17 agents · 14 currently open to submissions
YA contemporary is one of the most voice-sensitive corners of children's publishing. Agents are looking for immediacy, emotional pressure, and a teenage point of view that feels lived rather than observed. The lane can run from Jenny Han-style romance to issue-led realism, friendship, grief, identity, school, family, and first independence.
A word on the search. Some agents list YA and contemporary separately, while others say children's, teen fiction, or realistic fiction. This page narrows to agents with both YA and contemporary signals. Use the broad search toggle on the main directory when you want the wider YA field before checking each agent's exact taste.
Every listing on PairPi is verified against the agent's own website, with the date we last checked. For YA contemporary, the submission needs to show why this problem belongs to this age, and why the voice could not be borrowed from an adult novel.
Middle grade, ya, adult fiction
MG adventures (fresh), funny MG with series potential, contemporary and mythology for MG, YA romance with strong hook. Adult: women's fiction, dark psychological thrillers, contemporary funny romantic adventure
Email - jo@antonyharwood.com
Children's fiction and non-fiction (to ya or crossover)
Ambitious storytelling, bold structure/voice, fresh takes on genre, author/illustrators, underrepresented/marginalised voices, high-concept contemporary YA romance, horror/thrillers, hooky YA fantasy/speculative, hilarious MG, screen potential
Email - rachelsubmissions@theblairpartnership.com
Literary fiction, commercial fiction, literary non-fiction, commercial non-fiction, ya, children's books, biography, memoir, history, popular culture, humour
Quality women's fiction including romantasy and love stories, smart contemporary thrillers with a difference, a great northern novel set in the north east or midlands, biography, memoir, history, popular culture, humour
Email synopsis and three sample chapters as a Word attachment, plus author biography, to info@sarah-such.com. No unsolicited manuscripts or telephone enquiries.
Literary fiction, contemporary fiction, upmarket fiction, book club fiction, fantasy, horror, young adult, crossover
Wants: Query letter, synopsis, first three chapters
Clara Foster wants intelligent, original fiction with deep emotion, strong line-level writing, and voice-led characters. She is looking for adult literary contemporary fiction with a strong female focus, upmarket and book club novels that are cleverly conceived, beautifully written, and accessible, fantasy and horror that explore the real world or the self, historical romantasy, urban fantasy, academic settings, body horror, lightly speculative fiction, and YA/crossover stories that are political while providing a strong story. She is not a likely fit for commercial women's fiction, science fiction, World War II or Holocaust stories, or narratives driven primarily by sexual assault, eating disorders, a great lie, or death of a child. She is not accepting nonfiction except by referral.
Submit via Clara Foster's official QueryTracker link from her submissions page. Send a query letter, synopsis, and first three chapters. All queries will receive a response.
Young adult, new adult, contemporary romance, romantasy, fantasy, paranormal romance
Wants: Query letter, first ten pages
Isabel Lineberry is Junior Agent and Rights Administrator at Perez Literary & Entertainment and is building a client list focused on YA, New Adult, and romance. She represents YA and New Adult and is particularly interested in contemporary romance, romantasy, fantasy, paranormal romance, queer and underrepresented voices, strong character and voice, romantic tension, charming villains, banter, morally grey characters, kick-ass heroines, believable worldbuilding, fairytale retellings, dark fantasy, alternate histories, historical fantasy, and occasional steampunk or dystopia. She is not interested in cheating storylines, accidental pregnancy, step-sibling romance, unnecessary miscommunication tropes, or Tolkien-esque hard worldbuilding with 100k+ quests.
Submit only through QueryManager at http:// queryManager.com or IsabelLineberry. PLE asks for a query letter and the first ten pages of a novel or the first ten pages of a nonfiction sample chapter. Submissions received by email or other methods will not be considered or read. Do not send an exclusive query.
Fiction, non-fiction, ya
Character-driven, high-concept fiction with commercial hook, genre esp fantasy/horror, high-concept thrillers, voice-led contemporary, sweeping historical, romance/romcom, select narrative non-fiction (memoir/history/nature/science)
Email maria@greyhoundliterary.co.uk with a cover letter and pitch in the body of the email. For fiction, attach the first three chapters and a synopsis. For non-fiction, attach a proposal and sample writing.
Literary fiction, commercial fiction, book club fiction, contemporary fiction, commercial women's fiction, crime, mystery, thrillers, fantasy, genre romance, historical fiction, horror, ghost stories, sagas, science fiction, biography, memoir, cookery, gardening, gift books, humour, history, military history, lifestyle, mind-body-spirit, self-improvement, politics, popular science, psychology, travel, children's, ya
SF/fantasy, sweeping historical fiction, character-driven sci-fi, action/adventure, crime. Non-fiction: history, biography, music
Email submissions@sheilland.co.uk with a cover letter, a one-page synopsis (fiction) or brief outline (non-fiction), a short CV, and the first three chapters or around fifty pages. Submissions should be 1.5 line spaced with margins and page numbers, and must include a word count. Only one work at a time. No AI-generated content accepted.
Children's fiction, ya, adult fiction, non-fiction
Eclectic, currently: upmarket contemporary, friendships, thoughtful sci-fi/fantasy, sweeping love stories, darkly magical, humorous, memoir/essays (occasional). Avoids gritty/harrowing crime, no picture books or poetry
Email the first three chapters, a 1-2 page synopsis including the full plot outline and ending, and a covering letter (Word format preferred) to submissions.bryony@bryonywoods.co.uk. The covering letter should describe the book, include a short author biography, and note any previous writing experience.
Children's fiction, middle grade, ya, adult fiction
Children: singular/underrepresented voices, powerful ideas. Adult: commercial women's fiction, uplit, sagas, romance (contemporary, romcom, historical)
Email catherine@marjacq.com with a covering letter in the body of the email, the first fifty pages of the manuscript and a synopsis (for fiction) attached as Word or PDF documents, with total file size not exceeding 2MB.
Children's and ya (and some adult)
Middle grade and YA fiction across genres (pref voice/character-driven, contemporary/realistic settings, magical realism, original psychological thrillers, atmospheric horror, light fantasy). Also open to original children/YA non-fiction, selectively adult literary projects
Submit by email via the PFD books submission page at https://petersfraserdunlop.com or submissions or books/, including a cover letter, synopsis, and the first three chapters or approximately 50 pages for fiction, or a detailed proposal for non-fiction.
Fiction and non-fiction
Prioritising MG/YA and new adult/adult commercial fiction, romance including romcom/dark/epic, romantasy, YA contemporary with humour/romance, YA thrillers/horror, MG funny contemporary
Email - submissions@watsonlittle.com
Ya, new adult, contemporary romance, romantasy, fantasy, paranormal romance
Wants: Query letter, first ten pages
Kristina represents authors and publishers across many genres and categories. She is actively seeking Horror, particularly folk horror, Gothic with a fresh twist, horror fantasy, social horror, feminist horror, queer horror, and dark comedies that bleed into horror territory. She is also looking for crossover YA/NA Fantasy with strong romantic elements and well-considered world building, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Non-Fiction focused on neuroscience, narrative popular science, smart thinking, and lesser-known female historical figures.
Kristina is currently closed to queries. When open, all queries must be submitted through Query Manager. Writers should upload a query letter and the first ten pages of their novel or the first ten pages of a non-fiction sample chapter. Submissions received by email or other methods will not be considered or read. Exclusive queries are not accepted.
Children's and ya fiction, na or crossover, commercial women's fiction, narrative non-fiction
MG: voice-driven with heart/humour, contemporary or MG fantasy series. YA: friendships/firsts/feels, high-concept/speculative romance or thriller. NA and commercial women's: romance-forward with unusual circumstances, romcom (college/university), darkly comic new-parenthood, also speculative/historical romance. Romantasy: romance-forward, grounded magic, morally grey. Non-fiction: extraordinary challenges/adventures, experts in STEM/history/pop culture/mental health. Not sci-fi, crime fiction, picture books
Email submission@bell-lomax.co.uk with a covering letter in the email body, a short synopsis (including full plot details), and the first three chapters (no more than 50 pages, double spaced) as a Word document or PDF. Do not address the submission to more than one agent.
Children's books
Actively seeking new clients, MG adventure/series potential, YA romance and fantasy, horror/monster stories, contemporary teen, queer/found-family, SFF across YA/new adult (not grimdark)
Email - childrens@darleyanderson.com
Science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, contemporary ya, middle grade, ya, adult
Wants: First 10 pages, query letter, synopsis
Speculative fiction across all sub-genres, with a strong voice and original concept — a speculative element is required for adult and Middle Grade works. For YA, also accepts contemporary fiction without a speculative element. Particularly interested in work informed by non-binary, bisexual, and chronically ill perspectives, and inspired by video games and tabletop RPGs. Not a fit for literary fiction, adult contemporary, non-fiction, historical fiction without a significant speculative lens, picture books, or chapter books.
Miriam is currently closed to unsolicited queries. When open, submit your first 10 pages, query letter, and synopsis via QueryTracker: https:// queryTracker.net or query or miriamc
Children's fiction
Middle grade with mystery/adventure, heartfelt contemporary MG, ambitious fantasy, young fiction (5-8) with clear hook, YA (incl romantasy/thrillers/romance tropes), underrepresented voices
Email chloe@darleyanderson.com when open to submissions
Children's authors and illustrators
Children's authors/illustrators across ages/genres, currently especially: witches, teen romance/romcom series, MG/YA sci-fi/fantasy, MG/YA horror/supernatural, YA romantasy, books for boys, compelling contemporary. For picture books/graphic novels currently only author-illustrators
Email childrensbooksubmissions@theagency.co.uk with submissions as attachments, not download links. Do not email the agent directly. No postal submissions.
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