7 New Literary Agencies Actively Building Their Client Lists

New literary agencies are started by established agents with considerable experience in the publishing industry. They have reliable contacts in publishing houses and a roster of successes getting writers published. New agencies are looking to expand, and are eager to take on prospective clients.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. 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. 

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

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Solas Literary Agency

Solas Literary Agency was founded by Camille Burns in 2025. Camille’s career in publishing has spanned more than 10 years and many places across the UK, thus far. She started as an office assistant at the Scottish schools publishing division of Hodder Education, based in Paisley, and spent more than three years as Editorial Assistant on the Language Learning list at Routledge (Didcot). She was Rights Executive and Digital Content Editor at the audio publisher, Bolinda (Newbury) before being selected for the Felicity Bryan Agency internship in 2019 (Oxford). She worked at one of the leading London literary agencies, David Higham Associates, as Agent’s Assistant to Jane Gregory and within the Children’s Translation Rights team for more than three years. In 2023, Camille joined Diamond Kahn and Woods Literary Agency as Junior Agent.  

Camille has an MSc in Publishing from Edinburgh Napier University and an MA in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh. She was Secretary of the Association of Authors’ Agents, as well as co-founder and Co-Chair for the AAA’s Bridge Committee for early career agents and assistants, from late 2021 to early 2024. 

What she is seeking: My taste is broad across middle grade, YA, adult, and select non-fiction, but the common thread is always atmosphere, emotional intensity, and unforgettable relationships. I’m especially drawn to stories with strong voices, heartfelt drama, and a sense of place or magic that lingers after reading. If you’d like more detail on my taste, you can find it on my website and MSWL.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Neighborhood Literary 

Founded in 2025, Neighborhood Literary is a boutique agency based in Philadelphia. Dedicated to working with a diverse roster of authors and championing unique, out-of-the-box books, Neighborhood Literary brings over fifteen years of publishing experience into everything we do.

There are four agents on the Neighborhood Literary team: 

Eric Smith is currently looking for Middle Grade and Young Adult projects (fiction and non-fiction), adult genre-blending upmarket and literary fiction, accessible sci-fi and fantasy, high concept rom-coms, and memoir, essays, and wellness titles in the non-fiction space. 

Rebecca Podos is looking for Young adult and Adult genre fiction, with select non-fiction projects considered. Of particular interest in fiction right now: Character-driven fantasy rooted in folklore and culture; horror as a vehicle exploring otherness, identity, and trauma; fresh genre crossovers (cozy sci-fi, horror romance, etc.); queer contemporary and historical fiction; Romance and romcom with a strong commercial hook and upmarket prose. Of interest in non-fiction: Deep dives into nerdy topics (TTRPG's, cosplay, fandoms, etc.); a strong narrative voice paired with expertise, as in Why Fish Don't Exist; kid lit centering queer history.

Donovan Levine is looking for genre fiction, such as Mystery/Thriller, Historical, YA contemporary, and New Adult, as well as Narrative Nonfiction and Memoir, with a particular interest in underrepresented voices, untold multicultural stories, and any high concept or genre-bending works.

Aashna Avachat is currently building a list focused on authors of color and is looking for kidlit, commercial adult fiction, select non-fiction, and illustrators. 

How to submit: See submission guidelines HERE.

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Children’s Books North Agency (UK)

Children’s Books North Agency (CBNA) was established in 2024 by Emma Layfield. 

Based in Manchester, CBNA is a children’s literary agency representing authors and illustrators of picture books, fiction and non-fiction. Our tagline is ‘reaching and representing’ and we’re so excited to work with amazing talent across the North and Scotland.

We only represent a small number of clients so that we can offer hands on development work and the best author/illustrator care. We aim to hold all of our author/illustrator meetings in person so that we build strong relationships with our clients. We might be small, but we are mighty!

Emma has 25 years of children’s publishing experience. She worked at Hachette Children’s Group as Group Picture Book Publisher where she commissioned the bestselling Oi Frog! series by Kes Gray and Jim Field, launched Steve Antony’s career with the international hit Please Mr Panda and published Alex T. Smith’s Claude. 

Emma is Co-founder of Children’s Books North Network, which connects published authors, illustrators and publishers in the North. She is also a board trustee at Seven Stories in Newcastle and mentors with the AOI and SYP North.

Emma works with authors and illustrators from all backgrounds and listens, supports, encourages and includes to ensure everyone she represents stands out in the children’s book market. 

Children’s Books North Agency works with all major publishing houses and attends industry events, including Bologna and London book fairs. 

What they are seeking: CBNA represents authors, illustrators and author-illustrators, and specialises in picture books, pre-school, illustrated non-fiction, young fiction and graphic novels.

How to submit: Children’s Books North Agency (CBNA) opens its doors widely to submissions from debut and established authors and illustrators. We are focused on working with creatives who are based in the north of England (North West, North East and Yorkshire) and Scotland.

We welcome submissions from authors and illustrators from all backgrounds that are inclusive and representative of the diverse identities of young readers across the UK.

Please send all submissions to: submissions@childrensbooksnorthagency.co.uk

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The Caldwell Agency 

Queer and Black woman-owned, The Caldwell Agency specializes in literary representation and management with a personal touch. We combine passion with strategy and transparency with partnership to build careers that honor our clients’ whole selves.

Patrice Caldwell is the Founder & CEO of The Caldwell Agency, which she launched in 2025. A former children’s book editor turned literary agent and author, Patrice was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. She has been named one of Forbes’s “30 Under 30” as well as a Publishers Weekly Star Watch honoree. Her list is focused on adult (fiction & nonfiction), YA, and select children’s.

Frannie Dove is looking for historical fiction, narrative history, historical fantasy, comedic mystery, book club fiction, genre bended and blended fiction (especially with some history), science for the non-scientist, essays with wisdom to share, and memoir with a strong narrative arc.

Victoria Harris is primarily seeking literary fiction, upmarket fiction, and queer romance. She is also open to literary-leaning sci-fi (grounded, set in the near future) and historical fiction (set in the recent past). When it comes to nonfiction, she is interested in memoirs.

Darryl Oliver specializes in adult science fiction and fantasy, historical fiction, speculative fiction, and select literary fiction. In the nonfiction space, he’s also interested in narrative history and narrative nonfiction.

Nour Sallam represents adult fiction and nonfiction.

How to submit: See individual agents.

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Apple Tree Literary (UK)

Apple Tree Literary represents a diverse range of authors writing non-fiction and fiction. The agency is run by Max Edwards, a hands-on, creative and energetic agent with a decade of experience in agenting. Having worked at agencies including RCW, United Agents, and David Higham Associates, Max was a founding agent at Aevitas Creative Management UK, working as agent there for five years prior to founding Apple Tree Literary.

What they are seeking: We represent a range of brilliant fiction and non-fiction, across multiple genres. In fiction, we are particularly interested in literary and speculative fiction of all types — particularly where the two overlap. We are, however, interested in all adult and YA fiction — you never know, we may just fall in love with it. Please note we do not represent children’s fiction below Young Adult.

Apple Tree Literary has an outstanding list of non-fiction authors across academics, journalists, memoirists, experts and high-profile names. We are particularly keen to hear from those telling untold or unknown stories, and experts writing about fascinating new ways of understanding our world.

How to submit: For fiction, send a covering email outlining your book, why it has a place on the bookshelf and why you are qualified to write it. If you have a proposal or a sample chapter, or the whole work, if it is completed, please include these alongside the query as an attachment. For nonfiction send a covering email outlining your book, why it has a place on the bookshelf and why you are qualified to write it. If you have a proposal or a sample chapter, or the whole work, if it is completed, please include these alongside the query as an attachment.

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 Alicia Brooks Literary Agency

Alicia Brooks began her publishing career over twenty-five years ago as an editorial assistant at Penguin USA (Dutton/Plume). She advanced to an assistant editor position at Nan A. Talese/Doubleday where she worked with groundbreaking authors, including Margaret Atwood, Pat Conroy, and Ian McEwan. She then became an editor at Picador/St. Martin’s Press where she edited over 40 hardcover titles and several trade paper original titles, including Good Morning America Book Club Pick Noelle Howey’s Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods–My Mother’s, My Father’s, and Mine, Nega Mezlekia’s award-winning Notes from the Hyena’s Belly, and Jaclyn Moriarty’s FEELING SORRY FOR CELIA, an ALA Best Book of the Year and YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.

She became a literary agent at The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency in 2019. Her client list included categories such as Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction from writers with diverse backgrounds, Self-Help, Pop Culture, Literary Fiction, Book Club Fiction, YA Fiction, Horror, and Historical Fiction.

What she is seeking: 

• Narrative Nonfiction from writers with diverse voices
• Memoir with big concepts
• Self-Help
• Pop Culture
• Social Justice
• Literary Fiction
• Book Club Fiction
• Thrillers
• Historical Fiction
• Horror
• Jewish Issues
• YA Fiction and Nonfiction

How to submit: Use her form HERE.

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Katie Reed Literary

Katie Reed began her career in publishing with Andrea Hurst Literary Management while pursuing her B.A. in English at Sacramento State University and has worked in the publishing field for over a decade. Katie, a senior literary agent and skilled developmental editor, is actively building her client list, working with authors to shape and strengthen their stories for publication. She lives in Lewiston, Idaho with her husband, three children, a Bichon Frise, a Golden Retriever, and two obstinate cats. In the summer you can find her on the beach upriver in Hells Canyon, preferably with a good book.

What she is seeking: Across all generes, I am looking for what all readers want in a good story: characters that leap off the page, conflict and tension that grips me in the story, and string prose that can compete with similar titles in that space. Bring me stories with a marketable hook and fresh perspectives, especially those that elevate underrepresented voices. 

How to submit: Please  use her form HERE.