8 New Agents Seeking Commercial and Upmarket Fiction, Kidlit, Picture Books, SF/F, Nonfiction, LGBT and BIPOC Writers 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.

Ms. Christine Goss of The Purcell Agency, LLC

Christine Goss is a graduate of Lake Forest College with a BA in communications. Formerly a sales representative, she has skills that pair well with her love of reading and story development.

What she is seeking: Open to queries from BIPOC authors only.

Adult and Young Adult: Stories that could be considered New Adult and also true Young Adult

Upmarket Fiction/Commercial Fiction Romance Fantasy/Romantasy Dystopian or utopian

Middle Grade?—?Adult:

Graphic Novels

Nonfiction:

• Cookbooks: Original family recipes with anecdotes sprinkled throughout. A true story of cooking.
• Stories about motherhood, unspoken troubles and hardships of new motherhood.
• A story that would compel readers to take care of themselves or expand sympathy/understanding for themselves (Re: YOU SHOULD REALLY TALK TO SOMEONE).
• Christine would love to see books about approachable ways for a sustainable lifestyle. With work resuming and people going back to the office, how can the environment still be top of mind?
• Anything exposing fast fashion and how fashion is detrimental to the environment, and not only that but how to practice “slow fashion”.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

Ms. Elinor Davies of The Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency (UK)

Elinor joined MMA in 2021 having graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Publishing Media after a career-change away from holistic therapy. She primarily assisted Hayley Steed with her commercial/upmarket fiction list before recently becoming an Associate. She has been a freelance editor for the Faber Academy and mentors with Asian Women Writers.

What she is seeking: I’m looking for commercial and upmarket fiction stories that will be either the next compulsive read or a cozy winter comfort book. I love a feminist crime thriller and I’m especially drawn to merciless narrators who we can’t help but love (even when they do bad things). I’m also open to lighter crime reads and can’t get enough of crime capers with comedy at their heart. In historical fiction, I’m looking for stories set from the Victorian era onwards, although I’m currently avoiding wartime fiction. I adore a dose of magic in just about everything I read whether it comes in the form of spirituality, family, or love. I’m talking about magical realism rather than outright fantasy.

How to submit: Read the agency guidelines HERE.

Ms. Millie van Grutten of Rogers, Coleridge & White (UK)

One of my earliest memories is reading Lauren Child’s Clarice Bean?—?I adored seeing Clarice Bean tucked up in the airing cupboard amongst the knickers and socks whilst reading her comics and escaping her wonderfully eccentric family. Little did I know that one day I would have the enormous pleasure and privilege of working in the world of children’s book writing and illustration. Narrative in both text and illustration have always been important to me. My degree was in Classics and I love the great stories of Virgil and Homer and to me there’s no better example of narrative than the ancients?—?packed with suspense, jammed with emotion and all within the perfect structure.

What she is seeking: I work as an agent with a particular interest in illustrators and picture books.

How to submit: Follow the agency’s guidelines HERE. Note: This agency does not accept submissions from writers in the USA.

Ms. Lane Clarke of Ultra Literary

Lane Clarke believes in representing books that transport your mind, whether it be in a fantastical world, or the real one. She is always hoping to learn something new from books, and strives to represent a diverse list of creators.?

She earned a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from Virginia Tech, and a law degree from The University of Chicago Law School. She is the co-founder of PitBlk, a Twitter pitch event for Black writers from across the diaspora, and is the brain behind #BVM, the Black Voices Matter hashtag. She lives in the Washington D.C.-area with her husband and two fur babies.

What she is seeking: Lane is looking for an array of genres in Picture Books, Young Adult, and Adult. In all age groups, she would love to see stories by underrepresented and marginalized creators. In Graphic Novels, she would love to see early readers, MG, YA, and adult by author/illustrators or author and illustrator teams. She is not a good fit for script only. She would love to see both contemporary and speculative graphic novels. In Non-Fiction, she is looking for humorous essay collections that address societal issues and personal growth (HERE FOR IT). She would also love to see memoirs akin to CRYING AT H MART. She is always on the hunt for narrative or prescriptive nonfiction about the Black experience.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

Joanna Rasheed of Ultra Literary

Joanna Rasheed joined Ultra after interning at Triada US Literary Agency and working as an assistant at Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency. Joanna graduated from Virginia Tech with a BA in English with a dual focus in Creative Writing and Professional Writing. She is obsessed with books, turning to them for inspiration and adventure. In her free time, you can find her at a coffee shop or in Central Park with her rescue mix.

What she is seeking: Joanna is primarily looking for YA and Adult fantasy, science fiction, women’s fiction, and contemporary fiction; if there is a hint of romance mixed in, all the better. A few of her favorites are Saint, Divine Rivals, and Little Fires Everywhere.

How to submit: Joanna Rasheed is currently open to queries at [email protected].

Tyler Monson of Sterling Lord Literistic

Tyler joined Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. in 2023 and works with Robert Guinsler and Nadyne Pike. Tyler has a Ph.D. in American Literature from Marquette University. He has held teaching positions at Dartmouth College, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette University, and Seton Hall University. He lives in Manhattan with his partner and their cat and dog.

What he is seeking: Tyler loves books about everyday life and the moments that rupture its routine to surprise, delight, frustrate, reroute, and renew our humanity and bend toward hope. He seeks out fiction and nonfiction that imagines otherwise and other ways of being in the world. In fiction, he enjoys writing about place, family, desire, and time in playful or inventive ways. Tyler values nonfiction that centers the voices and subjects of those who live in the margins of the social, political, and cultural mainstream, especially queer and trans folks. Also, he is interested in literary criticism and essays, data collection and its uses, and everything about tennis.

How to submit: Use the agency’s form HERE.

Ms. Saskia Leach of Kate Nash Literary Agency (UK)

Saskia joined Kate Nash Literary Agency in 2021, after graduating from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2020 with a BA degree in English and History. She is also Secretary of the AAA Bridge Committee, a sub-committee of the Association of Authors’ Agents who support early career agents.

What she is seeking: I am especially looking for contemporary cosy crime (I love unconventional settings) and a Lucy Foley-esque locked room psychological thriller that revolves around toxic friendship.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

Jo Ramsay of Transatlantic Literary Agency

Jo Ramsay (they/she) comes to Transatlantic after nearly three years working as literary assistant to Carly Watters at P.S. Literary Agency. They’ve worked in publishing for over eight years at a number of publishers and literary magazines which include Simon and Schuster, Shrapnel Magazine, Arsenal Pulp Press, PRISM International, and Greystone Books. Their journalism has been published in The Globe & Mail, Maclean’s, and This Magazine among others. After graduating from UBC with a major in English Literature and a minor in Creative Writing, Jo went on to live in Japan and the UK, always keeping a foot in the publishing world. Now based in Toronto, Jo is looking to represent a variety of adult fiction and nonfiction.

What she is seeking:

Fiction:

• Upmarket fiction (book club conversation starters, fresh take on friendships, relationship, and family)
• Sci-fi (Black Mirror-esque, commentary on society, genre blending)
• Speculative fiction
• Gothic / Neo-Gothic
• Psychological horror / thriller
• Light horror (no heavy gore please)
• Dystopian
• Mysteries (with unique POV, character-driven)
• Graphic Novels
• Select literary fiction (less quiet realism, and more unusual or unique storytelling)
• Select romance (new spin or genre subversion)
• Select fantasy (fabulism, light world building)
• Select historical fiction (unique concept or genre blending)

Non-fiction:

• Pop Culture Deep Dives
• Politics and Social Sciences
• Cultural Critique
• Investigative Journalism
• Eco-Nonfiction
• Naturalist / Survivalist Accounts or Travelogues
• Pop Science
• Graphic memoir

How to submit: Query via email HERE.

Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity.