US Narrative Non-Fiction Literary Agents Open to Submissions

Literary fiction, upmarket fiction, narrative non-fiction, creative non-fiction, young adult literary fiction, middle grade literary fiction

Wants: Query letter, first 30 pages, author biography

Katie Grimm seeks plot-driven literary and upmarket fiction, narrative and creative nonfiction, and literary fiction for young adult and middle grade audiences. She looks for voice-driven books with a heartbeat and sense of purpose, particularly interested in the darker and weirder side of human history, previously under- or misrepresented experiences, and narratives that contribute to larger cultural conversations.

Send query via Query Manager at https://querymanager.com or KGRIMM with query letter, first 30 pages, and author biography.

Literary fiction, upmarket fiction, narrative non-fiction, memoir, young adult fiction

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, first ten pages

Alexandra is particularly interested in upmarket and literary fiction, narrative nonfiction and memoir, and select literary Young Adult.

Email queries to acf@cbltd.com with a synopsis and the first ten pages of your manuscript in the body of the email with QUERY in the subject line.

Literary fiction, upmarket fiction, narrative nonfiction, select expert-driven practical nonfiction, horror

In nonfiction she is drawn above all else to lyrical writing and rigorous thinking, and is interested in climate change, nature, ecology, geopolitics, migration, pop culture, tech, psychology, and in works that might be defined as cultural anthropology. In fiction she is looking for horror—especially social horror, feminist horror, and folk horror—, literary fiction that flirts with genre, working class characters, and intimate novels. She is particularly interested in LGBTQ+ writing across categories. She does not represent books for children, including YA.

Accepts queries exclusively via query manager

Literary fiction, business, finance, memoir, narrative nonfiction, parenting, religion, spirituality, science, advice, relationships

Wants: Query letter

Bethany represents literary fiction and nonfiction, including business/finance, memoir, narrative nonfiction, parenting, religion/spirituality, science, general nonfiction, advice and relationships.

Submit through the Wave Literary QueryTracker form.

Narrative nonfiction, memoir, popular culture, humor, nonfiction, fiction

Wants: Online submission form

Daniel Greenberg specializes in narrative nonfiction, memoir, popular culture, and humor, but will consider any project when he has a personal connection with the book and is excited to represent the author.

Submit through Levine Greenberg Rostan's official online submission form. Daniel Greenberg's official profile lists his LGR email, and the official submissions page directs submissions through the agency form.

Literary fiction, upmarket fiction, narrative nonfiction, cultural criticism, essays, expert-driven nonfiction, translation

Wants: Query form

Christopher Combemale is looking for a broad range of literary fiction and voice-driven upmarket fiction with an unexpected hook, including a literary campus novel. In nonfiction he is interested in narrative nonfiction, cultural criticism and essays, and expert-driven projects. He is drawn to international voices and writers in translation.

Submit to Sterling Lord Literistic through the official submissions page form. SLL says it can only respond to queries if interested in seeing more material and does not represent screenplays.

Adult fiction, young adult fiction, book club fiction, romantic comedy, literary fiction, mystery, thriller, horror, narrative nonfiction, cultural criticism, essays, current affairs, pop culture, psychology, nature, science

Wants: Query letter, comparable books, first twenty pages or proposal

Dana Murphy represents a wide range of fiction and nonfiction for adults and select fiction for teen readers. She wants fiction with heart, humor, specificity, surprise, high-concept hooks, confident voice, rom-coms, book club fiction, literary fiction with form or genre elements, mysteries, thrillers, horror, found family stories, and narrative nonfiction or essay collections about culture, pop culture, criticism, power structures, object histories, big ideas, and deeply researched cultural history.

Submit through Dana Murphy's official QueryManager form linked from Trellis. The form asks writers to review her wishlist and provide author bio, title, word count, genre, query letter, comparable books, AI-use disclosure, and the first 20 pages or a full nonfiction proposal. Trellis asks writers not to submit to multiple Trellis agents during the 8-12 week review window.

Journalism, narrative nonfiction, food writing, cookbooks, fiction, humor

Wants: Online submission form

Danielle Svetcov represents journalism, narrative nonfiction, food and agriculture books, chef and restaurant books, cookbooks, funny books, fiction, and clients whose work is serious but amused, oppositional but reasoned, and willing to go deep into rabbit holes.

Submit through Levine Greenberg Rostan's official online submission form. Danielle Svetcov's official profile lists her LGR email, and the official submissions page directs submissions through the agency form.

Platform-driven nonfiction, memoir, pop culture, wellness, narrative nonfiction

Michael Johnston is a CAA Literary Agent based in the New York office. He creates publishing opportunities across agency departments, with a focus on platform-driven nonfiction, memoir, pop culture, wellness, and narrative nonfiction.

Submit through Michael Johnston's official CAA profile when the profile shows the submission button or link. CAA says to review the list of available agents, identify the agent aligned with the project, and use the agent profile submission link if the agent is open. CAA generally advises sending to one literary agent, particularly the one best aligned with the work. CAA does not represent screenplays through its book-submission process.

Literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, cultural history, politics, biography, arts

Wants: Query letter, short bio, first ten pages

Edward Orloff is interested in literary fiction and narrative nonfiction, especially cultural history, politics, biography, and the arts.

Email queries to queries@mccormicklit.com and indicate in the subject line that you are querying Edward Orloff. Include a query letter describing the work, a short bio, and up to ten sample pages in the body of the email. Do not send attachments.

Literary fiction, upmarket fiction, narrative non-fiction, memoir, creative non-fiction, design, craft, lifestyle

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, first 50 pages

She is seeking new voices in fiction and narrative nonfiction, especially stories about dynamic relationships between complex but sympathetic characters, families, siblings, and motherhood, social commentary, unconventional settings and subcultures, our relationship with land, nature, and animals, and controlled experiments with form. She is particularly interested in work that investigates or reflects on the post-colonial world, marginalized and liminal spaces, and narratives by people of color. In non-fiction, she is primarily looking for idea-driven or voice-forward memoirs, personal essay collections, and narrative non-fiction of all stripes.

Send a query letter, synopsis, and the first fifty pages of the manuscript directly through Query Manager.

Literary fiction, horror, thriller, contemporary fiction, queer fiction, magical realism, narrative non-fiction, memoir, essay collections

Wants: Query letter, first three chapters, nonfiction book proposal

Nina is looking for literary fiction, horror/thriller, contemporary fiction, queer fiction, and magical realism. She is drawn to emotionally complex characters, family sagas (especially those that focus on mothers and daughters), voice-driven novels, and untold queer stories. She is always on the lookout for psychological horror, particularly queer horror novels. In nonfiction, she is most interested in narrative nonfiction such as memoirs and essay collections, with climate, psychology, and gender/queer studies as top categories.

Submit query via QueryManager profile. Include query letter and first three chapters for fiction or full nonfiction book proposal.

Literary fiction, young adult, narrative non-fiction, speculative fiction, magical realism

Wants: Query letter, sample pages

For adult fiction, she seeks innovative literary fiction that is sharp, subversive, evocative, and genre-bending works including speculative concepts, ghost stories, and magical realism. For Young Adult, she wants high concept and voice-driven novels that are atmospheric and haunting. In nonfiction, she gravitates toward community-oriented narrative nonfiction with engaging research, social/cultural histories, and intersectional work that questions existing institutions and systems.

Starting January 15, 2025, she no longer accepts unsolicited email queries. Submit queries via Query Manager form with query letter and first 5 pages in the body.

Literary fiction, essay collections, cultural criticism, military history, intellectual history, narrative journalism, narrative nonfiction, practical nonfiction, biography, history, memoir, pop culture, young adult, middle grade, upmarket women's fiction

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

Benjamin is interested in representing literary fiction, essay collections, cultural criticism, military and intellectual history, and narrative journalism. The agency also welcomes narrative/practical nonfiction, biography, history, memoir, pop culture, literary fiction, young adult, middle grade, and upmarket women's fiction.

Email a query letter to query@elizabethkaplanlit.com. Do not send attachments, fiction writers may paste the first ten pages into the body of the email. The agency replies only if interested.

Fiction, nonfiction, literary fiction, commercial fiction, women's fiction, romance, mystery, thriller, memoir, narrative nonfiction, self-help, health, wellness, cookbooks, business, biography

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, sample pages

Denise says she will look at anything, with emphasis on strong writing and storytelling across fiction and nonfiction. Her stated interests include literary and commercial fiction, women's fiction, romance, mystery, thriller, memoir, narrative nonfiction, self-help, health and wellness, cookbooks, business, and biography.

Submit through the Barone Literary online submissions form. Include a query letter, synopsis, and sample pages as requested by the form.

Narrative nonfiction, memoir, self-help, pop culture, social justice, literary fiction, book club fiction, thriller, historical fiction, horror, jewish issues, young adult

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, author bio

Alicia is seeking narrative nonfiction from writers with diverse voices, memoir with big concepts, self-help, pop culture, social justice, literary fiction, book club fiction, thrillers, historical fiction, horror, Jewish issues, and YA fiction and nonfiction.

Submit through the Alicia Brooks Literary Agency contact form with a query letter, project synopsis, author bio, contact information, genre, subgenre, word count, and a subject formatted as project title by author name. A full manuscript or proposal will be requested if there is interest.

Commercial fiction, upmarket fiction, women's fiction, romance, mystery, horror, romantasy, young adult, narrative nonfiction, middle grade

Wants: Query letter, first twenty five pages, proposal, sample chapter, bio, comparable books

Ann Leslie Tuttle is seeking commercial and upmarket women's fiction, contemporary and historical fiction, fiction with complex family dynamics and sagas, psychological thrillers, romance, mystery, horror, romantasy, YA, narrative nonfiction by journalists, academics, and experts with a timely premise and platform, stories with strong sense of place, voice-driven fiction, female hidden histories, uplifting work, select faith or art history projects, MG, and nonfiction from underrepresented voices.

Submit by email to atuttle@dystel.com. Dystel asks writers to query one agent at a time, include the full query in the body of the email, and include the first 25 pages for fiction or a proposal with sample chapter for nonfiction in the email body. Picture book and graphic novel submissions have separate sample requirements listed on the official guidelines page.

Narrative nonfiction, cookbooks, lifestyle, psychology, sports, nature, spirituality, wellness, humor, pop culture

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, pitch, target audience, comparable books

Eryn seeks nonfiction that reveals universal truths, practical books that inspire more fulfilling lives and stronger community, and projects in cooking, lifestyle, psychology, sports, nature, spirituality, wellness, humor and pop culture.

Submit through Eryn Kalavsky's QueryManager form. Submit to only one SLM agent at a time, no response within 12 weeks means pass.

Narrative nonfiction, history, biography, politics, current affairs, foreign affairs, memoir, food, health, adventure, environment, travel, historical fiction

Wants: Query letter, first three pages

Deborah is interested in narrative nonfiction in history, biography, politics, current and foreign affairs, memoir, food, health, adventure, the environment and travel, especially academic writers ready to move to more popular writing. For fiction, she is interested in great storytelling, especially in a historical context.

Email queries only, with no attachments. For fiction, paste the first three pages into the email. For nonfiction, include evidence of a full-length book idea, author credentials, and market.

Young adult romance, literary fiction, family saga, magical realism, narrative nonfiction, wellness, social activism

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, first five pages, author bio, comparable books

Jesseca is selectively looking for contemporary YA romance, literary fiction with family stories, strong sense of place, magical or mystical elements or daring voice, and narrative nonfiction in wellness, social activism and purposeful living.

Submit through Jesseca Salky's QueryManager form. Submit to only one SLM agent at a time, no response within 12 weeks means pass.

Middle grade, young adult, narrative nonfiction, sports, science, mathematics, economics, psychology, journalistic nonfiction

Wants: Query letter

Krista is looking for middle grade and young adult projects, plus several adult nonfiction areas: narrative, sports, accessible applied science, mathematics, economics, psychology and journalistic narrative.

Submit through Krista Van Dolzer's QueryTracker form. If there is no response within three months, consider it a pass.

Literary fiction, nonfiction, memoir, essays, narrative nonfiction

Wants: Query letter, first ten to fifteen pages, proposal

Ayla Zuraw-Friedland is interested in literary fiction and nonfiction that inspect big questions about queer identity, class, community, and art and technology through a personal lens. She does not represent Young Adult, Middle Grade, or Picture Books.

Send Ayla Zuraw-Friedland a query at azf@goldinlit.com. For fiction, memoir, essays, or narrative nonfiction, include a query letter and the first 10-15 pages in the body of the email. For other nonfiction, send a query letter and attach a proposal if prepared. Submit to only one Frances Goldin agent at a time.

Practical nonfiction, business, health, wellness, mind body spirit, psychology, parenting, technology, narrative nonfiction, memoir, biography, history, pop culture, current affairs, women's interest, social trends, sports, fitness, literary fiction, upmarket fiction, suspense, thriller

Wants: Query letter, author bio

Dana is interested in practical nonfiction by authors with smart, unique perspectives and established platforms, compelling narrative nonfiction, memoir, biography, history, pop culture, current affairs, women's interest, social trends, sports and fitness, plus select literary fiction, upmarket fiction, and suspense/thriller.

Email dananewmanliterary@gmail.com with QUERY and the title in the subject line. Send a one-page query letter in the body of the email with category, title, word count, project overview, credentials, publishing history, contact details, and disclosure of simultaneous submissions. Do not send attachments.

Literary fiction, upmarket fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, mystery, thriller, food writing, journalism

Wants: Query letter, first five pages, author bio

Kate is particularly interested in literary and upmarket fiction, memoir and narrative nonfiction that contributes to conversations that move society forward, with strong narrative voices and clear confidence of intention.

Submit through Kate Garrick's QueryManager form. Submit to only one SLM agent at a time, no response within 12 weeks means pass.