Find USA Book Agents Looking for New Writers | Best Literary Agents 2025-2026

Best Literary Agents 2025-2026 – Who are the top literary agents on our List of Literary Agents and how can you submit your book to them? This article reveals the Top 100 Literary Agents for new writers and established writers at the Top Literary Agencies in the United States. It highlights the best fiction literary agents for all sub-genres including: crime, fantasy, historical fiction, literary fiction, mystery, romance, science fiction (Sci-Fi), thrillers, and women’s fiction. It reveals the best nonfiction literary agents for all sub-genres such as business, memoir, and self-help. And it shows the best children’s literary agents for all children’s book genres such as young adult (YA), middle grade (MG), and picture books. You can see the top book agents for all these genres below, and you can see detailed agent bios and contact information in our free book agent database.

Many things make a top literary agent: a good education, experience in the publishing industry, the ability to spot talent, book development, publicity, and people skills. But one ability is more important than any other: the ability to sell books. And the number of book deals isn’t all that matters It’s about the number of six-figure (and beyond) book deals. In other words, the best book agents get the best deals so their clients can entertain and empower the broadest audiences and make the most money. The top publishing agents below are the most successful book agents in the United States, based on the number of six-figure book deals they’ve reported during recent years. Scroll below to see which of the top writer representatives are interested in your book genre, and get free access to the official Literary Agent Directory. You can use our Book Agencies database for all Book Agents Near Me searches such as: Book Agents NYC, Book Agents Los Angeles, Book Agents Chicago, Book Agents Boston, Book Agents Atlanta, etc.

Here are the top Book Agents in the USA for all Book Genres:

• Best Literary Agents (Top 100)
• Best Literary Agents for New Writers
• Best Literary Agents for Fiction
  • Best Literary Agents Representing Crime/Mystery Novels
  • Best Literary Agents for Historical Fiction
  • Best Literary Agents for Literary Fiction
  • Top Romance Literary Agents
  • Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Literary Agents
  • Best Literary Agents for Thrillers
  • Top Women’s Fiction Literary Agents
• Top Children’s Literary Agents
  • Top Young Adult Literary Agents
  • Best Middle Grade Literary Agents
  • Best Picture Book Literary Agents
• Best Nonfiction Literary Agents
  • Best Business Book Literary Agents
  • Best Literary Agents for Memoirs
  • Best Self-Help Literary Agents

Best Literary Agents for All Book Genres | Top 100 Book Agents

The book agents below are the top literary agents for all book genres. In most cases, the author representatives below are included based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported. In that regard, you can consider the following book agents the best literary agents for writers.

1. Kimberly Whalen (The Whalen Agency) – Fiction
2. Robert Gottlieb (Trident Media Group) – Fiction
3. Jenny Bent (The Bent Agency) – Fiction
4. Kevan Lyon (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency) – Fiction
5. Russell Galen (Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency) – Fiction
6. Holly McGhee (Pippin Properties) – Children’s
7. Meg Thompson (Thompson Literary Agency) – Nonfiction
8. Janis Donnaud (Janis A. Donnaud & Associates) – Nonfiction
9. Frank Weimann (Folio Literary Management) – Nonfiction
10. Sara Crowe (Sara Crowe Literary) – Children’s
11. Rosemary Stimola (Stimola Literary Studio) – Children’s
12. Andrew Stuart (The Stuart Agency) – Nonfiction
13. Emily van Beek (Folio Literary Management) – Children’s
14. Laura Rennert (Andrea Brown Literary Agency) – Children’s
15. Alison Fargis (Stonesong) – Nonfiction
16. Chris Ferebee (Christopher Ferebee) – Nonfiction
17. Steve Troha (Folio Literary Management) – Nonfiction
18. Sarah Passick (Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management) – Nonfiction
19. Ammi-Joan Paquette (Aevitas Creative Management) – Children’s
20. Christy Fletcher (UTA) – Nonfiction
21. Rebecca Sherman (Writers House) – Children’s
22. Esther Fedorkevich (The Fedd Agency) – Nonfiction
23. Gail Ross (William Morris Endeavor) – Nonfiction
24. Don Fehr (Trident Media Group) – Nonfiction
25. Russell Galen (Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency) – Nonfiction
26. Suzie Townsend (New Leaf Literary & Media) – Children’s
27. Molly Ker Hawn (The Bent Agency) – Children’s
28. Stacey Glick (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret) – Nonfiction
29. Zoe Pagnamenta (Calligraph) – Nonfiction
30. Susan Golomb (Writers House) – Fiction
31. Danielle Egan-Miller (Browne & Miller Literary Associates) – Fiction
32. Victoria Sanders (Victoria Sanders & Associates) – Fiction
33. Pete Knapp (Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management) – Children’s
34. Elisabeth Weed (The Book Group) – Fiction
35. Jim McCarthy (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret) – Children’s
36. Lucienne Diver (The Knight Agency) – Fiction
37. Steven Malk (Writers House) – Children’s
38. Michelle Brower (Trellis Literary Management) – Fiction
39. Alexandra Machinist (CAA) – Fiction
40. Joanna Volpe (New Leaf Literary & Media) – Children’s
41. Jennifer Azantian (Azantian Literary Agency) – Children’s
42. Mark Gottlieb (Trident Media Group) – Fiction
43. Christina Hogrebe (Jane Rotrosen Agency) – Fiction
44. Melissa Flashman (Janklow & Nesbit) – Nonfiction
45. Todd Shuster (Aevitas Creative Management) – Nonfiction
46. Lori Kilkelly (LK Literary Agency) – Children’s
47. Bonnie Solow (Solow Literary Enterprises) – Nonfiction
48. David Fugate (LaunchBooks Literary Agency) – Nonfiction
49. Bill Clegg (The Clegg Agency) – Fiction
50. Kimberly Brower (Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management) – Fiction
51. David Black (David Black Literary Agency) – Nonfiction
52. Trinity McFadden (The Bindery) – Nonfiction
53. Alexander Field (The Bindery) – Nonfiction
54. Caitlin Blasdell (Liza Dawson Associates) – Fiction
55. Dan Conaway (Writers House) – Fiction
56. Sarah Younger (Nancy Yost Literary Agency) – Fiction
57. Tanya McKinnon (McKinnon Literary) – Nonfiction
58. Stefanie Lieberman (Janklow & Nesbit) – Fiction
59. Jaidree Braddix (ARC Collective) – Nonfiction
60. Rafe Sagalyn (CAA) – Nonfiction
61. Howard Yoon (William Morris Endeavor) – Nonfiction
62. Jonathan Bronitsky (Athos) – Nonfiction
63. David Kuhn (Aevitas Creative Management) – Nonfiction
64. Molly O’Neill (Root Literary) – Children’s
65. Grainne Fox (UTA) – Fiction
66. Anthony Mattero (CAA) – Nonfiction
67. Leila Campoli (Calligraph) – Nonfiction
68. Elena Giovinazzo (Heirloom Literary & Media) – Children’s
69. Brent Taylor (TriadaUS Literary Agency) – Children’s
70. Britt Siess (Britt Siess Creative Management) – Children’s
71. Suzie Townsend (New Leaf Literary & Media) – Fiction
72. Joelle Delbourgo (Joelle Delbourgo Associates) – Nonfiction
73. Elias Altman (Massie & McQuilkin) – Nonfiction
74. Richard Pine (Inkwell Management) – Nonfiction
75. Kelly Sonnack (Andrea Brown Literary Agency) – Children’s
76. Thao Le (Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency) – Children’s
77. Jessica Watterson (Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency) – Fiction
78. Stephanie Delman (Trellis Literary Management) – Fiction
79. Mark Gottlieb (Trident Media Group) – Nonfiction
80. Scott Mendel (Mendel Media Group) – Nonfiction
81. Byrd Leavell (UTA) – Nonfiction
82. Kate Woodrow (Present Perfect) – Nonfiction
83. Natalie Lakosil (Looking Glass Literary & Media) – Children’s
84. Ellen Levine (Trident Media Group) – Fiction
85. Julie Barer (The Book Group) – Fiction
86. Hannah Bowman (Liza Dawson Associates) – Fiction
87. Peter Steinberg (UTA) – Nonfiction
88. Wendy Sherman (Wendy Sherman Associates) – Nonfiction
89. Jonathan Merritt (Christopher Ferebee) – Nonfiction
90. Hayley Steed (Janklow & Nesbit UK) – Fiction
91. Ginger Clark (Ginger Clark Literary) – Fiction
92. Giles Anderson (Anderson Literary Agency) – Nonfiction
93. Mark Tauber (The Watermark Agency) – Nonfiction
94. Richard Abate (3 Arts Entertainment) – Nonfiction
95. Jennifer Rofe (Andrea Brown Literary Agency) – Children’s
96. Jennifer March Soloway (Andrea Brown Literary Agency) – Children’s
97. Kirsten Hall (Catbird Productions) – Children’s
98. Stephen Barr (Writers House) – Children’s
99. Brenda Bowen (The Book Group) – Children’s
100. Alexander Slater (Sanford J. Greenburger Associates) – Children’s

See agent bios and contact information for the top 100 publishing agents for all book genres above. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form below. You can also scroll below to see the best writer representatives in many of the most popular book sub-genres.

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Best Literary Agents for New Writers | 25 Top Book Agents for First-Time Authors and Debut Authors

The 25 book agents below are the top literary agents for new writers, first-time authors, and debut authors for many of the most popular fiction book genres and sub-genres. In most cases, the author representatives below are included based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for new writers, debut authors, and first-time authors. In that regard, you can consider the following fiction book agents the best literary agents for new writers.

1. Grainne Fox (UTA)
2. Hayley Steed (Janklow & Nesbit UK)
3. Marya Spence (Janklow & Nesbit)
4. Danya Kukafka (Trellis Literary Management)
5. Amy Bishop-Wycisk (Trellis Literary Management)
6. Bill Clegg (The Clegg Agency)
7. Meredith Kaffel Simonoff (The Gernert Company)
8. Stephanie Delman (Trellis Literary Management)
9. Elisabeth Weed (The Book Group)
10. Danielle Bukowski (Sterling Lord Literistic)
11. Julia Kardon (HG Literary)
12. Chad Luibl (Janklow & Nesbit)
13. Julie Flanagan (CAA)
14. Christy Fletcher (UTA)
15. Jessica Spitz (Janklow & Nesbit)
16. Samantha Fabien (Root Literary)
17. Mackenzie Williams (Janklow & Nesbit)
18. Julie Barer (The Book Group)
19. Alexa Stark (Writers House)
20. Stefanie Lieberman (Janklow & Nesbit)
21. Sharon Pelletier (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
22. Victoria Marini (High Line Literary Collective)
23. Johanna Castillo (Writers House)
24. Natalie Edwards (Trellis Literary Management)
25. Helen Edwards (Helen Edwards Rights Agency)

See agent bios and contact info for the top publishing agents for new writers and debut authors above, and all other writer representatives seeking new authors. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Literary Agents for Fiction | Arranged by Book Genre

The book agents below are the top literary agents for fiction based on sales for many of the most popular fiction sub-genres. In most cases, the author representatives below are included because they’ve reported the most six-figure book deals in recent years for the fiction book genres below. In that regard, you can consider the following fiction book agents the best literary agents for fiction.

Best Fiction Literary Agents (General) | 25 Top Book Agents Representing Fiction

These are 25 of the top fiction book agents for representing fiction writers and fiction authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for fiction books and fiction authors. In that regard, you can consider the following fiction publishing agents some of the best fiction book agents.

1. Kevan Lyon (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
2. PJ Mark (Janklow & Nesbit)
3. Stephanie Cabot (Susanna Lea Associates)
4. Molly Friedrich (Friedrich Agency)
5. Allison Hunter (Trellis Literary Management)
6. Stacy Testa (Writers House)
7. Jessica Faust (BookEnds)
8. Hayley Steed (Janklow & Nesbit UK)
9. Bill Clegg (The Clegg Agency)
10. Ellen Levine (Trident Media Group)
11. Anna Stein (CAA)
12. Richard Pine (Inkwell Management)
13. Stefanie Lieberman (Janklow & Nesbit)
14. Jessica Regel (Helm Literary)
15. Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
16. Chris Clemans (Janklow & Nesbit)
17. Lucy Carson (Friedrich Agency)
18. Philip Turner (Philip Turner Book Productions)
19. Margaret Sutherland Brown (Folio Literary Management)
20. Liza Fleissig (Liza Royce Agency)
21. Thao Le (Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency)
22. Li Kangqin (New River Literary)
23. Kaitlyn Katsoupis (Belcastro Agency)
24. Ewan Turner (Philip Turner Book Productions)
25. Marly Rusoff (Marly Rusoff & Associates)

See agent bios and contact info for the top fiction publishing agents above, and all other fiction book agents. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Literary Agents Representing Crime/Mystery Novels | 25 Top Book Agents Seeking Crime and Mystery Fiction

These are 25 of the top book agents representing crime and mystery novels based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for crime and mystery fiction authors. In that regard, you can consider the following mystery and crime fiction publishing agents some of the best book agents representing crime and mystery novelists.

1. Terrie Wolf (AKA Literary)
2. Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
3. Christina Hogrebe (Jane Rotrosen Agency)
4. Kevan Lyon (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
5. Frances Black (The Literary Counsel)
6. Abby Saul (The Lark Group)
7. Jessica Faust (BookEnds)
8. Kim Lionetti (BookEnds)
9. Josh Getzler (HG Literary)
10. John Talbot (Talbot Fortune Agency)
11. Anne Hawkins (John Hawkins & Associates)
12. Barbara Poelle (Word One Literary Agency)
13. Paula Munier (Talcott Notch Literary Services)
14. Adam Chromy (Movable Type Management)
15. Nat Sobel (Sobel Weber Associates)
16. Jessica Errera (Jane Rotrosen Agency)
17. Esmond Harmsworth (Aevitas Creative Management)
18. Sarah Bedingfield (Levine Greenberg Rostan)
19. Helen Breitwieser (Cornerstone Literary)
20. Janet Reid (JetReid Literary Agency)
21. Stephany Evans (Ayesha Pande Literary)
22. David Hale Smith (Inkwell Management)
23. Christine Witthohn (Book Cents Literary Agency)
24. Jim McCarthy (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
25. Jenny Bent (The Bent Agency)

See agent bios and contact info for the top crime fiction publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents accepting crime novels. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Literary Agents for Historical Fiction | 25 Top Historical Fiction Book Agents

These are 25 of the top book agents for historical fiction representing historical fiction writers and historical fiction authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for historical fiction and historical novels. In that regard, you can consider the following historical fiction publishing agents some of the best book agents representing historical fiction writers.

1. Barbara Braun (Barbara Braun Associates)
2. Jessica Alvarez (BookEnds Agency)
3. Jessica Faust (BookEnds Agency)
4. Laura Bradford (Bradford Agency)
5. Farley Chase (Chase Agency)
6. Steven Salpeter (Curtis Brown Agency)
7. Henry Dunow (Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Agency)
8. Jim McCarthy (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, LLC)
9. Ellen Geiger (Frances Goldin Agency)
10. Joshua Getzler (Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency)
11. Pamela Hopkins (Hopkins Literary Associates)
12. Irene Goodman (Irene Goodman Agency)
13. Margret McBride (Margret McBride Agency)
14. Elizabeth Winick Rubinstein (McIntosh & Otis Agency)
15. Eric Myers (Myers Literary Management)
16. Nancy Yost (Nancy Yost Agency)
17. Claire Anderson-Wheeler (Regal Hoffmann & Associates)
18. Russell Galen (Scovil Galen Ghosh Agency)
19. Karen Solem (Spencerhill Associates)
20. Lisa Erbach Vance (The Aaron M. Priest Agency)
21. Elaine Spencer (The Knight Agency)
22. Miriam Altshuler (DeFiore and Company)
23. Adam Schear (DeFiore and Company)
24. Katie Grimm (Don Congdon Associates)
25. Susan Ramer (Don Congdon Associates)

See agent bios and contact info for the top historical fiction publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents accepting historical novels. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Literary Agents for Literary Fiction | 25 Top Literary Fiction Book Agents

These are 25 of the top book agents for literary fiction representing literary fiction writers and literary fiction authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for literary fiction and literary novels. In that regard, you can consider the following literary fiction publishing agents some of the best book agents representing literary fiction novelists

1. Michael Mungiello (Inkwell Management)
2. Jenni Ferrari-Adler (Verve Talent & Literary)
3. Marleen Seegers (2 Seas Agency)
4. Jin Auh (The Wylie Agency)
5. Emily Forland (Brandt & Hochman)
6. Danielle Bukowski (Sterling Lord Literistic)
7. Duvall Osteen (UTA)
8. Erin Harris (Folio Literary Management)
9. Jonah Straus (Straus Literary)
10. Susan Golomb (Writers House)
11. Catherine Cho (Paper Literary)
12. Gail Hochman (Brandt & Hochman)
13. Ellen Levine (Trident Media Group)
14. Marya Spence (Janklow & Nesbit)
15. PJ Mark (Janklow & Nesbit)
16. Anna Stein (CAA)
17. Michelle Brower (Trellis Literary Management)
18. Chris Fischbach (Fischbach Creative)
19. Sandra Pareja (Massie & McQuilkin)
20. Julia Masnik (Watkins Loomis)
21. Anjali Singh (Anjali Singh Agency)
22. Jacqueline Ko (The Wylie Agency)
23. Allison Devereux (Trellis Literary Management)
24. Emma Parry (Janklow & Nesbit)
25. Kiele Raymond (Thompson Literary Agency)

See agent bios and contact info for the top literary fiction publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents seeking literary novels. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Top Romance Literary Agents | 25 of the Best Romance Book Agents

These are 25 of the best romance literary agents representing romance writers and romance authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for romance fiction and romance novels. In that regard, you can consider the following romance publishing agents some of the top book agents representing romance novelists.

1. Jessica Watterson (Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency)
2. Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
3. Jessica Alvarez (BookEnds)
4. Josi Beck (Beck Literary Agency)
5. Kim Lionetti (BookEnds)
6. Taylor Haggerty (Root Literary)
7. Kevan Lyon (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
8. Courtney Miller-Callihan (Handspun Literary)
9. Kimberly Brower (Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management)
10. Flavia Viotti (Bookcase Literary Agency)
11. Jill Marr (Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency)
12. Nicole Resciniti (The Seymour Agency)
13. Sarah Younger (Nancy Yost Literary Agency)
14. Holly Root (Root Literary)
15. Michelle Grajkowski (3 Seas Literary Agency)
16. Ann Leslie Tuttle (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
17. Rachel Beck (Liza Dawson Associates)
18. Samantha Fabien (Root Literary)
19. Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
20. Brent Taylor (TriadaUS Literary Agency)
21. Melissa Edwards (Stonesong)
22. Katie Shea Boutillier (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
23. Elizabeth Bewley (Sterling Lord Literistic)
24. Lesley Sabga (The Seymour Agency)
25. Lauren Spieller (Folio Literary Management)

See agent bios and contact info for the top romance publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents looking for romance novels. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Literary Agents | 25 Top Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Agents

These are 25 of the top science fiction and fantasy book agents representing fantasy and sci-fi writers and authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for science fiction and fantasy novels. In that regard, you can consider the following fantasy and sci-fi publishing agents some of the best book agents representing science fiction and fantasy novelists.

1. Cameron McClure (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
2. Hannah Bowman (Liza Dawson Associates)
3. Seth Fishman (The Gernert Company)
4. Russell Galen (Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency)
5. Eddie Schneider (JABberwocky Literary Agency)
6. Jennifer Azantian (Azantian Literary Agency)
7. Thao Le (Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency)
8. Alec Shane (Writers House)
9. Holly Root (Root Literary)
10. Andrea Somberg (Harvey Klinger)
11. Ethan Ellenberg (Ethan Ellenberg Agency)
12. Whitney Ross (High Line Literary Collective)
13. Richard Abate (3 Arts Entertainment)
14. Zoe Plant (The Bent Agency)
15. Valentina Sainato (JABberwocky Literary Agency)
16. Jill Grinberg (Jill Grinberg Literary Management)
17. Caitlin Mahony (William Morris Endeavor)
18. Keir Alekseii (Azantian Literary Agency)
19. Anne Tibbets (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
20. Suzannah Ball (William Morris Endeavor)
21. Arley Sorg (kt literary)
22. Harry Illingworth (DHH Literary)
23. Jennifer Jackson (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
24. Lucienne Diver (The Knight Agency)
25. Caitlin Blasdell (Liza Dawson Associates)

See agent bios and contact info for the top sci-fi publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents seeking science fiction novels. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Literary Agents for Thrillers | 25 Top Book Agents for Thrillers

These are 25 of the top book agents for thrillers representing thriller writers and authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for thriller fiction and thriller novels. In that regard, you can consider the following thriller publishing agents some of the best book agents representing thriller writers.

1. Mark Gottlieb (Trident Media Group)
2. Liza Fleissig (Liza Royce Agency)
3. John Talbot (Talbot Fortune Agency)
4. Lisa Erbach Vance (Aaron Priest Literary Agency)
5. Josh Getzler (HG Literary)
6. Stephen Barbara (Inkwell Management)
7. Claire Friedman (Inkwell Management)
8. Ariele Fredman (UTA)
9. Scott Miller (Trident Media Group)
10. Dan Conaway (Writers House)
11. Deborah Schneider (Gelfman Schneider)
12. Russell Galen (Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency)
13. Anne Hawkins (John Hawkins & Associates)
14. Victoria Sanders (Victoria Sanders & Associates)
15. Grainne Fox (UTA)
16. Alexandra Machinist (CAA)
17. PJ Mark (Janklow & Nesbit)
18. Mollie Glick (CAA)
19. Caitlin Blasdell (Liza Dawson Associates)
20. Michelle Richter (Fuse Literary)
21. Melissa Edwards (Stonesong)
22. Katie Shea Boutillier (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
23. Robert Gottlieb (Trident Media Group)
24. Jill Marr (Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency)
25. Pam Ahearn (Ahearn Agency)

See agent bios and contact info for the top thriller publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents seeking thriller novels. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Top Women’s Fiction Literary Agents | 25 of the Best Women’s Fiction Book Agents

These are 25 of the best women’s fiction literary agents representing women’s fiction writers and authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for women’s fiction and commercial women’s fiction. In that regard, you can consider the following women’s fiction publishing agents some of the top book agents representing women’s fiction writers.

1. Kimberly Whalen (The Whalen Agency)
2. Steven Axelrod (The Axelrod Agency)
3. Jenny Bent (The Bent Agency)
4. Kevan Lyon (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
5. Helen Breitwieser (Cornerstone Literary)
6. Karen Solem (Spencerhill Associates)
7. Deidre Knight (The Knight Agency)
8. Robert Gottlieb (Trident Media Group)
9. Nancy Yost (Nancy Yost Literary Agency)
10. Nephele Tempest (The Knight Agency)
11. Jane Dystel (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
12. Kristin Nelson (Nelson Literary Agency)
13. Meredith Bernstein (Meredith Bernstein Literary Agency)
14. Annelise Robey (Jane Rotrosen Agency)
15. Danielle Egan-Miller (Browne & Miller Literary Associates)
16. Robin Rue (Writers House)
17. Meg Ruley (Jane Rotrosen Agency)
18. Maria Carvainis (Maria Carvainis Agency)
19. Irene Goodman (Irene Goodman Agency)
20. Laura Bradford (Bradford Literary Agency)
21. Pamela Harty (The Knight Agency)
22. Christina Hogrebe (Jane Rotrosen Agency)
23. Scott Miller (Trident Media Group)
24. Pam Ahearn (Ahearn Agency)
25. Louise Fury (The Bent Agency)

See agent bios and contact info for the top women’s fiction publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents looking for women’s fiction. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Top Children’s Literary Agents – Arranged by Genre

The book agents below are the best children’s literary agents based on sales for the most popular children’s book sub-genres. In most cases, the author representatives below are shown because they’ve reported the most six-figure book deals in recent years for the following children’s book sub-genres: young adult, middle grade, and picture books. In that regard, you can consider the following children’s book agents the top children’s literary agents.

Top Young Adult Literary Agents (YA) | 25 Top YA Book Agents

These are 25 of the best young adult literary agents representing YA writers and YA authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for YA books. In that regard, you can consider the following YA book agents some of the top young adult book agents.

1. Pete Knapp (Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management)
2. Claire Friedman (Inkwell Management)
3. Suzie Townsend (New Leaf Literary & Media)
4. Thao Le (Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency)
5. Larissa Melo Pienkowski (Azantian Literary Agency)
6. Stuti Telidevara (Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management)
7. Jim McCarthy (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
8. Sara Crowe (Sara Crowe Literary)
9. Uwe Stender (TriadaUS Literary Agency)
10. Jennifer Azantian (Azantian Literary Agency)
11. Ali McDonald (5 Otter Literary)
12. Michaela Whatnall (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
13. Rosemary Stimola (Stimola Literary Studio)
14. Michael Bourret (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
15. Josh Adams (Adams Literary)
16. Kristin Nelson (Nelson Literary Agency)
17. Victoria Marini (High Line Literary Collective)
18. Eric Smith (P.S. Literary Agency)
19. Beth Phelan (Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency)
20. Michelle Wolfson (Wolfson Literary Agency)
21. Laura Crockett (TriadaUS Literary Agency)
22. Marietta Zacker (Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency)
23. Susan Hawk (Upstart Crow Literary)
24. Jessica Mileo (Inkwell Management)
25. Naomi Davis (BookEnds)

See agent bios and contact info for the top young adult and YA publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents seeking young adult or YA books including young adult fiction literary agents. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Middle Grade Literary Agents (MG) | 25 Top MG Book Agents

These are 25 of the top middle grade book agents representing MG writers and MG authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for MG books. In that regard, you can consider the following MG book agents some of the best middle grade literary agents.

1. Sara Crowe (Sara Crowe Literary)
2. Suzie Townsend (New Leaf Literary & Media)
3. Ammi-Joan Paquette (Aevitas Creative Management)
4. Jennifer Laughran (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
5. Jim McCarthy (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
6. Shannon Hassan (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
7. Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel (Full Circle Literary)
8. Heather Cashman (Storm Literary Agency)
9. Erin Murphy (Aevitas Creative Management)
10. Rosemary Stimola (Stimola Literary Studio)
11. Emily van Beek (Folio Literary Management)
12. Allison Hellegers (Stimola Literary Studio)
13. Natalie Lakosil (Looking Glass Literary & Media)
14. Joanna Volpe (New Leaf Literary & Media)
15. Carrie Hannigan (HG Literary)
16. Uwe Stender (TriadaUS Literary Agency)
17. Rick Margolis (Rising Bear Literary Agency)
18. Sarah Fisk (The Tobias Literary Agency)
19. James McGowan (BookEnds)
20. Alyssa Eisner Henkin (Birch Path Literary)
21. Ginger Knowlton (Curtis Brown)
22. Stephen Barbara (Inkwell Management)
23. Marietta Zacker (Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency)
24. Jennifer Rofe (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
25. Brent Taylor (TriadaUS Literary Agency)

See agent bios and contact info for the top middle grade and MG publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents seeking middle grade or MG books including middle grade fiction literary agents. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Picture Book Literary Agents | 25 Top Picture Book Agents

These are 25 of the top picture book agents representing picture book writers and picture book authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for picture books. In that regard, you can consider the following picture book agents some of the best picture book literary agents.

1. Christy Ewers (The CAT Agency)
2. Steven Malk (Writers House)
3. Anne Moore Armstrong (The Bright Agency)
4. James McGowan (BookEnds)
5. Jennifer Rofe (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
6. Emily van Beek (Folio Literary Management)
7. Erica Rand Silverman (Stimola Literary Studio)
8. Lara Perkins (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
9. Lori Steel (SteelWorks Literary)
10. Lori Kilkelly (LK Literary Agency)
11. Alexandra Gehringer (The Bright Agency)
12. Aliza Hoover (The CAT Agency)
13. Elena Giovinazzo (Heirloom Literary & Media)
14. Wendi Gu (HG Literary)
15. Jemiscoe Chambers-Black (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
16. Kelly Sonnack (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
17. Holly McGhee (Pippin Properties)
18. Deborah Warren (East-West Agency)
19. Christina Doffing (Astound US)
20. Caryn Wiseman (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
21. Kathleen Rushall (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
22. Carrie Hannigan (HG Literary)
23. Jessica Saint Jean (Root Literary)
24. Kirsten Hall (Catbird Productions)
25. Karen Grencik (Red Fox Literary)

See agent bios and contact info for the top picture book publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents seeking children’s picture books by authors and, in some cases, illustrators. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Nonfiction Literary Agents – Arranged by Book Genre

The book agents below are the top nonfiction literary agents based on sales for many of the most popular nonfiction book sub-genres. In most cases, the author representatives below are shown based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for nonfiction books. In that regard, you can consider the following nonfiction book agents the best nonfiction literary agents.

Top Literary Agents for Nonfiction (General) | 25 Top Nonfiction Book Agents

These are 25 of the best literary agents for nonfiction books representing nonfiction writers and nonfiction authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for nonfiction books. In that regard, you can consider the following nonfiction book agents some of the top book agents for nonfiction.

1. Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
2. Don Fehr (Trident Media Group)
3. Sarah Passick (Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management)
4. Amanda Bernardi (High Line Literary Collective)
5. Laurie Abkemeier (DeFiore and Company)
6. Trinity McFadden (The Bindery)
7. Scott Kaufman (Don Buchwald Agency)
8. Jane Dystel (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
9. Susan Canavan (Waxman Literary Agency)
10. Keely Boeving (WordServe Literary Group)
11. Alexander Field (The Bindery)
12. Esther Fedorkevich (The Fedd Agency)
13. Steve Troha (Folio Literary Management)
14. Eric Lupfer (UTA)
15. Danielle Svetcov (Levine Greenberg Rostan)
16. Rica Allannic (David Black Literary Agency)
17. Lisa Jackson (Alive Literary Agency)
18. Mia Vitale (Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management)
19. James Levine (Levine Greenberg Rostan)
20. Andrew Stuart (The Stuart Agency)
21. Joelle Delbourgo (Joelle Delbourgo Associates)
22. Elias Altman (Massie & McQuilkin)
23. Jaidree Braddix (ARC Collective)
24. Katherine Cowles (Cowles Literary Agency)
25. Leslie Meredith (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)

See agent bios and contact info for the top nonfiction publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents seeking nonfiction books and nonfiction authors. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Business Book Literary Agents | 25 Top Business Book Agents

These are 25 of the top business book agents for representing business book writers and business book authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for business books. In that regard, you can consider the following business book agents some of the best business book literary agents.

1. Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
2. Leila Campoli (Calligraph)
3. Steve Troha (Folio Literary Management)
4. James Levine (Levine Greenberg Rostan)
5. Lynn Johnston (Lynn Johnston Literary)
6. Margo Beth Fleming (Brockman)
7. Jaidree Braddix (ARC Collective)
8. Eloise Davenport (Folio Literary Management)
9. Eric Lupfer (UTA)
10. Pilar Queen (UTA)
11. Scott Kaufman (Don Buchwald Agency)
12. Leah Spiro (Riverside Creative Management)
13. Joelle Delbourgo (Joelle Delbourgo Associates)
14. Rafe Sagalyn (CAA)
15. Regina Brooks (Serendipity Literary Agency)
16. Stacey Glick (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
17. Katherine Flynn (Calligraph)
18. Marc Mikulich (Marc Mikulich Literary Agency)
19. John Willig (Literary Services)
20. Jeff Herman (Jeff Herman Agency)
21. Giles Anderson (Anderson Literary Agency)
22. Esmond Harmsworth (Aevitas Creative Management)
23. Lisa DiMona (Writers House)
24. Bob Diforio (D4EO Literary Agency)
25. Christy Fletcher (UTA)

See agent bios and contact info for the top business book publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents seeking business books and business book authors. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Literary Agents for Memoirs | 25 Top Memoir Book Agents

These are 25 of the top book agents for memoirs representing memoir writers and memoir authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for memoirs. In that regard, you can consider the following memoir book agents some of the best memoir literary agents.

1. Mollie Glick (CAA)
2. Murray Weiss (Catalyst Literary Management)
3. Scott Kaufman (Don Buchwald Agency)
4. Frank Weimann (Folio Literary Management)
5. David Kuhn (Aevitas Creative Management)
6. Alan Nevins (Renaissance)
7. Byrd Leavell (UTA)
8. Margaret Riley King (William Morris Endeavor)
9. Harriet Poland (CAA)
10. Cait Hoyt (CAA)
11. PJ Mark (Janklow & Nesbit)
12. Jennifer Gates (Aevitas Creative Management)
13. Nate Muscato (Aevitas Creative Management)
14. Erin Malone (William Morris Endeavor)
15. Adam Chromy (Movable Type Management)
16. Sarah Chalfant (The Wylie Agency)
17. Mark Gottlieb (Trident Media Group)
18. Susanna Lea (Susanna Lea Associates)
19. David Granger (Aevitas Creative Management)
20. Jennifer Thompson (Nordlyset Literary Agency)
21. Sarah Fuentes (UTA)
22. Abby Saul (The Lark Group)
23. Matilda Forbes Watson (William Morris Endeavor)
24. Alice Whitwham (The Cheney Agency)
25. Mark Tauber (The Watermark Agency)

See agent bios and contact info for the top memoir publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents seeking memoirs and memoir authors. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Best Self-Help Literary Agents | 25 Top Self-Help Book Agents

These are 25 of the top self-help book agents representing self-help writers and personal development authors, based on the number of significant book deals they’ve reported for self-help books. In that regard, you can consider the following self-help book agents some of the best self-help literary agents.

1. Trinity McFadden (The Bindery)
2. Laurie Abkemeier (DeFiore and Company)
3. Jan Baumer (Folio Literary Management)
4. Lauren Hall (Folio Literary Management)
5. Jonathan Merritt (Christopher Ferebee)
6. John Willig (Literary Services)
7. Richard Pine (Inkwell Management)
8. Laura Lee Mattingly (Present Perfect)
9. David Fugate (LaunchBooks Literary Agency)
10. Steve Harris (CSG Literary Partners)
11. Michele Martin (MDM Management)
12. Giles Anderson (Anderson Literary Agency)
13. Steve Troha (Folio Literary Management)
14. Mollie Glick (CAA)
15. Jen Marshall (Aevitas Creative Management)
16. Kara Rota (Thompson Literary Agency)
17. Celeste Fine (Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management)
18. Stephanie Tade (Stephanie Tade Agency)
19. Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)
20. Esther Fedorkevich (The Fedd Agency)
21. Kate Woodrow (Present Perfect)
22. Rebecca Gradinger (UTA)
23. Melissa Flashman (Janklow & Nesbit)
24. Chris Park (DeFiore and Company)
25. Dan Milaschewski (UTA)

See agent bios and contact info for the top self-help publishing agents above, and all other publishing agents seeking self-help books and self-help authors. Simply enter your first name and email address in the opt-in form on this page for FREE INSTANT ACCESS.

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Book Publicist FAQ for Authors – Best Literary Agents

What does a book publicist do? – Best Literary Agents Article Series

A book publicist is hired to create additional exposure for a book via major media outlets, with the primary purpose of selling more copies of the book. While it is possible to pitch most most well-known media outlets (TV, radio, podcasts, print, online) yourself, a well-known book publicist who’s successfully getting exposure with such outlets in the past is going to have an easier time. For the very reason authors want one of the best literary agents to pitch the biggest and most powerful book publishers, authors can benefit from a powerful book publicist to get major media. Like the best literary agents, book publicists know what to say and how to say it—concisely.

Do authors need to hire book publicists? – Best Literary Agents Article Series

No.

I simply wrote this article is because some of my coaching clients who’ve scheduled an Introductory Coaching Call with me and then gone on to get agents (click here to see Author Success Stories) have asked me if they should hire publicists. Some of those authors have gotten some of the best literary agents, while other have gotten up-and-coming agents.

During my nine years as an author coach—and my time as a literary agent prior to that—I never had a situation in which a publisher required or expected an author to hire a publicist. However, some authors do so, to sell more books and increase the odds they’ll be able to publish more books. In other words, the more successful your first book is, the easier it is to get a book deal for the next book(s). Even if you have one of the best literary agents–and a great publisher who does a lot to promote your book–your literary agent and publisher aren’t going to do everything possible to promote your book.

That means an author can/should do some things as well. And, if an author hires a private publicist, the author should coordinate his or her efforts with their publisher, so they don’t duplicate their work. Some publishers do a little to promote a book; others do a lot. Some publishers have an in-house team dedicated to publicity; others have just one person. And, still others, especially small publishers, have just one person who works on publicity part-time, while other book publishers outsource most or all of their publicity efforts.

Are there different types of book publicists? – Best Literary Agents Article Series

Yes.

In two respects.

First, book publicists are like the best literary agents in that some are highly specialized, whereas others are generalists. In other words, some book publicists have experience helping all types of authors get exposure for their book in all types of media (TV, radio, podcasts, print, online), while others only work with certain types of book in certain types of media outlets. Depending on the unique nature of your book, the promotional efforts of your publisher, and other factors, it might make sense for you to promote you book in different ways than someone else. You might have more success and a greater return on your investment.

Book publicists also vary regarding how and what they charge. Most charge a flat fee for a certain amount of time (many have a minimum) or a certain amount of outreach they plan to do that’s agreed on. Some publicists (very few) charge an hourly rate. And, even fewer, charge a fee only when they get results (hardly any publicists work this way, as it’s very difficult, even for a very good publicist, to predict which books are going to do very well—and luck, good timing, or divine intervention (however you want to look at it) are part of the process as well.

How much does a book publicist cost? – Best Literary Agents Article Series

Legitimate book agents, including the best literary agents, don’t get paid unless they sell an author’s book. Hiring a book publicist, however, is like hiring a book editor when it comes to the investment required. You can get a good publicist for anywhere between $2-3,000 or tens of thousands of dollars. It will depend on the caliber of the publicist (as you likely already know, you usually get what you pay for). The cost will also depend on the term of your agreement (most publicists will tell you it takes months to get traction and see decent results). And, the cost will depend on the type of media exposure you want.

For example, it’s going cost more to get booked on major morning TV shows than it will to get booked on small radio stations or a small blog. The cost will also depend on whether you hire the publicist for one round or cycle of promotion or do something long-term. Many publicists are hired for multiple months (minimum) with a monthly cost of thousands of dollars.

Whatever you do, don’t expect to make all the money you spend back via book sales if you hire a publicist. That might happen, but it might not. The best way to think of it is as an investment in your writing career.

In other words, hiring a publicist is no different than hiring someone to create an author website, hiring a freelance editor, or hiring a coach like me to give you the best chance of getting the best literary agents interested in your book. No one that you hire can (or should) promise you’re going to achieve a certain result or outcome. All they can (or should) say is that working with them will give you the best chance of achieving the results you want.

And, if that person has a proven track record and genuinely believes you might be successful together, that’s the best you can hope for.

How should you choose a book publicist? – Best Literary Agents Article Series

If you’re going to hire a publicist, shop around. Do Google searches to browse the many different types of publicists online. Then consider setting up a consultation with multiple publicists, prior to make a decision. Most publicists offer a free or paid consultation, during which you learn things to help you become a better marketer. And, of course, such calls will help you make a better decision regarding who you decided to ultimately hire—if you decide to hire someone.

Where can I learn more about author platform? – Best Literary Agents Article Series

Explaining how to improve one’s profile or platform to attract the best literary agents–or to improve your market reach after you have a book agent–is one of the most difficult things to do in an article. That’s because there are so many different ways to promote a book, depending on an individual author’s: book, time, location, physical limitations (perhaps due to age or a disability), computer ability, pitch ability, article writing ability, interview ability, personality, money available to invest in platform (though you can do a lot without paying), personal preferences, etc.

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula.

The good news is you don’t need to be an extrovert, young, good-looking, etc. to promote a book—authors ask me about things like that sometimes. Anyone can promote a book, and there are many ways to do it. The trick is finding the right way for you.

It’s the same writing a query letter to send to the best literary agents.

There are certain things every author should and shouldn’t do when writing a query. And, learning and following those things will help you significantly improve your odds of getting a good agent. But nothing compares to consulting with someone experienced who can help you see your unique opportunities (and trouble spots) for your unique book and situation.

That’s why I suggest every author consult with someone about their query. Just like a good publicist helps authors find the best hooks, angles, and media people to pitch a story to…I help authors find the best hooks and angles, and the best literary agents, to pitch a story to. Again, click here if you want to learn more about scheduling an Introductory Coaching Call.

And, click here if you want to see my
2-part guide about Author Platform.

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Best Literary Agents | Additional Information and Resources

Before you submit your query letter to one of the top literary agents above, there are two things you need to know. First, this assortment of the best book agents is partly based on deals that have been “self-reported” by the agents to a website called Publishers Marketplace. That means there are many other book agents making deals that don’t report them. In other words, this grouping of the best literary agents doesn’t including every good agent. There are many more successful publishing agents that we weren’t able to include.

How can you find them AND get access to their
contact information and submission requirements?

Click here to enter our FREE Literary Agent Directory
with instant access to more than 1,100 agent profiles.

OR…

Click here now to see the
100 Top Literary Agencies.