3 Agents Seeking Literary and Commercial Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Memoir, Translations and more

Updated 9/4/21

Here are three literary agents actively seeking new clients. Ria Julien's interests include literature in translation, diaspora fiction, and nonfiction works of conscience on a wide range of topics including law, history, economics, women & gender, environmental and cultural studies. Iwalani Kim is seeking adult upmarket and literary fiction and select narrative nonfiction. Nicole Cunningham is looking to acquire literary and upmarket women’s fiction, historical fiction, and novels with a magical or speculative bent. In nonfiction, Nicole wants to read voice-driven essay collections, fresh and surprising memoir, and well-researched, entertaining nonfiction that explores topics like reproductive health, motherhood, feminism, family, and the natural world.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Ms. Nicole Cunningham of Trellis Literary Management

Nicole Cunningham joined Trellis Literary Management in 2025, after nine years with The Book Group. Born and raised in upstate NY, Nicole moved to New York City to study English and American Literature and Gender and Sexuality Studies at NYU. After ten years, she returned to the Finger Lakes to renovate an old house with her husband, dog, and son. When she’s not reading, Nicole can be found social dancing around the northeast or messing about in her garden.  

What she is seeking: Nicole is seeking literary, upmarket, and book club fiction. Across genres, she falls in love at the level of the line first, and wants to be dazzled by the quality, control, and creativity of the language itself. She’s drawn to fiction that’s immersive, smart, and voice-driven, and better yet if it combines a propulsive plot with deep dive character work. She loves upmarket novels with a magical or speculative bent (including some very grounded fantasy), thrillers with a strong sense of place, book club with a beating heart and a razor-sharp bite, and literary or upmarket fiction with a romance at its center. She’d love to find more fiction at the sweet spot of literary sensibility with a high concept hook. 

In nonfiction, Nicole wants to read fresh and finely tuned essay collections, cultural criticism, and well-researched, entertaining narrative nonfiction that has the bingeable quality of her favorite podcasts. 

How to submit: Use her submission form HERE.

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Ms. Ria Julien of Frances Goldin Literary Agency

NO LONGER LISTED ON THE WEBSITE

Ria Julien is an attorney who has worked in publishing since 1999. She joined the agency in 2013 after being called to the Bar in New York. She represents authors whose works offer a critique of power and social injustice. Her clients include biographer Colin Asher, award-winning novelist Álvaro Enrigue, reporter Alexa O’Brien, muckraking journalist Greg Palast, and radical economist Richard Wolff. Having previously worked as an editor and foreign rights agent, she enjoys developing book projects, and finding an international readership for her authors.

What she is seeking: Ria's interests include literature in translation, diaspora fiction, and nonfiction works of conscience on a wide range of topics including law, history, economics, women & gender, environmental and cultural studies. 

How to submit: Please follow their guidelines HERE.

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Ms. Iwalani Kim of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

Iwalani joined Sanford J. Greenburger Associates in 2018 after interning at Ayesha Pande Literary, Don Congdon Associates, and Kweli Journal. She was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i and graduated from Vassar College with degrees in Political Science and German Studies. As the senior assistant and foreign rights liaison to agency president Heide Lange, Iwalani has the pleasure of working with Heide’s extraordinary clients such as Dan Brown and Brad Thor. She continues in that role as she builds her own list, further honing her negotiation and editorial skills under Heide’s mentorship.

What she is seeking: Iwalani is seeking adult upmarket and literary fiction and select narrative nonfiction. In fiction, she loves coming-of-age narratives, family dramas, and stories that challenge systems of power. She gravitates toward lush prose, wry humor, irreverent characters, and a sense of yearning. In nonfiction, she is looking for literary memoir and cultural criticism. She is particularly drawn to food writing, deep dives into subcultures, and writing that complicates the idea of ‘paradise’ or explores progressive movements such as prison industrial complex (PIC) abolition. Some of her favorite authors include Jesmyn Ward, T Kira Madden, Raven Leilani, Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, and Ling Ma, and she would love to consider any manuscripts in a similar vein. She is passionate about championing the work of underrepresented authors and would especially love to work with Pacific Islander writers.

How to submit: Query Iwalani at ikim@sjga.com. Please put “Query: [your book’s title] by [your name]” in the subject line. Include a brief pitch letter and the first few chapters in the body of your email, and if Iwalani thinks your project might be a good fit for her list, she will be in touch within 4-6 weeks. Due to the volume of queries she receives, Iwalani is unable to personally respond to each submission.