11 New Agents Seeking EVERYTHING - Kidlit, Cooking, Commercial Fiction, SFF, Memoirs, LGBTQ+, Poetry and more

Updated 12/5/23

Here are eleven new literary agents seeking clients. 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 cats to cooking. 

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. Jen Newens of Martin Literary Management

Temporarily closed to queries

In her role as Senior Literary Manager, Jen applies her 360-view of the publishing business to MLM, seeking out fresh, original voices and developing exciting new talent. At different phases of her publishing career, Jen has been an author, editor, and publisher, giving her experience in all sides of the business. She comes to us after a seven-year stint as publishing director at West Margin Press, an Ingram Content Group company. There, she acquired a wide range of different genres, but holds a special place in her heart for young people’s literature. She began to acquire graphic novels in 2019 and sees it as an exciting and burgeoning way to tell children’s stories. 

A subject matter expert in food and drink titles, Jen spent two decades as a cookbook editor and writer (she even went to culinary school!). She’s experienced in working with celebrity chefs, business owners, cooking brands, and food bloggers, as well as accomplished home cooks.

What she is seeking: The following are on Jen’s current wishlist, but she’s always open to hearing new ideas. 

Childrens/MG/YA/Graphic Novels 

•    Books that portray historically excluded voices, disability, neurodivergent characters, LGBTQ topics

•    Regional books with national crossover potential

•    Author/illustrators with strong storytelling skills and a clear vision

•    Children’s activity books

•    Quirky and humorous stories

•    Cat content (she’s crazy for cats)

Food and Drink

•    New ways to spin current trends (vegan air-fryer anyone?)

•    Chefs with personal stories, especially from under-represented groups

•    Food writers and bloggers with a distinctive story to tell

•    Unique regional topics with wide appeal

•    Weeknight cooking

•    Diet-specific and health and wellness titles

•    Mocktails and the NA lifestyle

•    Fresh takes on wine and cocktails

How to submit: Please submit queries here: http://QueryManager.com/JenNewens

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Katie Greenstreet of Paper Literary (UK)

Katie Greenstreet joined Paper Literary in 2022. A corporate lawyer by training, she worked for several large law firms before making the leap into publishing. She started her career in books as an assistant at ICM Partners in New York, where she supported a list of Booker, Pulitzer, and Nobel Prize-winning authors. She then moved to London and joined C&W, where she began building her own list while also working alongside Sue Armstrong and Sophie Lambert. At C&W, Katie discovered her passion for amplifying undiscovered voices and for getting stuck into projects editorially. At every step of the publication process, Katie prioritises the reach and longevity of her authors’ careers, and she is especially looking for clients with whom she can build enduring, long-term relationships.

What she is seeking: She is building a list of quality commercial and upmarket/book club fiction, with a select number of memoirs and non-fiction projects also in the mix.

How to submit: Send a query letter, synopsis and the first 10,000 words to submissions@paperliterary.com. See website for complete submission requirements. 

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Rose Ferrao of PS Literary Agency

Rose Ferrao is an associate agent at PSLA. She began her publishing career in London, working in non-fiction at Bloomsbury and science fiction, fantasy and horror at Orbit Books. She has a BA in English Literature and Film from Queen’s University and an MA in Publishing from University College London. Rose has a wide range of reading tastes, but she is particularly drawn to compelling, character-driven stories that embrace the weird and wondrous. Outside of work, she spends her time cooking and watching too many movies.

What she is seeking: Rose is currently acquiring both fiction and non-fiction. In fiction, she is looking for commercial romance, adult and crossover fantasy, science fiction, horror, upmarket thrillers, contemporary fiction and select young adult fiction. She is drawn to stories that embrace genre conventions from a fun, fresh angle. In non-fiction, she is looking for cookbooks and food writing, sports, pop culture, music, psychology, lifestyle, and wellness, especially when approached from a specific, unique perspective. She welcomes and encourages submissions from neurodivergent writers. 

How to submit: Follow the agency's guidelines HERE.

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Cole Hildebrand of Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc.

Cole Hildebrand began his career as an assistant editor at YesYes Books, going on to become managing editor for the press, involved in manuscript acquisitions, event planning, website design and publicity for YesYes Books' list, which includes works by authors such as Elizabeth Acevedo, Justin Phillip Reed, Danez Smith, and many others. He joined JVNLA in 2021, where he is actively building his list while aiding with international rights, film rights, and contracts, as well as handling the Australia/New Zealand market. Cole earned his BA in English from Lewis & Clark College and his MA in English and American Literature from New York University.

What he is seeking: He is acquiring literary and upmarket fiction, narrative non-fiction, essays, and poetry, particularly works by LGBTQ+ authors. He is drawn to character and voice driven stories with unique perspectives on the contemporary moment, especially those engaging with radical ideas and issues of social justice. He loves fostering the careers of debut authors, working closely with them to help develop and edit their projects, and guiding them through the full process from submission to publication and beyond.

How to submit: Use the agency's query form HERE.

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Ms. Natalie Obando of Ladderbird Literary Agency

Natalie Obando is a graduate from California State University, Long Beach with a BA in journalism emphasizing public relations and a minor in creative writing. Since then, she’s worked in the world of books as a book publicist. Natalie is the founder of Do Good Public Relations Group and the grassroots organization, Women of Color Writers Podcast and Programming. She is the current national president of the 105 years old non-profit, the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA), overseeing all eleven chapters across the nation. As the first Latina president of the WNBA, her goal has been promoting diversity in publishing via grassroots efforts.

What she is seeking: Natalie is primarily looking for BIPOC stories, and stories inclusive of intersectional identities told from an authentic lense and NOT tokenized. In fiction, she is looking for character driven stories with a voice that is relatable yet quirky and worlds that feel real. For non-fiction she’s in desperate search of topics and issues that open up discussions often considered taboo.

FICTION: YA/NEW ADULT: Natalie enjoys a YA or New Adult story that deals with generational relationships and ancestral threads. Throw in some contemporary fantasy, or magical realism, and/or cultural folklore and she’s all over it. Some of her favorite authors who do this well are Zoraida Cordova, Rin Chupeco, Sylvia Moreno Garcia, and Elizabeth Acevedo,  Natalie is especially interested in diverse non-European folklore.

ROMANCE: This can be YA or new adult. Contemporary RomComs with a cultural twist are her favorite as well as friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, secret identities, forbidden love, finding love in a foreign land, feel free to pitch if there is anything fairly similar to that. Her favorite romance authors are Priscilla Oliveras, Alexis Daria, and Lily Chu.

NONFICTION: Natalie is looking for topics that dig deep into who we are as humans and what we have yet to tap into. She enjoys reading about new forms of wellness therapies, sexual empowerment, ethical non-monogamy, BDSM—in an educational and enlightening nuanced format, astrology, tarot, and modern day magic (brujería and curanderismo) tied to ancestral roots.  If you have a book that ties all of these together it’s her dream. If you have a platform that supports and adds context to what you write or your expertise please don’t forget to add that in your query. 

How to submit: Use her query manager HERE.

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Ms. Kesia Lupo of Donald Maass Literary Agency

Kesia grew up in the UK and Germany, studied History at Oxford University and Creative Writing at Bath Spa, then launched her publishing career at Pan Macmillan, London, as an editorial assistant in 2013. She transitioned from adult books to children’s when she joined boutique publisher Chicken House—then from a senior editorial role to agenting when she joined The Bindery in 2023. 

What she is seeking: While her expertise lies in middle-grade and YA fiction, Kesia reads widely across genres, including adult SFF and horror, historical fiction, romance, and non-fiction.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.

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Elise Howard of DeFiore & 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: As a literary agent, Elise is looking for new favorites— hers, an editor’s, and ultimately the reader’s: fiction and non-fiction to be savored and remembered for its immersive storytelling, rich world-building, and illumination of landscapes known and unknown.

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.

Submission guidelines: 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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Mr. Arley Sorg of KT Literary

Arley Sorg, Associate Agent: (Pronouns: He/Him, Salutation: Mr.) Arley is a kt literary associate agent. Arley is a two-time World Fantasy Award Finalist and a two-time Locus Award Finalist for his work as co-Editor-in-Chief at Fantasy Magazine. He is also a SFWA Solstice Award Recipient, a Space Cowboy Award Recipient, and a finalist for two Ignyte Awards: for his work as a critic as well as for his creative nonfiction. Arley is senior editor at Locus Magazine, associate editor at both Lightspeed & Nightmare, a columnist for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and conducts interviews for Clarkesworld. Arley grew up in England, Hawaii, and Colorado, and lives in the SF Bay Area. He is a 2014 Odyssey Writing Workshop graduate.

What he is seeking: He is primarily interested in adult speculative titles, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror with speculative/fantastic elements, literary speculative fiction, and climate fiction.

How to submit: Use his query manager HERE.

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Mr. Aram Fox of Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents

At age 26, Aram founded a book scouting agency where for 23 years he represented international publishers and American film/TV companies, guiding his publisher and film/TV clients to acquire a Who’s Who of bestsellers and prize-winners, including: Brit Bennett, Peter Godfrey-Smith, Lauren Oyler, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Bill Gates, George Saunders, Angela Duckworth, Patrick Radden Keefe, Dave Grohl, Lena Dunham, Emma Cline, Harlan Coben, Jeff VanderMeer, Alex Honnold and Andy Weir.

What he is seeking: He’s crazy about commercial and literary fiction that put immersive storytelling front and center, and a wide range of nonfiction including memoir, narrative nonfiction, natural history and perspective-changing explainers and advice-givers.

How to submit: Please send your query letter and 30 pages to aram@mmqlit.com. The letter should include a synopsis, a brief bio, and your contact information. Aram asks that you put “Query” in the subject line and paste the letter and sample pages into the body of the email. Please note — and it kills him to say this — that Aram is not able to respond to everyone who sends him material. If he would like to hear more about your writing, he will be in touch within 2-3 weeks.

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Ms. Morgan Strehlow of The Bindery 

An experienced freelance editor and writer, Morgan has worked in various capacities with a range of content providers and education platforms, including Christianity Today, Baylor University, Sacred Ordinary Days, Called Creatives, and Go and Tell Gals. Morgan spent the first decade of her career in the sports industry as a go-to communications strategist and creative collaborator for major brands, coaches, and athletes. She holds a B.S. in Communications from Hardin-Simmons University and an M.S. in Sport Management from Texas A&M University. Morgan lives in Waco, Texas, with her husband, Sean, and their son. 

What she is seeking: Morgan is seeking compelling nonfiction by athletes, journalists, experts, academics looking to publish for the general market, and emerging voices with a growing platform who can speak to pop culture, sports, feminism, social justice, sex/sexuality, or religion/spirituality.

She's especially interested in the dynamic and interesting voices writing and speaking at the intersection of sport and society. On the fiction side, Morgan is eager for upmarket fiction, complex women's fiction, and sports fiction.

How to submit: To query The Bindery about literary representation, email your query to info@thebinderyagency.com. Please include the following in the body of your email: a clear summary of your book concept, an author biography, the table of contents (for nonfiction), at least two sample chapters, relevant contact information, and any publishing history. Include the word “QUERY” in the email subject line and if you’ve completed a book proposal, please attach that document to your email. You may address your query to one agent or to The Bindery as a whole.

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Ms. Camille Burns of Diamond Kahn and Woods Literary Agency Ltd. (UK)

Camille has an MSc in Publishing from Edinburgh Napier University and an MA in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh. She currently serves as the Secretary of the Association of Authors’ Agents, as well as Co-Chair for the AAA’s Bridge Committee for early career agents and assistants. She also previously volunteered at the Story Museum in Oxford. Through organisations such as the SYP she has mentored students from a variety of backgrounds to help them gain access to the publishing industry.

What she is seeking: Children's and young adult fiction, as well as adult non-fiction and commercial adult fiction.

How to submit: Read guidelines here. UK writers only.