Updated 12/9/23
Here are eleven 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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Kathleen joined The Rights Factory as an editorial assistant in early 2023 and was promoted to Assistant Agent in the fall of the same year. She has an editorial background, running a freelance fiction editing company. Kat is also a writer and is heavily involved in the online writing community. She also produces/hosts the #badasswriters podcast, edits audio for The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast, and is a founder/host of #MoodPitch.
Outside of creative work, Kat enjoys travelling, photography, creative cooking, hiking, and spending time in Ontario’s beautiful cottage country. She’s a proud mom of five kids. She *loves* cats, coffee, chocolate, cheese, Argentinian wine. Outlander, This Is Us, You’ve Got Mail, John Krasinski, Ryan Reynolds, and Tom Hanks are favourites!
What she is seeking: In fiction, she’s looking for Adult and YA thriller/mystery/suspense, gothic and supernatural horror, historical fiction (preferably pre-20th century), historical fantasy (witches, ghosts, time travel, past lives, etc.), and romcom and romance (light spice). She also enjoys fairytale/folklore retellings and some speculative fiction, anything nostalgic, anything to do with past lives and soul connections, haunted houses, ancestry, and midwifery/natural childbirth. Kat *loves* creepy, scary stories that makes her eyes water and gives her goosebumps! For Upper MG, she’s pretty much open to genres provided it’s cute and has a good message. Across ages and genres, stories that normalize blended, single-parent, adoptive, racially and/or culturally diverse, and same-sex families are high on her list.
For nonfiction, Kat is seeking memoirs that read like fiction, motherhood/natural pregnancy and childbirth/midwifery/planned unassisted births, single parenthood (especially if paired with overcoming an abusive relationship with the other parent), past life/reincarnation, the “brotherhood” mentality of law enforcement, narcissistic abuse recovery, true crime, wine/food/travel, a history of witches and witchcraft, and ancient locations/civilizations.
How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.
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I joined Curtis Brown in 2018, after a couple of years in editorial at an independent publisher in Edinburgh. I now work alongside Felicity Blunt on her list of talented authors, and I am building my own list. I love working editorially with writers on their manuscripts - it is one of my favourite parts of my job.
What she is seeking: I read widely and across genres, and I am looking for both literary and commercial fiction. I love family dramas, ghost and horror stories, psychological suspense, murder mysteries, gripping thrillers, and big-hearted romantic comedies.
How to submit: Please email the first three chapters/10,000 words and short synopsis (for fiction) or proposal (for non-fiction) to piercesubmissions@curtisbrowngroup.co.uk.
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Trinica graduated from Antioch College with a degree in Creative Writing and French. After several editorial internships during college, she moved to Austin and found an unexpected home in social services, where she worked for five years as a case manager to those experiencing chronic homelessness. Prior to beginning at New Leaf, she worked as an independent editor with Salt & Sage Books and Writing Diversely.
What she is seeking: Children's, YA and adult fiction and nonfiction, graphic novels. Trinica Sampson-Vera is passionate about championing diverse voices and particularly loves speculative fiction; adventurous, character-driven stories with largely emotional stakes; stories featuring Caribbean characters/settings; and stories where queer characters find happy endings.
How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.
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Harlem born and raised, Jenniea graduated from City College of New York with a B.A in Creative Writing and Asian Studies. With haste, she moved to Japan to explore the world outside the concrete jungle. After years of exploration, she returned home with a revitalized zeal for the literary world. Her first endeavor led her to Kinokuniya Bookstore where she honed her knowledge of book buying, merchandising, and selling. Soon after; Jenniea found herself home at New Leaf on Joanna’s team, eager to uplift and amplify marginalized voices. When she is not between the pages of a book, Jenniea can be found bingeing mystery documentaries and animation.
What she is seeking: Children's and adult fiction and nonfiction, graphic novels. She is eager to uplift and amplify marginalized voices.
How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.
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What she is seeking: Genre fiction, Picture Books, Kidlit, SFF, Short Stories. She loves to read stories that were written for the kids who had to grow up too fast and books that redefine family, love, and madness.
Jes Trudel (she/her/mx) has been devouring stories longer than she can remember. Her favourite childhood books were Jack London adventures (which she never really outgrew). Jes' experience includes working as a freelance editor for 15+ years, teaching creative writing to people around the globe, and founding WritingCommunity.ca in 2020 when the whole world went digital. She's been a guest presenter with SCBWI, the 12x12 Picture Book Challenge, Write For Kids, and TSNOTYAW podcast, and has contributed to BoldFace, Children's Book Insider, and the SCBWI blog. She joined The Rights Factory in 2023 as an editorial assistant. As an editorial agent, Jes works with her clients to develop their manuscripts into the best version they can be.
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Rebecca Williamson enthusiastically joined Sheldon Fogelman Agency in 2023 after working with St. Martin's Publishing Group at Macmillan and Triada US Literary Agency. Rebecca began her agenting journey at the Columbia Publishing Course. She graduated from the State University of New York at Geneseo with a double major in English (creative writing) and Communication (journalism & media).
What she is seeking: Rebecca Williamson is passionate about all children's books, from picture books through young adult.
How to submit: Follow the agency's guidelines HERE.
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Valentina (she/they) is an agency assistant at JABberwocky assisting Eddie Schneider. She also handles all merchandise and third-party licensing proposals.
She graduated from Cal Poly SLO with a B.A. in English and has lived in New York City ever since. Outside of their literary interests, Valentina is a dancer of many different styles, a video game lover, and a ~very~ amateur digital artist.
Before joining JABberwocky, Valentina worked as an Events Manager with Barnes & Noble on the Upper West Side, where they hosted a huge variety of author events, book clubs, children’s activities, and more. She has also interned at Foundry Literary + Media, Folio Literary Management, and the Feminist Press at CUNY.
What she is seeking: Horror is my favorite genre to read, and I’m looking for lots of different flavors here. If it’s spooky, eerie, disorienting, thrilling, existential, or even horror-lite, I want to read it. Blends with sci-fi/fantasy are also welcome!
Beniamino Ambrosi is from Bari, southern Italy, and has a master’s degree in Languages and Literature from the University of Florence. He graduated from the PhD program in English Language Literature at the University of Florence. During and after graduate school, he worked as a literary translator, translating Paul Murray and Salvatore Scibona into Italian, among others. He moved to New York in 2009, and worked as a literary scout at Maria B. Campbell Associates for over a decade, advising international book publishers in over 20 countries, as well as film/TV clients such as Warner Bros. and Netflix. He made the switch to agenting at the end of 2021, joining The Cheney Agency as foreign rights director, and starting his list as agent. A Zev Birger Jerusalem Fellow, Beniamino currently serves on the Young Professional’s Committee of Words Without Borders.
What he is seeking: Beniamino Ambrosi represents English-language nonfiction and literary fiction, and authors in translation.
How to submit: Please send a query letter briefly describing your project and professional background, along with up to three chapters of sample material. Queries may be sent by email to submissions@cheneyagency.com.
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My career in publishing began when I interned at McClelland & Stewart while pursuing Ryerson’s publishing program. Before entering the publishing world, I worked in the arts, communications, education, and legal industries in Toronto and Hong Kong. I earned my BA in English and Art History in Hong Kong and an MA in Medieval and Renaissance literature in Durham, UK. I grew up watching TVB dramas and immersed in Cantopop culture, and I’m proud to be fluent in Cantonese and to be able to speak Mandarin conversationally.
What she is seeking: In narrative non-fiction, I’m drawn to fresh, unique, diverse, and well-informed voices, especially pop culture, social issues, popular history, big ideas, current affairs, and popular science. I’m also interested in practical non-fiction: self-improvement, health, and lifestyle.
In fiction, I’d love to see submissions in the vein of Nancy Jooyoun Kim’s The Last Story of Mina Lee and Asha Lemmie’s Fifty Words for Rain.
In children’s literature, I’m especially interested in fiction and non-fiction picture book texts, middle grade fiction, and illustration.
How to submit: Please read submission guidelines HERE.
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Middle Grade: I’ll be looking for fast-paced stories mostly set in a contemporary setting that feature characters that think, act, and talk like real middle graders.
Young Adult: I’ll gravitate toward contemporary issue-driven plots where teens find themselves in situations they aren’t equipped to handle, but eventually figure it out.
Adult Fiction: I’ll lean into contemporary women’s fiction where the main characters are shattering glass ceilings despite obstacles, and defying stereotypes.
General Wishes: As the mother of an autistic child, I’d appreciate any story that features characters across the autism spectrum written authentically and free from stereotypes. I’m also always game for any fairy-tale retelling or re-imagining, especially if pulled into a contemporary setting. I would love any age range where a dystopian plot mirrors a current social issue. Think Handmaid’s Tale versus the current political landscape of abortion. Or how the political landscape is impacting marginalized communities such as the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC.
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