8 New Agents Seeking Literary Fiction, Picture Books, Kidlit, Graphic Novels, Romance, SFF, and more

Updated 12/5/23

Here are eight new literary agents actively 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 all genres.

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. Alice Caprio of Felicity Bryan Literary Agency (UK)

NO LONGER LISTED ON AGENCY WEBSITE

I am passionate about showcasing diverse and underrepresented voices and I value books that do not shy away from representing the complexities of growing up. I am looking for books with fresh and exciting concepts, whose voices can cross borders and speak out about important topics in an accessible and authentic manner. More generally, I’m looking for captivating storytelling, engrossing world building and atmospheric real-world settings­; writing that feels escapist in some way but remains grounded in real-life concerns.

What she is seeking: I am actively building a list that spans middle grade and YA fiction across all genres, commercial adult fiction, and romance and fantasy for all ages. I am on the hunt for stories that are smart, commercial and bold, with a clear international appeal.

How to submit: Read submission requirements HERE.

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Lauren Albury of Holloway Literary

After graduating Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s in English from The College at Southeastern, Lauren interned with FinePrint Literary Agency in New York City. Prior to becoming a literary agent, She lives in Raleigh, NC.

What she is seeking: Literary fiction, Historical fiction, Book club/Women’s, Upmarket fiction, Caribbean stories and voices, Southern settings, Romantic themes, Rich immersive settings like Where the Crawdads Sing and lyrical prose like All the Light We Cannot See.

How to submit: Read full submission guidelines HERE.

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Ms. Saribel Pages of Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency

Spanish Harlem born and bred, Saribel graduated from Kalamazoo College with a B.S in Anthropology, an embarrassingly long to be read list, and a passion for children’s literature. This passion led her to positions at Penguin Random House and W.W. Norton, where she learned about the different sides of the publishing industry. Now at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency, she is excited to work with a team so dedicated to uplifting marginalized voices. When not reading, you can find her playing various tabletop roleplaying games or explaining roller derby to her friends.

What she is seeking:  I am only seeking to represent picture books and graphic novels. I’m interested in contemporary, adventure, fantasy, speculative, horror, and mysteries. In cases where accommodation is needed, you can instead email me your query and first 20 scripted pages (both pasted into the email) to saribel@galltzacker.com, and include QUERY in the title of the email.

How to submit: Use her query manager here. In cases where accommodation is needed, you can instead email me your query and first 20 scripted pages (both pasted into the email) to saribel@galltzacker.com, and include QUERY in the title of the email. Has open query periods from the 1st to the 7th of every month..

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Mr. Eric Showers of Howard Morhaim Literary Agency

Eric Showers is an agent at HMLA representing adult speculative fiction and nonfiction.

What he is seeking: He’s most drawn, in speculative fiction, to narratives that explore hierarchies of power, novel world-building in secondary world fantasy, and protagonists with unique voices. THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT by Seth Dickinson, THE UNSPOKEN NAME by A. K. Larkwood, and GIDEON THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir are books that have hit some of these notes most recently. He’s also looking for stories on the cozier side of speculative fiction, along the lines of Becky Chambers’s THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL ANGRY PLANET or Travis Baldree’s LEGENDS AND LATTES. In nonfiction, he’s most interested in history and philosophy.

How to submit: To query Eric, please email your query letter and the first three chapters of your novel or your full non-fiction book proposal to eric@morhaimliterary.com. Email attachments are acceptable.

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Ms. Kelly Bergh of Lucinda Literary

Kelly holds a master’s degree in publishing from Drexel University and splits her time between Philadelphia and Seattle. After beginning her career as an editor in academic publishing and briefly serving as a children’s librarian, Kelly joined Lucinda Literary to begin building a list in adult practical nonfiction.

What she is seeking: Adult practical nonfiction in the categories of health and wellness, spirituality, and popular science. She selectively takes on children’s and gift books/decks in the same areas. A certified yoga teacher, Kelly is drawn to representing authors who seek to educate and empower those curious about what it means to live in alignment with their values. She is looking for PhDs and journalists who want to share their research with a general audience, as well as established thought leaders and influencers seeking a new medium through which to connect with their existing audiences.

How to submit: Use her querymanager here. 

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Clara Foster of Aevitas Creative Management (UK)

Prior to joining Aevitas, Clara was an agency assistant for the Blair Partnership.

What she is seeking: Her fiction tastes tend towards the accessible literary and upmarket, often with a strong female focus, as well as genre titles in the fantasy, speculative, and historical arenas. Anything written with beautiful prose, a high-stakes plot, and/or a folkloric, legendary, or mythical grounding is likely to be a good bet. 

In non-fiction, she finds herself drawn to expert-led narratives which sit at the juncture of either women, politics, and culture, or women, politics, and science. 

In the YA/Crossover space, she wants to see clever world-building, emotional (and flawed) characters, and preferably a romantic sub-plot—or main plot. Here however she would like to find writing from authors who push the boundaries even further: new twists on old tropes, high concepts (an idea you can pitch in a sentence), and perspectives we rarely get to see.

How to submit: Use her querymanager here. 

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Gabriella Melendez of Great Dog Literary

Gabriella currently lives in the DMV area and received her Bachelors degree from the University of Maryland. She was previously a prose editor for UMD’s literary journal, STYLUS, as well as an editor for their academic journal. Gabriella is also a graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute, where she focused her efforts on learning about the different divisions of publishing and ways to promote diversity. She began interning at Great Dog in January 2022 before transitioning full time to the Great Dog Team.

What she is seeking: Gabriella is working towards her goal of promoting diversity and underrepresented voices in fiction with specific interest in stories by Latinx/Hispanic authors. Her taste gravitates towards commercial or upmarket fiction and she is interested in stories that present real issues in a digestible format for a wide range of readers.

How to submit: Use her querymanager here. 

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Ms. Kelly Karczewski of United Talent Agency

Kelly Karczewski majored in English at Amherst College before getting her start in publishing at (now-defunct) Foundry Literary + Media. She moved to UTA in January 2023 and is now building her own list of varied fiction and nonfiction.

Whast she is seeking: On the fiction side, Kelly is generally drawn towards books that will translate well to the screen—contemporary stories that draw you in with a strong commercial hook, and keep you reading with sharp, surprising writing. She has a soft spot for elevated romantic comedies, thrillers, stories set on the East coast, and books with a touch of lifestyle envy. Anything Nancy Meyers might adapt…

For nonfiction, she reads solely to learn something new–and while there is little she isn’t curious about, she’s most interested in exploring topics with bite, especially those that speak to a larger moment in our culture. She’s always eager to read more about sexuality, art history, sports, conspiracy theories, cults, dating & relationships, and feminist history.

How to submit: Email queries only. Please send the first 10 pages of your manuscript, along with your query letter, to kelly.karczewski@unitedtalent.com with “Query for Kelly Karczewski: TITLE” as your subject heading. She’ll be in touch within 4-6 weeks if she is interested in representing your work. Due to the volume of submissions, she is unable to reply to every query.