.

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Wendi Gu of HG Literary

Wendi grew up in the sleepy suburbs of Chicago and studied Creative Writing at Northwestern University. As an undergraduate, she interned with children’s book agent Brenda Bowen at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, and continued working there as a literary assistant after graduation. She soon began representing her own picture books, middle-grade, and young adult titles with a special interest in girl power, family relationships, and the immigrant experience. She likes stories that root for the underdog. Her favorite books have voices that range from warm and lyrical, to witty and deadpan. She is lucky enough to work with authors of new and forthcoming titles like Sterling, Best Dog Ever by Aidan Cassie (FSG Books for Young Readers, Spring 2018) and Paper Son: The Story of Tyrus Wong by Julie Leung and illustrated by Chris Sasaki (Schwartz & Wade, Fall 2019).

What she is seeking: Wendi represents everything in the young reader space, from preschool to young adult, with some select adult fiction and nonfiction. She is looking for picture books that straddle humor and heart, lyrical middle grade, and daring, sharp YA. She loves a visually striking board book, as well as graphic novels that share lesser-known pieces of history and those quieter slices of life. She especially adores stories of all genres if they are from around the world, multigenerational diaspora experiences, and books that teachers, librarians, and parents might find as helpful tools for challenging subjects. 

How to Query: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Jennifer Chen Tran of Glass Literary Management

Currently closed to queries

With over a decade of experience in publishing, Jennifer is passionate about nurturing and championing authors and their creative lives. She represents a wide range of talent, including journalists, physicians, entrepreneurs, thought-leaders, chefs, and graphic novelists, among others.

Jennifer was a literary agent at several west-coast literary agencies and served as Of Counsel at The New Press. She obtained her Juris Doctor from Northeastern School of Law in Boston, MA, and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. She is an attorney in good standing in New York and California

Jennifer is an editorial agent who believes in the art of collaboration and works closely with her authors from concept, to proposal, to publication, and beyond. As a person of color and daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Jennifer is committed to amplifying voices from underrepresented and marginalized communities. Her ultimate goal is to work in concert with authors to shape books that will have a lasting positive social impact on the world – books that illuminate, entertain, and inspire.

What she is seeking: For non-fiction: narrative or memoir (with a platform) that sheds light on an unseen corner in society or history. Prescriptive non-fiction with practical takeaways, cookbooks with a unique angle or narratives centered on culinary life (see David Chang’s Eat a Peach), lifestyle titles (see Kate Oliver’s The Modern Caravan), humorous or visually-driven projects, and business books that read like memoir. Big idea books that shift how we perceive or navigate the world. 

For fiction: middle-grade and Young Adult with heart and humor or visually-driven elements (see Remy Lai’s Pie in the Sky), contemporary fiction that braids together issues of social significance and identity (see Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek).

Jennifer is NOT looking for:

Science-fiction, fantasy; romance; screenplays.

How to Submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Amanda Annis of Trident Media Group

For Amanda Annis, her love of books has always been at the center of her career. She has worked as a writer with a B.F.A. in poetry, a bookseller, and as an editor at several publishers including Penguin Random House, Cambridge University Press, and Love Among the Ruins. Amanda now brings that same passion to Trident as a literary agent. Here, she is able to guide her authors through every step, from the editorial board to the bookstore.

What she is seeking: Fiction: Literary fiction. Nonfiction: Self-help, Biography, Food & Wine, Health & Fitness.  “I love narratives that take me into a world I would not know otherwise, especially those that are beautifully told.”

How to submit: Amanda is accepting submissions via the online form here. Follow Amanda on Twitter @diaryofaneditor.