9 New Agents Seeking Cookbooks, Kidlit, Nonfiction, YA, Literary and Genre Fiction, Memoir and more

Updated 11/25/23

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

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for everything from cookbooks to thrillers. 

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 several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

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

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Ms. Danielle Matta of Robin Straus Agency, Inc 

Danielle Matta is a Junior Agent at the Robin Straus Agency. She graduated from NYU with a BA in English, specializing in Creative Writing and Post-Colonial Literature, and joined RSA in May of 2020 after her internships at McIntosh & Otis and Writers House. Although Danielle has lived in NYC since 2015, she grew up in Virginia, and therefore has a life-long love for farmers markets, cornbread, and green spaces.

What she is seeking: She gravitates towards inclusive fiction and non-fiction with distinct, lyrical storytelling and—being first-generation herself—underrepresented voices of diasporic and immigrant communities. She also loves an unorthodox ghost story or psychological thriller. 

How to submit: Please follow the agency guidelines here. 

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Ms. Erika Stevens of Salky Literary Management 

CURRENTLY CLOSED TO QUERIES

Erika Stevens (she/hers) has acquired, edited, and developed the work of a wide range of authors over the course of two decades in publishing. She recently wrapped up twelve years with indie Coffee House Press, finishing her time there as editorial director. She began her career at academic presses, including Duke, UNC, and UGA Presses. Authors whose work she has shepherded include Eloisa Amezcua, Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, Kyle Dargan, Latasha N. Nevada Diggs, Saeed Jones, Eugene Lim, Dawn Lundy Martin, Bao Phi, Justin Phillip Reed, Natasha Trethewey, Anne Waldman, Karen Tei Yamashita, and many others. Her authors have been awarded or named finalists for the National Book Award, the Hurston Wright Award, the Kingsley and Kate Tufts Award, the PEN/Osterweil Award, the Whiting Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the Kate Tufts Award, the NBCC Award, the Lambda Awards, and others.

What she is seeking: She has an affinity for work that argues, experiments with language, and/or pushes genre boundaries, and she is looking for projects that excite, invigorate, and surprise in the genres of poetry, literary nonfiction/essay, literary and experimental fiction, hybrid work, translation, criticism, music writing (à la Ellen Willis), and food writing/cookbooks (à la Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor and MFK Fisher). In the realm of children’s literature, she’s looking for picture books and books for early readers that speak to children with gender-expansive identities and families.

How to submit: Use her query manager HERE.  

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Ms. Elise Howard of DeFiore and Company 

Prior to joining DeFiore & Company, Elise Howard was the founding publisher of Algonquin Young Readers, an imprint of Workman Publishing, which she led from 2011 to 2022. Elise was previously SVP and associate publisher at HarperCollins Children's Books, where she oversaw the publication of many award-winning and bestselling books. Some of the authors she has worked with include Masuma Ahuja, Avi, Tracey Baptiste, Kelly Barnhill, Sara Farizan, Neil Gaiman, Kelly Jensen, and Nova Ren Suma. Books she has edited have won the Newbery Medal twice, the Edgar Allen Poe Award for best juvenile novel twice, and many other awards and honors. She began her career as a book packager, conceiving, selling to publishers, and developing juvenile and adult fiction and non-fiction projects.

What she is seeking: Elise is generally not looking for genre fiction, but she may take on a book with a great love story at its heart or one with elements of fantasy. She is looking for a twisty, well-done mystery, especially if it features a great new sleuth with many stories to tell. She’s also eager to represent eye-opening narrative non-fiction, particularly stories of the natural world, visible or invisible, including the human mind and body, or of people and events previously unknown or overlooked.

How to submit: Please email queryelise@defliterary.com with the title of your work and its category (e.g., adult n.f., middle-grade fiction) in the subject line. Please include in the body of your email:

• A brief, compelling description introducing your book.

• A paragraph (not more!) about you, relevant to your submission.

• For non-fiction, a concise synopsis that compels me to read on and the opening chapter.

• For fiction, the opening chapter.

• For graphic novels, the first chapter or the first twenty-five pages.

• For picture books, the full manuscript.

No attachments, please. Submissions that include them won’t be opened.

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Ms. Christie Megill of The CAT Agency  

Christie Megill joined The CAT Agency in 2022 after interning with Writers House, Triada US, and Cardinal Rule Press. She’s overjoyed to be working with artists and children’s book authors, offering long-term support in their careers and creative journeys. Christie comes from a background in elementary education and before pursuing education, she previously worked as an editorial assistant at an academic press in New York City, as a volunteer at the Housing Works Bookstore in SoHo, and as a bookseller at the bygone Borders Books and Music in Columbus Circle. She holds a BA in English Literature from Fordham University. Born and raised in Connecticut, she now considers New York City her forever home. 

What she is seeking: Christie Megill: is eager to work with illustrators, author/illustrators, and picture book authors, offering long-term support in their careers and creative journeys. Please send her: children’s illustration portfolios, picture book dummies, picture book manuscripts, children’s graphic novel pitches, and the select chapter book project. While her taste is broad, she’s especially excited to find fresh stories and artwork from voices that have previously been underrepresented.

How to submit: Illustrators: send 4-6 jpegs of samples, a live link to your website and a short letter of introduction. Please send work that shows character development, style, color and narrative story-telling. 

Author/Illustrators: email a brief synopsis of your manuscript, along with several accompanying illustrations or samples of your artwork. If we are interested in reviewing your dummy, we will request that you send it. 

Please submit to SUBMISSIONS@CATAGENCYINC.COM & let us know who you are submitting to in the subject line!

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Ms. Lola Bellier of Creative Artists Agency

NO LONGER LISTED ON AGENCY WEBSITE

A graduate of New York University, Lola is building her list, focusing on upmarket and commercial fiction, speculative fiction, and young adult and middle grade across all genres. She will occasionally consider nonfiction, especially in the pop science and pop culture arenas, as well as select memoirs.

Lola is drawn to narratives that explore larger truths within unique settings. She loves an element of surprise and is fond of stories with a touch of speculative, magical realism, or something that’s just a little off. General themes she gravitates towards are family dynamics, complex friendships, and reflections on one’s place in the world.

For Young Adult and Middle Grade, Lola is drawn to opinionated characters whose journeys force them, and the reader, to rethink what they thought they knew.

How to submit: Use the agency's submission form here.

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Mr. Gideon Pine of InkWell Management

Gideon Pine has a B.A in Political Science from Indiana University. Prior to working in publishing, he worked in commercial production and advertising.

What he is seeking: Gideon is primarily interested representing nonfiction, with a focus on big idea books, unknown histories, and anything sports related. On the fiction side, thrillers and romance novels are always welcome.

How to submit: Queries should be emailed 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).

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Ms. Aliza Hoover of The CAT Agency 

Aliza began her Publishing career at Candlewick Press, where she spearheaded & coordinated illustrator searches and negotiated illustrator contracts. With a degree in Classics and a background in visual art, she is passionate about storytelling and the magical place where words and images collide. She is incredibly grateful to have joined the CAT Agency family, and excited to support artists & creators in bringing stories into the world.

What she is seeking: Aliza represents illustrators and author-illustrators. She is looking for visual storytellers with distinctive, unique portfolios that will stand out in a crowded market. She is drawn to work that showcases expressive characters, timeless palettes, and atmospheric scenes. She will happily review your comics, book cover designs, and picture book dummies.

Aliza believes in a world where all young people can see themselves reflected in children’s books. She is particularly interested in illustrators from diverse backgrounds and portfolios that depict diverse characters and experiences.

How to submit: Illustrators: send 4-6 jpegs of samples, a live link to your website and a short letter of introduction. Please send work that shows character development, style, color and narrative story-telling. 

Author/Illustrators: email a brief synopsis of your manuscript, along with several accompanying illustrations or samples of your artwork. If we are interested in reviewing your dummy, we will request that you send it. 

Please submit to SUBMISSIONS@CATAGENCYINC.COM & let us know who you are submitting to in the subject line!

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Ms. Maria Brannan of Greyhound Literary (UK)

Maria handles translation rights on behalf of Greyhound Literary's clients and is building her own list of authors. She previously spent over five years working as a literary scout at Maria B. Campbell Associates in London, where she advised international publishers in over 12 countries on the adult and children's publishing market, and scouted multiple books for their film/tv client, Netflix.

What she is seeking: Maria has very wide ranging tastes in fiction and is interested in writing for adult, new adult/crossover and YA readers.

She loves character-driven novels with a commercial bent that spark imagination or discussion. In particular she has a passion for genre fiction - especially fantasy with memorable characters and great world-building (Six of Crows, The First Law trilogy, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries); horror with a unique concept or perspective (Into the Drowning Deep, The Only Good Indians); and softer, genre-crossing science fiction (The After Wife, Station Eleven). She is also keen on voice-led and emotive reading group fiction (Boy Swallows Universe, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot); love stories and rom-coms that make you fall for both of leads (Frederica, The Love Hypothesis); unnerving, twisty crime writing (The Whisper Man, She Lies in Wait); thrillers with a great hook (The Last House on Needless Street, The Silent Patient) and anything with a high concept or speculative edge (The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Tell Me an Ending).

Some of her old and new favourite authors include: Olivie Blake, Chloe Gong, Sabaa Tahir, Patrick Ness, Garth Nix, Erin Morganstern, Tamora Pierce, Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Alex North, S J Bolton, Alex Pavesi, Stuart Turton, Trent Dalton, Jo Harkin, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Sara Jafari, Kiley Reid, Bonnie Garmus, Jodi Picoult, Jenny Han, Ali Hazelwood, Beth O'Leary, Georgette Heyer, Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Stephen Graham Jones, and Mira Grant.

How to submit: Read submissions guidelines here. Note: "If you are based in an English-speaking country outside the UK or the Republic of Ireland in which there are well-established literary agencies, we would expect you to have a convincing reason for wanting to be represented by an agency in the UK."

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Ms. Daniele Hunter of McIntosh & Otis, Inc. 

I’m a queer, chronically ill, disabled junior agent at McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency, and my pronouns are she/her. I have a B.A. in English from Drew University, with concentrations in literary criticism, creative writing, and poetry. I’m a member of the AALA and serve on their DEI committee through Literary Agents of Change, too!

What she is seeking: I’m looking for (in order of priority) young adult, middle grade, and picture books.

How to submit: Use her query manager here.