8 New Agents Seeking Genre Fiction, YA, New Adult, Nonfiction, LGBTQ, Literary Fiction, Graphic Novels and more

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.

___________________________

Ava Lauren Grayson of Lowenstein Associates

Ava Lauren Grayson is a literary agent based in Los Angeles who joined Lowenstein Associates in 2026. She was previously as an editor at Quill and Flame Publishing House for several years, following an internship supporting the literary department at Echo Lake Entertainment. She is also an author and award-winning director with a background in theater, photography, and fashion.

What she is seeking: Ava is a modern romantic with a taste for all things magical and dramatic. She is passionate about reading romantic yearning, empowering female heroines, and coming-of-age stories, and is actively building her list in the literary fiction, horror, romantasy, gothic, YA, genre-blends, romance, fantasy, and narrative nonfiction spaces. Ava reads widely and is willing to consider projects in any genre as long as the writing is compelling and immersive. She is seeking debut authors, own stories, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ stories.

How to submit: Please send your query letter in an email, with the first chapter attached as a Word document and “Query” in the subject line. Paper queries will be discarded. Please direct queries for Ava Grayson to ava@bookhaven.com.

___________________________

 

Ms. Gemma Paynter of P.S. Literary Agency (CANADA)

Gemma Paynter is an associate agent at PSLA. She holds a BA in Philosophy and a postgrad in Publishing. After over a decade working in marketing and strategy, she moved into publishing with Harlequin, working across both trade and category romance. She brings an instinct for audience development, emerging trends, and the cultural undercurrents that shape what resonates, often before it fully breaks through.

What she is seeking: Gemma is actively acquiring adult fiction and non-fiction that subvert expectations. In non-fiction, she is drawn to narrative projects that bring niche subjects to a wide readership, particularly those that blend memoir with expertise. Her interests include pop culture, pop science, fashion, design, literary commentary, and the history of subcultures and counterculture. 

In fiction, she loves immersive atmosphere, sharp observation, twisty storytelling, and offbeat wit. She is especially interested in folktale-inspired horror and fantasy, gothic mystery and romance, fantasies featuring mundane magic, puzzle-driven mysteries, and cozy stories that feel hopeful yet grounded, like a Studio Ghibli movie. She has a soft spot for “weird girl” literary fiction, unreliable narrators, and true rom-coms — make her laugh! She is drawn to work that takes an irreverent, witty approach to the macabre and is always on the lookout for projects that capture the strange, uncanny magic of Twin Peaks. She encourages submissions from underrepresented voices, especially those centering characters who don’t often get to be the protagonist.

How to submit: Follow the agency guidelines HERE.

___________________________

Donna Greaves of Colwill and Peddle (UK)

I am the newest member of the Colwill and Peddle team, having joined as an agent in 2025. I got my start in publishing at Jo Unwin Literary Agency, where I spent seven years. Prior to this, I trained and worked as a speech and language therapist in the NHS, before changing career.

What she is seeking: I’m excited to be building a list across adult commercial, book club and accessible literary fiction, and non-fiction. I’m particularly drawn to voice-led narratives, unconventional settings and people, and humour, as well as rich, immersive storytelling that interweaves cultural, political or historical context.

In fiction I am also on the lookout for stories that can translate across genres and mediums, to reach a wide audience; stories that are as captivating in audiobook as they are on the page, and that lend themselves to film and TV adaptation. Some examples of books I’ve enjoyed across the genre are: Bernardine Evaristo’s Mr Loverman, Nussaibah Younis’s Fundamentally, V. V. Ganeshananthan’s Brotherless Night, Lisa McInerney’s The Glorious Heresies, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People, Emily Henry’s Book Lovers and Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s Yinka, Where is your Huzband?

In crime and mystery, I am open to more traditional crime series with great atmosphere and page-turning mystery, in the vein of Elly Griffiths and Val McDermid. I’d love to see books with off-beat characters, uncommon settings, and subversive and playful storytelling, such as The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff, The Woman Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo, and The Trees by Percival Everett.

I am not specifically looking for sci-fi, fantasy or horror, however, like any decent millennial, I was raised on the classics - Buffy, Scream and The Craft - so would be open to books that are witchy, or capture the horror and adventure of being human, and books with crossover potential – I will never forget reading The Girl with all the Gifts, and being drawn into a zombie apocalypse in a way I didn’t know was possible. I loved The Binding by Bridget Collins and would happily accept an atmospheric, magical book to get lost in.

In non-fiction I am looking for books that use a personal lens through which to explore a culture, identity, community, or period in history - I really loved Kiese Laymon’s Heavy and Wild Swans: the daughters of China - as well as narrative projects about intriguing and unusual lives, jobs and experiences, such as Evie King’s Ashes to Admin and Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams.

I’m open to seeing popular science and psychology that is accessible in tone or written from a personal perspective, and similarly with true crime e.g. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara and Raised by a Serial Killer by April Balascio. I’m also keen to see books that connect us to our past and examine the world through popular culture, tradition and history, including books about ‘scenes’, music or otherwise, in the manner of Jeffrey Boakye and Lloyd Bradley. Ultimately, I am looking for non-fiction that makes knowledge accessible, helps readers feel seen, and/or is good laugh.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE. Note: This agency does not represent American writers.

___________________________

Danai Christopoulou of The Tobias Literary Agency

Danai Christopoulou is a Pushcart Prize nominated SFF author and editor. After a long career as a journalist and copyeditor (their articles and opinion pieces have featured in magazines such as Glamour, House & Garden and Marie Claire since 2004), Danai has been a freelance editor and new talent mentor for mentorships such as QueeryFest. Danai edits for Hugo-nominated magazine khōréō, and reviews short fiction for HavenSpec. Originally from Greece, Danai currently resides in Sweden.

What they are seeking: Danai loves speculative fiction of all flavors, from horror and thriller to sci-fi, fantasy and romance, especially from marginalized voices. They are mostly focused on adult fiction, but are interested in Young Adult fiction with crossover appeal. Danai likes their fiction upmarket with nuanced plots, particularly from BIPOC, queer, neurodivergent and other traditionally marginalized groups.

How to submit: Use the querytracker form HERE. Open to BIPOC authors only until June 30.

___________________________

Analía Cabello of Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Analía has been working at ABLA since 2021, assisting Executive Agent Kelly Sonnack in championing a diverse list of authors and illustrators. Before that, she was an editorial assistant at Candlewick Press and interned at several literary agencies. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Child Development and Ethnic Studies, which have informed her passion for the intersections of children’s literature, developmental psychology, and identity.

What she is seeking: She’s looking to represent picture book illustrators, authors, and author-illustrators; middle grade fiction; and young adult fiction. In all categories, she is a fan of characters who feel in-between in any sense (identity, friend groups, transitional period of life, etc.); stories of self-discovery and character growth; explorations of sibling relationships and intergenerational families, in the vein of The Penderwicks and Darius the Great Is Not Okay; and stories from creators whose voices have been traditionally underrepresented in the industry.

How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE.

___________________________

Maria Carolina Ministeri of Ginger Clark Literary

Maria Carolina Ministeri is an Associate Agent at Ginger Clark Literary. She is actively building her client list and assists in the sale of domestic and foreign rights. She studied English, Education, and Creative Writing at the University at Buffalo and got her start in publishing with the Writers House Intern Program. Born in Venezuela and raised in South Florida, she is fluent in both English and Spanish (and working on appeasing her dad's side of the family by learning Italian). She is now based in Washington, DC.

What she is seeking: Maria is looking for adult, crossover, and YA fiction across genres that feature compelling characters, complex relationships, and immersive settings (real or imagined). 

How to submit: Please send your query letter, contact information, and the first 15 pages of your manuscript via email to mministeri (at) gingerclarkliterary (dot) com with “mcm query” in the subject line. Maria will respond within three weeks if she is interested in reviewing more.

___________________________

Ivanka Dimitrova of  Olswanger Literary

Ivanka Dimitrova is a Literary Associate with Olswanger Literary and a published author represented by Focused Artists Agency. She holds a business degree and is an active member of Mystery Writers of America, the Women’s National Book Association, the American Christian Fiction Writers, and the Jane Austen Society of North America.

What she is seeking: Ivanka is seeking commercial and upmarket fiction, including women’s fiction, book club fiction, mystery, thriller, romance, magical realism, low fantasy, and time-slip fiction. She is drawn to stories where history intersects with mystery, folklore, and wonder, as well as immersive settings and emotionally resonant storytelling. For nonfiction, she is interested in literary and cultural history, travel, biographies, authors’ lives, homes, and gardens, and select lifestyle, gift, and cookbook projects.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

___________________________

Laura Katz of Writers House

Writers House is one of the largest independent literary agencies in the world, with in-house international licensing, media, contracts, and accounting teams. I joined in 2021, working first as an assistant in the contracts and accounting departments. Since 2022, I’ve supported Simon Lipskar and his list of award-winning and bestselling clients, and I'm now actively building my own list of adult fiction.

What she is seeking: I'm currently seeking authors of book club, upmarket, and literary fiction. My favorite books tend to sit in the range between plot-driven stories with deep emotional intelligence (IF WE WERE VILLAINS by M.L. Rio) and character-driven yet propulsive novels with complex themes (CIRCE by Madeline Miller). I enjoy voices ranging anywhere from atmospheric to earnest to wry, and I particularly love:

- Mystery/suspense influences, or crime fiction that leans literary (THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore)
- Contemporary stories with a strong hook and complicated relationships (Kiley Reid’s novels, TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett)
- Speculative or spooky elements thrown into a world that otherwise resembles our own. True high fantasy, sci-fi, and undiluted horror are probably not right for me. (BABEL by R. F. Kuang, YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke)
- Vivid, specific settings that allow me to explore a new place or see a new angle on a familiar one (MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite, CRAZY RICH ASIANS by Kevin Kwan)
- I’m also open to select rom-coms, though I’m more likely get excited about a project if the romance is mixed with/secondary to other plot elements. In any case, the intelligence, character growth, and humor need to be front and center (Ali Hazelwood’s dialogue is my gold standard!)

How to aubmit: Use her querymanager HERE.