4 Literary Agents Seeking Thrillers

Updated 12/21/24

Here are four literary agents actively seeking thrillers. All of them work with reputable agencies.

Remember: ALWAYS check the agency website before submitting. Agents may switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements may change.

If these agents do not suit your needs, you can find a comprehensive list of new and established agents seeking clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

To find out more about these agents and their agencies check the Absolute Write forums. (Just type the name of the agency or agent into a google search with "absolute write.") The Absolute Write "watercooler" is where writers talk candidly about their experiences with agents and publishers.

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Lynnette Novak of Seymour Agency

Prior to joining The Seymour Agency, Lynnette spent seventeen years freelance editing. She worked with new writers, advanced writers, as well as New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Lynnette earned a bachelor of education degree from the University of Manitoba, where she specialized in English and French. She excelled in Advanced Creative Writing in university and studied writing for children and teens through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She was a Pitch Wars mentor in 2015 and 2016. Both her mentees acquired an agent.

How to contact: Find her querymanager link here.

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Francesca Riccardi of Kate Nash Literary Agency (UK)

Francesca has over fifteen years of experience in the publishing industry, starting at RNIB where she transcribed books into accessible formats for blind and partially sighted readers. She has since worked in sales and marketing roles at publishers Canelo, Atlantic Books, Constable & Robinson and HarperCollins.

What she is seeking: Francesca reads widely, especially across popular commercial genres, but is a particular fan of crime and thrillers, and loves a dogged detective or unusual sleuth. She also enjoys books about unusual family dynamics, toxic friendships and people keeping secrets.

How to contact: Find her submission form here.

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Julie Stevenson of Massie McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agency

Julie was an agent at Sobel Weber Associates and Waxman Leavell Literary before joining Lippincott Massie McQuilkin. She received her bachelor's degree in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.F.A in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She also worked in the editorial departments of Tin House and Publishers Weekly. She is drawn to fiction with unforgettable characters, an authorial command of voice, and a strong sense of narrative tension. She loves outsiders, weirdos, and innovators. She looks for work that explores the depths of human experience and the many facets of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and regional backgrounds. Julie loves editing and contemplating craft and storytelling with clients. She takes pride in connecting writers with editors and ultimately with readers. She's agented books that have won the Pulitzer Prize, the MWA Edgar Award, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, and the Tim McGinnis Award for Humor.

How to contact: Please query Julie directly at julie@lmqlit.com. Please note that Julie only responds to queries in which she is interested. If you haven't heard from her in 2-4 weeks, your project is not a good fit for her. You may include 5-10 pages of your manuscript in the body of your email.

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Alec Shane of Writers House

Writers House is a large agency which has represented hundreds of authors as well as licensing, and selling film/TV, foreign, audio, dramatic and serial rights. Alec is an Assistant Agent to Jodi Reamer. He is now in the process of actively building his own list.

How to contact: Send the first 10 pages of your manuscript, along with your query letter, to ashane@writershouse.com with “Query for Alec Shane: [TITLE]” as your subject heading – no attachments.

How a Self-Published Author Landed a 3-Book Deal with Little, Brown

I love reading self-publishing success stories. Every story is different, and each one contains valuable insights as to how the process of achieving that hard-won, and often elusive, success works.

After reading more than a few of these stories, I have noticed a pattern.

First, the author writes something that stands out, either because it unique, different, or appeals to something in readers in a way that touches them.

Second, the author finds a champion.

Authors, especially self-published authors, need someone to champion them. Back in the day, that job fell to publishers. But increasingly, publishers are doing very little to promote their authors' work. Promotion now falls on the shoulders of the authors, leaving them with a task that is Herculean. How can an author get noticed in a world that already contains entirely too much information?

In all of the cases in which authors have been successful, their success has ultimately been due to someone else taking up the mantle of promotion.

In this case, it was a book store owner. In other cases, readers on Reddit and reading communities have promoted books. Bloggers, ebook promoters, Amazon, and even Twitter have all been instrumental in helping authors achieve success.

The trick is to find champions who can help you get noticed.

Helpful articles:

15 Reading and Writing Communities That Can Boost Your Platform

Twitter: How to Build a Following - for Writers

Reddit for Writers

The 4-Hour Bestseller
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Three-Book Deal in Sheep's Clothing

By Sue Corbett, BookLife, November 16, 2015

John Churchman was sure he had violated it when, in early October, he dropped in unannounced at his local bookstore, the Flying Pig in Shelburne, Vt., with copies of the picture book he had recently published with his wife, Jennifer.

“I’m sure they were thinking, ‘How fast can we get this guy to leave?’ ” Churchman admits. But as he showed the book to store co-owner Elizabeth Bluemle, an eavesdropping customer said she’d buy a copy. Bluemle pulled over another store browser to take a look. That customer bought a copy, too. Bluemle was sold: she told Churchman she’d take another eight for her shelves.

Little did Churchman, a photographer who runs a “picture farm” (more on that later), know just how serendipitous a sale he’d made. Bluemle was so impressed with The SheepOver that she told the Churchmans she’d like to write a blog post about it. “We thought, ‘That is so nice. Of course,’ ” said Jennifer Churchman. “We thought she meant she was going to write about it in the newsletter she writes for the store.”

Instead, Bluemle, a contributor to PW’s ShelfTalker blog, wrote a post about what set the Churchmans’ book apart from many other self-published titles: the beautifully crafted photo-illustrations, the textured backgrounds, the extremely expressive animals, the heartwarming story of one animal coming to the rescue of another.

Bluemle’s blog post, published on October 2, almost instantly made the Churchmans a highly sought-after creative team. Multiple agents contacted them, wondering if they had considered shopping their book to a mainstream publisher. The first to reach them, however, was Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Read the rest of this illuminating article HERE.

Romance Novel Finally Breaks The Post’s ‘No Self-Published Books’ Rule

The Washington Post, like many other highly influential book platforms, has always adopted a hands-off policy regarding self-published books. That has now changed with Serving Pleasure, an erotic romance which won a place on The Post's "best of" list for romance.

Does this mean self-published books have finally earned respectability? Probably not. The Washington Post is owned by Amazon, which - it won't shock you to know - published Serving Pleasure.

It would not be at all unreasonable to assume that perhaps a little suggestion was whispered in the reviewer's ear.

(The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Read on.)

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Romance finally breaks The Post’s ‘No Self-Published Books’ rule

By Ron Charles, Washington Post, November 24

It was bound to happen sooner or later: For the first time ever, a self-published book appears on one of The Washington Post’s best-of-the-year lists.

The distinction — bestowed on Alisha Rai’s erotic novel “Serving Pleasure” — marks a small but telling milestone. Long scorned as the “vanity press,” self-publishing now draws hundreds-of-thousands of hopeful authors. The vast majority of the books sell very few copies, but each year produces another rockstar — a EL James or a Hugh Howey — whose stratospheric success fuels more dreams and brings more legitimacy to the platform.

“Serving Pleasure” appears on The Post’s list of the year’s best romance fiction, one of several genre lists in Book World’s Best Books of 2015 package. Rai, who works as a lawyer by day, released “Serving Pleasure” through CreateSpace, Amazon’s independent publishing platform. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Our romance reviewer, Sarah MacLean, didn’t think she was doing anything particularly radical by including a self-published book.

Read the rest of this article HERE.

2 Literary Agents Actively Seeking Clients

Here are two literary agents actively building their client lists. Sergei Tsimberov (Ayesha Pande Literary) is seeking literary fiction and nonfiction with historical, political and international themes. Elise Capron (Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency) is looking for adult literary fiction, multicultural fiction, debut novels, story collections, and, on the non-fiction side, trade-friendly cultural and/or environmental history.

Sergei Tsimberov of Ayesha Pande Literary

NO LONGER AN AGENT

About Sergei: Sergei Tsimberov holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop and a J.D. from the Cardozo School of Law. He has been a literary agent since 2013 and joined Ayesha Pande Literary in summer 2014.

What he is seeking: As an agent, he represents both literary fiction and nonfiction. He is looking for imaginative and polished voice-driven writing, and is particularly interested in narratives with historical, political and international themes.

How to submit: Use the agency’s online submissions form here.

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Elise Capron of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

ONLY ACCEPTING QUERIES FROM REFERRALS

About Elise: A graduate of Emerson College, Elise holds a BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has been with the Dijkstra Agency since late 2003.

What she is seeking: Adult literary fiction, multicultural fiction, debut novels, story collections, and, on the non-fiction side, trade-friendly cultural and/or environmental history.

How to submit: Fiction: Please send a query letter, a 1-page synopsis, a brief bio (including a description of your publishing history), and the first 10-15 pages of your manuscript. Non-fiction: Please send a query letter, an overview of your project including a chapter outline, a brief bio (including a description of your publishing history), a description of competing books, and the first 10-15 pages of your first chapter. If we are interested, we will ask you to send your complete proposal. Please send all items in the body of the email, not as an attachment. Read the agency's full guidelines here. 

15 Calls for Submissions: December 2015- Paying Markets

Here are 15 literary magazines willing to pay for your fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Some pay at pro rates, which is great for boosting your morale - and for adding to your resume.

In December, there are calls for speculative fiction, experimental fiction, general fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction, so there is something for everyone.

If you don't particularly care whether you get paid for your writing, but simply want to get your work out there, go to New Pages for a list of calls for submissions (both paid and unpaid), or Poets & Writers.

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Uncanny Magazine

"Uncanny Magazine is seeking passionate, diverse SF/F fiction and poetry from writers from every conceivable background.  We want  intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs. Uncanny believes there’s still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel."

Length: 750-6000 words

Payment: $.08 per word (including audio rights)

Deadline: December 1, 2015

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The Hollins Critic

Genre: Poetry

Payment: $25 per poem

Deadline: December 1, 2015

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Lockjaw Magazine

"We don’t want you to show your work. We want you to show your bones." Leans toward the experimental and post-modern.

Genres: Poetry and fiction

Payment: $.01 per word

Deadline: December 1, 2015

Accepts reprints

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Myslexia: Issue 69: Monster

A subject to conjure pity and/or horror, that invites experimentation in both genre (fantasy, literary, crime, romance?) and point of view (from inside or outside the creature).

Genres: Poems of up to 40 lines or stories of up to 2,200 words

Payment: £25 per poem, and £15 per thousand words of prose

Deadline: December 7, 2015

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Martian Migraine Press Anthology, "Cthulhusattva: Lovecraftian Tales of the Black Gnosis"

"We want to see tales of Mythos mystics, spiritual sorcerers, monstrous monks, and preternatural philosophers, and we want to see them in a diverse range of settings, not just Arkham. The world is vast and strange: show us the bizarre and mind-expanding traditions of far-flung locales."

Length: From 1,500 to 7,000 words. FLASH FICTION: under 1500 words. No poetry.

Payment: .03CAD per word, via Paypal, as well as a contributor copy (paperback) of the anthology, and copies in all electronic formats (mobi, EPUB, and PDF). Authors are also entitled to copies of three additional Martian Migraine Press titles of their choosing.

Deadline: December 15, 2015

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Kenyon Review 

Genres: Short fiction (up to 7500 words); essays (up to 7500 words); poetry (up to 6 poems)

Payment: $40 a page

Deadline: December 15, 2015

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Don't Open Till Doomsday and Melee

Genre: Medieval Fantasy, Science Fiction

Payment: One contributor copy and a one-time payment of $15

Deadline: December 15, 2015

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Among Animals Anthology

"We’re looking for stories of how the lives of animals and humans intersect, particularly in regards to the conservation and protection of animals."

Length: 2,500 to 7,500 words

Payment: No payment information. Please inquire. 

Deadline: December 15, 2015

Accepts reprints.

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Far Orbit anthology series: Last Outpost

"World Weaver Press is expanding the Far Orbit anthology series with a new a new military science fiction anthology, Last Outpost. Last Outpost will be published in 2016. As the name implies, we’re looking for military adventure stories, page-turners that keep us on the edge of our seats. We’re not looking for mindless mayhem; we want compelling science fiction stories with a military theme."

Genre: Science Fiction

Length: Under 10,000 words

Payment: $0.01/word

Deadline: December 15, 2015

Accepts reprints

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The Puritan

Genres: Fiction, essays, poetry, interviews, reviews

Payment: $100 per interview, $100 per essay, $100 per review, $50 per work of fiction, and $15 per poem (or page, capped at $60 for poems running four pages or more)

Deadline: December 25, 2015

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Polychrome Ink

Genres: Poetry collections, short stories, short narratives, and essays off all genres that celebrate diversity. They are looking for LGBTQIA+, Neuroatypical, and Disabilities as well.

Length: Each poem cannot exceed four pages, single spaced, Times font, 12pt. Flash Fiction and Short Essays under 1k words. Long Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Essays over 1k but not surpassing 5k words. You may submit up to 5 poems or flash fiction pieces at a time.

Payment: $15 per short prose; $25 per poem; and $40 per long prose.

Deadline: December 27, 2015

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Book Smugglers Publishing

"We’re looking for original short stories from all around the world as long as they are written in English. Our goal is to publish at least three short stories, unified by a central theme. Each short story will be accompanied by one original piece of artwork from an artist commissioned by us separately. The theme is Superheroes."

Genre: Speculative fiction

Length: 1,500 and 17,500 words

Payment: $0.06 per word up to $500

Deadline: December 31, 2015

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Workers Write!

"Issue twelve of Workers Write! will be Tales from the Construction Site and will contain stories and poems from a tradesperson's point of view. We're looking for fiction about laborers, carpenters, plumbers, welders, foremen, safety inspectors, individual contractors - anyone who builds or works in construction for a living. Your stories can take place on sites as large as skyscrapers and as small as second bathrooms."

Length: 500 to 5,000 words

Payment: Between $5 and $50 (depending on length and rights requested)

Deadline: December 31, 2015

Reprints accepted

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Allegory

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror

Length: 500-5000 words

Payment: $15

Deadline: December 31, 2015

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Alternate Hilarities 5: One Star Reviews of the Afterlife

Genres: Humorous speculative fiction

Length: Flash Fiction between 500 and 1500 words. Short Fiction between 1501 and 6000 words

Payment: Flash Fiction - a half cent a word paid on publication as well as one E-book and 1 share of royalties. Short Fiction - one cent a word paid on publication as well as one E-book and 2 shares of royalties

Deadline: December 31, 2015

45 Writing Contests in December 2015 - No Entry Fees

Painting of Russian writer Evgeny Chirikov by Ivan Kulikov, 1904

There is something about the last month of the year that inspires deadlines.

December boasts of no fewer than 45 free writing contests, encompassing a broad range of forms and genres.

There are prizes this month for published books, for unpublished manuscripts, for poetry, short stories, essays, memoirs, mysteries, and nonfiction.

None of these competitions charge an entry fee.



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The Schneider Family Book Award is sponsored by the American Library Association. The award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

Prize: Three annual awards each consisting of $5000 and a framed plaque, will be given annually in each of the following categories: birth through grade school (age 0-10), middle school (age 11-13) and teens (age 13-18). (Age groupings are approximations).

Genre: May be fiction, biography, or other form of nonfiction.

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read details here.

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Poetry Center at Smith College Prize.

Restrictions: Open to sophomore or junior high school girls in New England.

Genre: Poetry.

Prize: $500.

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read details here.

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The David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction is offered annually to the best book in American historical fiction that is both excellent fiction and excellent history.

Prize: $1.000.

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read guidelines here.

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The Lyric College Poetry Contest.

Restrictions: Open to undergraduates enrolled full time in an American or Canadian college or university.

Genre: Poetry.

Prize: $500.

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read details here.

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The W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction.

Genre: Military fiction.

Prize: $5000.

Deadline: December 1, 2015. For details click HERE.

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Spark Award: Held by SCBWI.

Restrictions: Open to members of SCBWI who are self-published.

Genres: Fiction and nonfiction, self-published.

Prize: Envy. The SCBWI is our most prestigious national organization (US) for children's book and YA writers.

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read submission guidelines HERE.

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The Pushcart Prize honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in small presses and literary magazines. Magazine and small press editors may nominate up to six works. Pushcart Press publishes yearly anthologies of the winning submissions.

Prize: Publication.

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read submission guidelines HERE.

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Tony Quagliano Poetry Fund, International Poetry Award.

Restrictions: Open to poets who have a published body of work over a period of years. Poems must be in English.

Genre: Poetry.

Prize: $1,000.

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read submission guidelines HERE.

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The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry.

Restrictions: Open to African poets who have not yet published a collection of poetry.

Genre: Poetry.

Prize: $1,000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal.

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read submission guidelines HERE.

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David J. Langum Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction.

Restrictions: Self-published and subsidized novels are not eligible.

Genre: American Historical Fiction.

Prize: $1,000

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read submission guidelines HERE.

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Quantum Shorts.

Genre: Flash fiction (1000 words max). The story must be inspired by quantum physics.

Prize: $1,500

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read submission guidelines HERE.

Requires registration.

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Words and Brushes.

Genre: Short story inspired by one of the pieces of art on the website.

Prize: $300

Deadline: December 1, 2015. Read submission guidelines HERE.

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Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) provides direct support to individual Bronx artists who create literary, media, visual, and performing works of art.

Restrictions: Residents of the Bronx

Prize: 25 BRIO grants of $3,000 each are awarded to Bronx artists. BRIO award winners complete a one-time public service activity.

Deadline: December 4, 2015. Read submission guidelines HERE.

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White River Environmental Law Writing Competition is sponsored by the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law and Vermont Law School.

Restrictions: Open to all students currently pursuing a degree (J.D. or LL.M) at an accredited law school in the United States. Submissions written as a class component, as a journal requirement, or otherwise for academic credit are acceptable.

Genre: Original essays addressing any relevant topic in the fields of environmental law, natural resource law, energy law, environmental justice, land use law, animal law, and agricultural law.

Prize: $1000 cash prize and an offer of publication with the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law.

Deadline: December 9, 2015. Read more details HERE.

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Friends of American Writers. 

Restrictions: The author must be a resident (or previously have been a resident for approximately five years) of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin; or the locale of the book must be in a region identified above. The author must not have published more than three books under his/her own pen name.

Genres: Books can be fiction or creative non-fiction and published in 2015. Self-published and e-Books are not eligible.

Prize: $4000.

Deadline: December 10, 2015. Read more details HERE.

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Austin Chronicle Short Story Contest.

Genre: Unpublished short story, no more than 2,500 words.

Prize: $1,500 to be divided among the five winners. Manuscript will be published in early winter in The Austin Chronicle.

Deadline: December 11, 2015. Read more details HERE.

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J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award.

Genre: Uncompleted work of nonfiction on a topic of American political or social concern.

Prize: $30,000 fellowship.

Deadline: December 11, 2015. Read more details HERE.

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J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize.

Genre: Book-length work of narrative nonfiction on a topic of American political or social concern.

Prize: $10,000.

Deadline: December 11, 2015. Read more details HERE.

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Mark Lynton History Prize.

Genre: Book-length work of history on any topic that "best combines intellectual distinction with felicity of expression."

Prize: $10,000.

Deadline: December 11, 2015. Read more details HERE.

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Rider University Annual High School Writing Contest.

Restrictions: Open to high school students.

Genres: Essays, poetry, fiction.

Prizes: 1st-$100, 2nd-$50, 3rd-$25.

Deadline: December 11, 2015. Read more details HERE.

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Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Novel Competition.

Restrictions: The competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel (except that authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work) and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel.

Genre: Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story.

Prize: $10,000.

Deadline: December 14, 2015. Entry form and details here.

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Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest.

Restrictions: Registered undergraduate full-time Juniors or Seniors at accredited four-year colleges or universities in the United States during the Fall 2015 Semester.

Genre: Essay on  any topic that explores the theme of ethics. 3,000 to 4,000 words.

Prize: $5,000. 2nd Prize $2,500, 3rd Prize $1,500, two Honorable Mentions $500 each.

Deadline: December 14, 2015. Read details here.

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Christopher Doheny Award.

Genre: Fiction or non-fiction book-length manuscript on the topic of serious physical illness by a writer who has personally dealt or is dealing with life-threatening illness, either his or her own or that of a close relative or friend.

Prize: $10,000 and production and promotion of the book in an audio edition, with the option to pursue print publication with Audible's assistance.

Deadline: December 15, 2015. Read details here.

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Black Caucus of the American Library Association. BCALA presents four awards to an African American writer published in the United States during the previous year: one for adult fiction, one for nonfiction, one for a first novelist and one for poetry. These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.

Restrictions: African American writers

Genres: Books, published

Prize: Four $500.00 awards.

Deadline: December 18, 2015. Details here.

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Amazon Little A Poetry Contest.

Restrictions: Open to US poets who have published no more than one book of poetry.

Genre: Poetry; full-length collection.

Prize: The winner will receive $5,000 in prize money and a publishing contract featuring a $2,000 advance with Little A, Amazon Publishing’s literary imprint.

Deadline: December 20, 2015. Read details here.

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Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards.

Restrictions: Open to residents of California.

Genre: Book of poetry, fiction or nonfiction.

Prize: Medal.

Deadline: December 22, 2015. Entry form here.

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Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award.

Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter.

Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published.

Prize: $1,000.

Deadline: December 22, 2015. Read details here.

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Lucille Medwick Memorial Award.

Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter.

Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Original poem in any form on a humanitarian theme.

Prize: $500.

Deadline: December 22, 2015. Read details here.

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Cecil Hemley Memorial Award.

Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter.

Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Lyric poem that addresses a philosophical or epistemological concern.

Prize: $500.

Deadline: December 22, 2015. Read details here.

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Lyric Poetry Award.

Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter.

Genre: A lyric poem on any subject.

Prize: $500.

Deadline: December 22, 2015. Read details here.

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The Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award.

Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free.

Genre: A poem inspired by Dickinson though not necessarily in her style.

Prize: $250.

Deadline: December 22, 2015. Read details here.

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Robert H. Winner Memorial Award.

Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free. There is a charge of $15 for non-members. Open to mid-career poets who have not had substantial recognition, and is over forty, and who have published no more than one book.

Genre: Poetry.

Prize: $2,500.

Deadline: December 22, 2015. Read details here.

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The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognizes outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures. Awards are given for both fiction and nonfiction.

Prize: $10,000.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. The winners are announced in the spring. Read full submission guidelines HERE.

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GENEii Award. The Southern California Genealogical Society sponsors its annual family-history writing contest to support and encourage the writing of family history, local history, and memoirs, both by genealogists and by the public at large.

Genre: Nonfiction.

Prize: $200.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read full submission guidelines HERE.

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The Push [START] to Begin Chapbook Contest.

Genres: Chapbook-length collections of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and hybrid work inspired by video games. For fiction or non-fiction submissions, a word count between 5,000 and 20,000 is preferable. For poetry, 10 to 30 poems is best, depending on their length.

Prize: $150.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read details HERE.

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Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, Griffin Poetry Prize.

Restrictions: One prize goes to a living Canadian poet or translator, the other to a living poet or translator from any country, which may include Canada.

Genre: Poetry. Books must have been published in English during the calendar year preceding the year of the award.

Prize: C$200,000, is awarded annually in two categories – International and Canadian. Each prize is worth C$65,000.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read details HERE.

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Society of Classical Poets, Poetry Competition.

Genre: Poetry. Three to five poems, each of which does not exceed 50 lines. The poems must be within the four themes used by the Society (at least one poem must be in the Falun Dafa theme or about the plight of the Chinese people under communism in general).

Prize: First Prize: $500.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read details HERE.

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Caribbean Writer Prizes.

Restrictions: Open to Caribbean authors.

Prizes: The Virgin Islands Daily News Prize for a fiction or nonfiction essay to an author residing in the U.S. or British Virgin Islands. $500; The Canute A. Brodhurst Prize for best short fiction $400; The Gilbert Literary Prize $500; The David Hough Literary Prize to a Caribbean author $500; The Marvin E. Williams Literary Prize to an emerging Caribbean author $500; The First Lady Cecile de Jongh Literary Prize to a Caribbean author whose work best expresses the spirit of the Caribbean $500; and The Charlotte & Isidor Paiewonsky Prize for first-time publication in The Caribbean Writer $250.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read details HERE.

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Golfwell's Annual Golf Story Writing Competition.

Genre: Original unpublished golf stories: Fact or Fiction.

Prize: First Prize $300.00 - 2nd Prize $150.00 - 3rd Prize $50.00 and First, Second and Third Prizes receive publication as the "Golfwell.net Best Golf Stories Ever Heard."

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read details HERE.

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Gover Story Prize.

Genres: Short fiction and creative nonfiction.

Prize: annual cash prize ($250) and publication in Best New Writing for the best fiction and creative nonfiction under 10,000 words. Finalists are also published in Best New Writing.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Submit HERE.

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Kansas Book Award.

Restrictions: Author must establish a connection to Kansas by birth, education, employment, residence or other significant claim.

Genre: Book of poems.

Prize: $1,000.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read details HERE.

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L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest.

Genre: Speculative fiction prose, up to 17,000 words.

Prize: $1,000 with $5,000 grand prize.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read details HERE.

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Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing.

Restrictions: Open to first-generation residents of the United States. “First-generation” can refer either to people born in another country who relocated to the U.S., or to American-born residents whose parents were born elsewhere.

Genre: Unpublished fiction and nonfiction books.

Prize: $10,000 and publication.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read details HERE.

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SPS Studios Poetry Card Contest.

Genre: Poem.

Prize: $300.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read details HERE.

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William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition.

Restrictions: Open to students attending allopathic or osteopathic schools of medicine in the United States and Canada.

Genre: Poetry.

Prize: $300.

Deadline: December 31, 2015. Read details HERE.

2 New Literary Agents Seeking Sci-fi, Fantasy, Memoir, Health, Pop Culture and More

Updated 6/28/19

Here are two new agents seeking clients. Nan Thornton (Aevitas) is looking for literary fiction,  narrative nonfiction, biography, memoir, and nonfiction in the areas of health, science, business, parenting, and education. Arielle Datz (Dunow, Carlson, & Lerner) is seeking Fiction (adult, YA, or middle-grade), both realistic or fantasy/sci-fi. In nonfiction, she is looking for essays, unconventional memoir, pop culture, and sociology.

ALWAYS check the agency website before submitting. Agents may switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements may change.

If these agents do not suit your needs, you can find a comprehensive list of new and established agents seeking clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

Nan Thornton of Aevitas

Closed to Queries

About Nan: Nan Thornton brings nearly twenty years’ worth of experience to Aevitas. A former subsidiary rights assistant at Knopf, Thornton has practiced copyright law for 12 years, representing authors and their estates as well as Pearson Education, where she was in house counsel before becoming an agent. A New York City native, Nan is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Georgetown University, and Vanderbilt Law School. Follow her on Twitter: @thornton_nan

What she is seeking: Authors working in a broad range of areas, including literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, biography, memoir, and nonfiction in the areas of health, science, business, parenting, and education.

How to submit: Closed to new submissions.

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Arielle Datz of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary

About Arielle: She started as an intern at Dunow, Carlson, & Lerner in 2011, and then worked in the foreign rights department at WME, followed by 2 years at the Elizabeth Kaplan Literary Agency. She has since returned to DCLA full-time.

What she is seeking: Fiction (adult, YA, or middle-grade), both realistic or fantasy/sci-fi. In nonfiction, she is looking for essays, unconventional memoir, pop culture, and sociology.

How to submit: Submit a query letter at mail [at] dclagency.com. Put “Query for Arielle: [title]” in the subject line. Do not include attachments. Due to volume of inquiries received, the agency is unable to respond to all emailed queries.