2 New Literary Agents Seeking Commercial Fiction, Thrillers, Memoirs, YA, Essay Collections and more

Updated 10/21/23

Here are two new literary agents seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are building their lists and will go the extra mile for their clients.

Sian Ellis-Martin is looking for contemporary book club and commercial fiction from a wide range of authors and experiences. Hannah Lehmkuhl is most drawn to upmarket fiction, but she’ll read anything she can get her hands on.

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

NOTE: Don't submit to two agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another.

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

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Ms. Sian Ellis-Martin of Blake Friedmann Literary (UK)

I have the pleasure of assisting agents Isobel Dixon and Kate Burke with their wonderful authors, and alongside this I am starting to build my own list of books across both fiction and non-fiction.  I enjoy reading books with a broad range of themes, such as mental health, sexuality, coming-of-age, race, class and gender. I’m particularly keen to read books by authors from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, especially LGBTQIA+ authors, or stories with LGBTQIA+ characters and themes.  

What she is seeking: In fiction, I’m looking for contemporary book club and commercial fiction from a wide range of authors and experiences and I’m drawn to complicated and flawed protagonists who you can’t help but root for. I’m not afraid of, and often search for, expressions of darker themes and feelings, but I’m also a sucker for a good love story. I’d also like to find an upmarket crime series with a female at the forefront. ’d like to read a sweeping family saga in the style of ‘This is Us’, a heart-warming and heart-breaking story like ‘It’s a Sin’, and a punky portrayal of female fearlessness and friendship à la ‘We Are Lady Parts’.

In non-fiction, I’m open to reading anything exploring the themes and ideas above especially from perspectives we may not have heard from before or accessible ways to learn about complicated or niche topics. I’m also keen to find cookery and food books and am open to lots of ideas there. 

How to submit: Please read their submission instructions HERE.

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Hannah Lehmkuhl of InkWell Management 

A Columbus native and forever Buckeye, Hannah Lehmkuhl graduated in 2020 from The Ohio State University with an English major and a Business minor. She joined InkWell in September as a member of the foreign rights team. Prior to InkWell, Hannah interned with Writers House, Folio, and Liza Dawson Associates. 

What she is seeking: Hannah is most drawn to upmarket fiction, but she’ll read anything she can get her hands on.

How to submit: Send your query to submissions [at] inkwellmanagement [dot] com. You may specify the name of the agent to whom you are submitting in the subject line of your query or address your query to the agency at large. In the body of your email, please include a query letter and a short writing sample (1-2 chapters). Emails with large attachments will be discarded.