Literary agents
For a traditional publishing contract, you will need a literary agent as publishers rarely accept direct submissions. We matchmake our course graduates with literary agents with our submission service by invitation only. Only The Novelry offers writers the complete path to publishing.
The fast track to publishing
From blank page to book deal
Why do you need a literary agent?
Almost all new writers seeking to be traditionally published need a literary agent in today’s publishing world.
The major traditional publishing houses account for almost 80 per cent of book sales worldwide and acquire books almost exclusively from literary agents.
A good literary agent can get you a traditional publishing deal, as well as TV and film rights. If you want to be published by one of the major publishing houses, also known as the Big Five (Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan Publishers), you’ll want to find the right literary agent to get you a book deal.
Understanding agent listings
Agent listings are hard to navigate. You’ll research literary agents no doubt for many weeks to find literary agents who represent your genre, whether it’s historical fiction, science fiction, crime fiction, middle grade, etc. As you begin work to query literary agencies, you’ll pore through each agent’s list, scrutinize their submission guidelines, spend time learning how to craft a strong hook, write a great query letter, and fret and sweat over every detail down to the subject line of your email query letter. After all that, you’ll no doubt be happy to sign with the first agent who offers you representation!
Finding the right agent
But even if a literary agent shows interest, requests a full manuscript, and likes your writing, you may still have questions.
How well are they regarded in the publishing industry? New agents may not have contacts at a publishing house that represents authors in your genre. What would their submission process be? Editors receive submissions from many literary agencies, but they will prioritize their inbox according to how highly they regard a particular literary agent. You want to sign with the right agent.
Demystifying the publishing industry
Many new authors think the publishing industry is impenetrable, a closed shop. But that’s not the case.
The writer’s market is stronger than it has ever been. You might be closer than you think. In fact, most literary agents and publishers are in search of the same thing. A literary agent views the query letter with the same eye the acquiring editor of a publishing house does. They’re looking for a certain something, and we know what that is because our team has hands-on experience of the publishing process having worked as acquiring editors for the Big Five publishers. Getting a literary agent interested is a challenge but we can dramatically improve your chances.
How we can help
We are in touch with literary agents on a daily basis and prime them on forthcoming manuscripts from our writers with regular meetings. If your manuscript is a match for one of our trusted literary agents, you will be invited to enter our submissions process.
We submit on your behalf, keeping you informed throughout and allowing you the choice of meeting those agents interested in taking things further. We neither ask for nor accept a commission for this; it’s part of the service. It’s a joy for us to make that life-changing call to say an agent loves your book.
Almost all new writers seeking to be traditionally published need a literary agent in today’s publishing world. The major traditional publishing houses account for almost 80 per cent of book sales worldwide and acquire books almost exclusively from literary agents. A good literary agent can get you a traditional publishing deal, as well as TV and film rights. If you want to be published by one of the major publishing houses, also known as the Big Five (Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan Publishers), you’ll want to find the right literary agent to get you a book deal.
Agent listings are hard to navigate. You’ll research literary agents no doubt for many weeks to find one who represents your genre, whether it’s historical fiction, science fiction, crime fiction, middle grade, etc. As you begin work to query literary agents, you’ll pore through each agency’s list, scrutinize their submission guidelines, spend time learning how to craft a strong hook, write a great query letter, and fret and sweat over every detail down to the subject line of your email query letter. After all that, you’ll no doubt be happy to sign with the first agent who offers you representation!
But even if a literary agent shows interest, requests a full manuscript, and likes your writing, you may still have questions.
How well are they regarded in the publishing industry? New agents may not have contacts at a publishing house that represents authors in your genre. What would their submission process be? Editors receive submissions from many literary agencies, but they will prioritize their inbox according to how highly they regard a particular literary agent. You want to sign with the right agent.
Many new authors think the publishing industry is impenetrable, a closed shop. But that’s not the case. The writer’s market is stronger than it has ever been. You might be closer than you think. In fact, most literary agents and publishers are in search of the same thing. A literary agent views the query letter with the same eye the acquiring editor of a publishing house does. They’re looking for a certain something, and we know what that is because our team has hands-on experience of the publishing process having worked as acquiring editors for the Big Five publishers. Getting a literary agent interested is a challenge but we can dramatically improve your chances.
When your manuscript is deemed ready to submit to literary agents, our editorial team will invite you to our submission service. An editor will work with you to hone your query letter and submission package. We will then prepare a list of literary agents who work in your genre and are looking to take on new writers.
We submit on your behalf, keeping you informed throughout and allowing you the choice of meeting those agents interested in taking things further. We neither ask for nor accept a commission for this; it’s part of the service. We cannot guarantee representation, but we will always do everything we can to help you. When we submit our writers, our success rate is over 60 per cent. It’s a joy for us to make that life-changing call to say an agent loves your book.
‘I have been so impressed by the talent coming out of The Novelry and I’m thrilled to have the chance to consider future projects.’
—Nicole Cunningham, The Book Group, U.S.A
Our trusted literary agencies
Our literary agents are AAA and AALA members, and they operate worldwide representing authors around the globe.
They represent bestselling and award-winning authors like Tom Clancy, Meg Wolitzer, Philip Pullman, Michael Ondaatje, Hilary Mantel, Marilynne Robinson, Madeleine Miller, Celeste Ng, Gail Honeyman, Richard Osman, Paula Hawkins, J.M. Coetzee, Jacqueline Wilson and many more famous names.
CAA
CAA Books provides unparalleled representation for authors in publishing, film and television, representing best-in-class writers across genres. They work with established and emerging fiction writers, journalists, celebrities, and experts to inform, entertain and enrich readers of all ages. With offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., CAA Books works globally to ensure their clients’ work reaches audiences around the world.
More than 100 of their books appear on the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller lists every year, and clients include myriad Nobel, Pulitzer, Booker, Baillie Gifford Prize and National Book Award winners.
WME
A famous global operation closing more than 1,000 international publishing deals a year, WME represents internationally bestselling authors, critically acclaimed literary writers, award-winning journalists, thought leaders, and up-and-coming talent. WME authors have been the recipients of such esteemed awards as the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Edgar Award, the Orange Prize, the Giller Prize, the Booker Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the National Medal of Literature, among others. Authors include Kiley Reid, Tom Clancy, Jhumpa Lahiri, Curtis Sittenfeld, Amor Towles, Jean Hanff Korelitz and Meg Wolitzer.
United Agents
United Agents (UA) is a talent and literary agency headquartered in Soho, London, England. In 2007, UA set up a literary division and, further to the acquisition of A.P. Watt, now represents writers across fiction, non-fiction, history and children’s books, as well as illustrators. Their authors have won many of the world’s most prestigious literary prizes (including the Booker Prize, the Costa Novel of the Year, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Windham Campbell Prize, the Carnegie Medal, and the Guardian Children’s Book Award) and appeared at the top of the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller lists. Clients include John Banville, Julian Barnes, Tessa Hadley, and the estate of Helen Dunmore.
A.M. Heath
The A.M. Heath literary agency was founded in 1919 by Audrey Heath and Alice May Spinks. Hilary Mantel was the agency’s fourth Booker Prize winner, with Wolf Hall in 2009. In 2012, her follow-up volume, Bring Up the Bodies, repeated the feat, making Hilary the first writer in history to win two Booker Prizes with successive novels—and the first to win with a direct sequel. A.M. Heath represent our writing coach Kate Riordan and our writing member Brooke Hardwick.
The Book Group
The Book Group was founded in 2015. They work with every major New York publisher and represent award-winning novelists and illustrators, book club favorites, bestselling thrillers, and fantasy, horror and Young Adult classics. Their clients include Celeste Ng, Liane Moriarty, Madeleine Miller, Joshua Ferris, Rumaan Alam, Alice Sebold and other writers.
Writers House
Writers House is an independently owned full-service literary agency, providing individual client attention with in-house international licensing, media, contracts, and accounting teams. They represent both adult and children’s fiction in almost all genres.
Aevitas Creative Management
Aevitas Creative Management is a full-service literary agency, home to more than twenty literary agents in five cities in the U.S.A. (New York; Boston; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; Seattle) and in London, England. Their list includes Riley Sager, Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew J. Graff and Tara Conklin. Their authors have won the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, National Book Critics Circle Award, PEN/Hemingway, Pushcart Prize, Whiting Writer’s Award, and the Nobel Peace Prize. They represent our own Olesya Lyuzna.
Janklow & Nesbit Associates
The famous U.S. literary agency began as Morton L. Janklow Associates, founded by attorney Morton Janklow in 1977. The arrival of Lynn Nesbit created Janklow & Nesbit Associates in 1989. Janklow & Nesbit (U.K.) Ltd was established in 2000 to provide the same level of service and expertise to British- and European-based writers. The literary agency has represented books that have appeared on the New York Times bestseller lists cumulatively for more than 9,300 weeks between 2010 and 2017. Their amazing authors have garnered every major accolade from the Pulitzer Prize to the Academy Award.
Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency
Madeleine Milburn founded the agency described by the Bookseller as ‘a major force in publishing’ in 2012. Madeleine was chosen as one of the book trade’s Rising Stars and in 2017 she was one of a small handful of agents to be included in the Bookseller’s list of the 100 most influential people in the book trade, alongside the likes of J.K. Rowling. She has appeared in the list every year since, and introduced to readers many new writers who have become household names.
In 2018, Madeleine won Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards. She was praised for her ‘prolific deal-making.’ In 2020, she was shortlisted again for the same award. She represents our Editorial Director Lizzy Goudsmit Kay (writing as Elizabeth Kay).
Mushens Entertainment
Mushens Entertainment is a leading U.K. literary agency that represents a diverse range of authors, from Sunday Times bestsellers to actors, brands, and award-nominated authors. Juliet Mushens has been shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year four times. She represents a bestselling and critically acclaimed list, from historical fiction to crime fiction, from Young Adult to science fiction, including debut authors and No.1 bestseller Jessie Burton, multi-million-copy bestseller Taran Matharu, and Richard Osman. Juliet Mushens represents our very own Krystle Appiah and Katie Khan.
David Higham Associates
Established in 1935, David Higham Associates represents an outstanding range of writers of commercial and literary fiction in all media and languages, and are the leading agency for children’s authors and illustrators. From giants of modern literature to commercial fiction, crime fiction, and emerging talent that finds a place in pop culture, David Higham Associates work with some of the most exciting fiction writers in the world. Authors include Alexander McCall Smith, Paula Hawkins, Naomi Alderman, Harriet Tyce, Robert Macfarlane, J.M. Coetzee, Jacqueline Wilson, and our writer Myfanwy Millward.
Jane Rotrosen Agency, NYC
The Jane Rotrosen Agency on 51st Street, Manhattan has represented authors of fiction since 1974. Their literary agent list includes over 1,000 international and domestic bestsellers in all formats. They represent women’s fiction, crime, suspense, thrillers, mystery, historical fiction, romance, New Adult fiction, Young Adult fiction, and children’s middle-grade fiction. Their authors include Tami Hoag, Lisa Gardner, Tess Gerritsen, Kristin Hannah and Iris Johansen.
The Soho Agency
A leading literary agency based in the heart of Soho, London. The Soho Agency was founded in 2019, bringing together the literary agents of LAW (Lucas Alexander Whitley) and Factual Management—two agencies with long-term reputations and stellar clients—to form an expanded company with the dedicated staff, complementary skills and imagination to be active in all areas of international literary representation. They represent Nicholas Sparks, Andy McNab, Kate Mosse, Sophie Kinsella, Ben Fogle, Chris Riddell, Lauren Child, and our very own writing coach Emylia Hall.
Inkwell Management
Inkwell is one of the world’s leading literary agencies, with an international reputation for representing bestselling and prize-winning writers and working closely with every New York publisher. Their literary agents are particularly interested in original ideas, riveting stories, and great writing. Their clients include Kate Atkinson, Sophie Kinsella, Lionel Shriver, Lauren Oliver and Markus Zusak.
Trellis Literary Management
A full-service literary agency formed in the fall of 2021 by agents Michelle Brower, Stephanie Delman and Allison Hunter. The team have worked with books that have received a variety of accolades, including New York Times bestsellers, National Book Award finalists, and Read with Jenna, Target, and Barnes & Noble Book Club selections.
Watson, Little
Founded in 1970, Watson, Little Ltd is a long-established literary agency that offers a full service to its clients across all aspects of media. It has an outstanding track record, and has represented a number of celebrated, bestselling and prize-winning authors over the years, and handles an unusually wide range of adult, children’s and Young Adult fiction. Watson, Little represent our writing coach Mahsuda Snaith and our member Shylashri Shankar.
Trident Media Group
Trident Media Group (TMG) is a prominent literary agency in New York City dedicated to championing authors throughout their careers. Founded in 2000, TMG represents a wide range of bestselling and distinguished authors, as well as newly emerging authors. Their clients have won major literary awards and prizes, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN Faulkner Award, the PEN Hemingway Award and the Booker Prize, among others.
Bookends Literary Agency
BookEnds Literary Agency opened its doors in 1999 and, with the addition of BookEnds Jr. in 2017, touts a robust client list featuring hundreds of authors and illustrators. Specializing in representing fiction and non-fiction for all ages, their clients include many award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors and illustrators.
BookEnds is actively seeking books written and illustrated by marginalized creators, with a mission to create a more diverse publishing industry and be a safe space for LGBTQ, BIPOC, and all marginalized creators, working to lift their voices in publishing.
Peters Fraser + Dunlop
Peters Fraser + Dunlop (PFD) is a talent and literary agency based in London, England. One of the oldest agencies in Britain, dating from 1924, PFD was a co-founder of the Association of Authors’ Agents. It is home to a distinguished and varied client list, including Jeanette Winterson, Helen Rappaport, Simon Schama, Sarah Raven, Chris Patten, Bear Grylls, and such estates as V.S. Pritchett and E.M. Forster. They represent our writer Susie Bower.
Bell Lomax Moreton
Founded in 2000, Bell Lomax Moreton represents a wide range of distinguished authors writing adult fiction and middle-grade children’s books. They aim to offer an exceptional level of service to their clients and help them achieve their full potential in all aspects of their writing and illustration careers. Rights in the United States are handled by Helen Edwards, formerly Rights Director at Transworld. Film and TV rights are looked after by Valerie Hoskins Associates.
42
42 are a management and production company who represent actors, writers, and directors and produce film, television, and content. The book division at 42 represents a number of bestselling and prize-winning authors published in over 40 languages. Their literary agents focus on storytelling above all else and are led by Eugenie Furniss, twice shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards. Authors include Matthew Reilly, Celia Walden and Adriana Trigiani.
Johnson & Alcock
Johnson & Alcock is an established literary agency, now in its seventh decade and constantly expanding and innovating. They act for a vibrant list of authors, both new and emerging writers and the long-established, in fiction and non-fiction. These include prize-winning and bestselling authors and literary estates across the genres and in all forms of media, both in the U.K. and internationally. They pride themselves on representing their authors with care, creativity and hard work.
DHH Literary Agency
Founded by David H. Headley in 2008, this literary agent team of passionate book lovers with a huge commercial fiction client list are devoted to finding new talent and growing writing careers. The literary agents at DHH particularly enjoy crime, women’s commercial fiction, romance, and literary fiction. In 2017 Broo Doherty was voted Literary Agent of the Year at the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Sterling Lord Literistic Inc.
In 1952, Sterling Lord founded his distinguished agency and counted such literary icons as Jack Kerouac and Ken Kesey among his early clients. Peter Matson established his firm Literistic in 1979 and rose to prominence representing such writers as Dee Brown and John Irving. In 1987, the two joined forces, creating the prestigious agency that continues to flourish today. In 2001, Matson became partners with Philippa Brophy and Laurie Liss, who now run the agency.
The Blair Partnership
A full-service agency for clients across fiction, children’s & YA. Neil Blair founded The Blair Partnership in 2011, with J.K. Rowling as his first client. Best known for building J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, for the past ten years they have represented J.K. Rowling’s literary work and helped to shape and grow the Wizarding World franchise.
Eve White Literary Agency
A U.K.-based literary agency representing internationally published authors. Eve White was shortlisted for the BIA 2015 Literary Agent of the Year award, and the British Book Awards’ 2017 Literary Agent of the Year award. Their literary agents represent authors such as Ruth Ware, Luan Goldie, Rachael Blok and Rebecca Reid. They also represent middle-grade fiction and their author Sarah Naughton was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award for her novel The Hanged Man Rises. BookTrust has featured their author Andy Stanton’s You’re a Bad Man, Mr Gum! on its list of ‘100 Best Books of the Last 100 Years.’
Liza Dawson Associates
Liza Dawson Associates was founded in 1996 and now has seven agents supported by a strong team that sells audio, foreign, and television and film rights. They have offices in New York City and Los Angeles and sub-agents all over the world.
They represent commercial fiction and literary fiction, and books for (almost) all ages. Their authors include award winners and New York Times bestsellers. They love talented debut novelists and see themselves as talent hunters first, and then, once a sale has been made, ferocious talent guardians.
Greene & Heaton
Founded in 1963, Greene & Heaton Ltd is a literary agency working closely with their clients to polish their proposals, edit their texts, and to give advice about positioning in the fast-changing publishing industry. Their literary agents handle straightforward book representation and contract negotiation to film and TV adaptations. Authors include Sarah Waters, Sebastian Barry, P.D. James and Jenny Offill.
Hardman & Swainson
Founded in 2012, Hardman & Swainson is a dynamic London-based literary agency with a diverse range of clients and an international focus. They represent writers in all genres of commercial fiction and children’s middle-grade fiction, including Meg Cabot, Miranda Dickinson, Helen Fields and Giovanna Fletcher.
Westwood Creative Artists
Westwood Creative Artists is one of Canada’s oldest and most respected literary agencies, with six full-time book agents supported by an in-house international rights agent and an outstanding network of 24 international co-agents. They have a list of exceptional writers who have won and been shortlisted for such esteemed prizes as the Booker Prize, the Nobel Prize, and the Giller Prize.
Kate Hordern Literary Agency
KHLA is a small independent U.K.-based agency. The agency offers a nurturing environment and a high level of attention in all book markets, handling new and established talent across a range of adult fiction and non-fiction. Authors include novelists Jane Corry, Alice Hunter and Kathryn Hughes.
Skylark Literary
With over 25 years in the children’s publishing industry, Amber Caravéo and Joanna Moult are experts in children’s books. Their boutique children’s literary agency is designed to seek and support the very best writers for young people. Whether you’re writing a hilarious adventure for an emerging reader, a sweeping magic-carpet ride through a middle-grade fantasy, or a sophisticated psychological thriller for teens, Skylark Literary specialize in nurturing talented authors and championing them at every step.
The Plot Agency
The Plot Agency was founded in 2024 by Marilia Savvides. With over a decade of experience representing authors, Marilia launched the agency with a commitment to centering, protecting and championing authors and great stories. They are proud to represent an eclectic list of authors and have worked with every major publishing house and many independents in both the U.K. and U.S. From editing, securing the best publishing deals, the road to publication and beyond, The Plot Agency strives to build global, lasting careers, working hard to aim for critical acclaim and commercial success across English language, translation publishing, TV/film adaptations and other media opportunities.
Colwill & Peddle
Founded by Charlotte Colwill and Kay Peddle, Colwill & Peddle is an independent literary agency based in the U.K. Charlotte is a former bookseller and Katy is a former editor, and their agency represents fiction for adults and children, including historical fiction, literary fiction, Young Adult, and middle grade.
YMU
YMU work closely with writers and creators to develop ideas, shape material, and find the best publishing partners for their books. Their team has decades of publishing experience, a granular understanding of the U.K., U.S., and translation markets, and they can offer expert guidance on film/TV, streaming and podcast opportunities.
Julie Crisp Literary Agency
Julie Crisp has over twenty years’ experience working for three major publishing houses across a broad spectrum of commercial titles within fiction, non-fiction and children’s. This also included three years spent working in the Australian publishing industry. For nine years, she headed up the U.K. arm of one of the largest global brands of science fiction and fantasy, Tor. As an editor, Julie has worked on bestselling and award-winning authors such as Ann Cleeves, Peter F. Hamilton, Jay Kristoff, China Miéville, Amanda Hocking and Naomi Novik, and TV/game partnerships including Halo, The Returned, The Walking Dead and Twin Peaks. As an agent, she works with clients including John Gwynne, Devin Madson, Kell Woods and C.T. Rwizi, and is always looking for new and exciting voices in genre writing.
Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency
Founded in 1995, Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency is a leading independent New York literary agency representing a distinguished list of fiction and non-fiction authors. Their authors appear regularly on the New York Times bestseller list, and have received major literary and journalism awards, including the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, the National Book Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. Their clients’ work has also been adapted for major motion pictures and television series, such as Piper Kerman’s Orange is the New Black.
Susanna Lea Associates
Founded in 2000, Susanna Lea Associates (SLA) is a leading international literary agency with offices in Paris, London and New York. They are honored to work with diverse, talented writers and creators of fiction and non-fiction—from debut novelists to international bestselling writers and award winners. They work in close collaboration with publishers and producers to maximize the potential of each project with U.K. and North American publishers, and in translation across all formats and for adaptation to TV and film. SLA pride themselves on being passionate, creative, and author-focused.
Their clients include Marc Levy, 2024 Women’s Prize winner V.V. Ganeshananthan, Branford Boase winner Christine Pillainayagam, Shelley Read, the late Alexei Navalny, Jacqueline Bublitz, and Alexandra Potter.
‘A wonderful organisation for aspiring writers, and we’re thrilled to work with them!’
—Madeleine Milburn, Director of Madeleine Milburn Literary TV & Film Agency
Join us today
Reach the end of your first draft or finish a publishing-ready novel. Our courses offer various combinations of The Novelry’s five-step writing journey, and provide best value to achieve your ambition.
‘The dream was to get an agent’
‘From the initial idea for my novel to the point of getting agent representation, The Novelry were on hand with support and advice. The dream was always to get an agent and so to receive interest from several was mind-blowing—to have Madeleine Milburn within that list was more than I could have hoped for. I’m thrilled!’
—Carla Jenkins, who went on to secure a two-book publishing contract with Trapeze, an imprint of the major publishing house, Orion
Is it time to take your writing seriously?
Yes, you can
Leading literary agencies are seeking exciting debut authors, and they’re looking for great stories in all genres of fiction, by debut authors who present their writing professionally and with flair. There’s every chance you will get a literary agent if you’re serious about your career as a writer and take good advice.
Get good advice
Whether you’re a debut author, have never been published, or you have self-published or been published by a small press or independent publishers, whether you’re seeking your first agent or want to find a new agent, we can help you get the best agent for you. Our editorial services team are in conversation with literary agents on a weekly basis and they’re able to tip off literary agents to exciting debut authors.
Work with professionals
Our team have good relationships with many literary agents and they’re extremely well placed to match your work with the best agents. In their former lives as publishing editors they bought books from those same literary agents so they enjoy trusted and respected relationships with them. Our editors know what makes for an exceptionally good submission, because as Big Five editors previously, they were able to choose from highly polished literary agency submissions.
To become a professional
We will help you establish your author brand, voice and genre specialism and provide outstanding feedback from expert publishing editors.
We help our writers all the way from shaping their commercial fiction or literary fiction idea to ensure the story is as strong as it can be for publishing through to crafting the pitch-perfect submission package.