UK Young adult (YA) Literary Agents

Children's books

Children's fiction and illustration: voice/style-first, strong hooks, diverse/own voices welcomed

Email a short cover letter, a one- or two-sentence pitch including the hook and intended readership, and a writing sample pasted into the body of the email (a full picture book text or a couple of chapters of a novel) to submissions@thecatchpoleagency.co.uk. Illustrators should also include a link to their online portfolio. Do not submit by post. If own voices or diverse applies, include #ownvoices or #diverse in the subject line.

Children's fiction (toddler to teenage) and illustrators

Children's fiction (toddler to teenage)

The agency is no longer accepting new submissions.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, thrillers, young adult, history, travel, food, nature writing, investigative journalism, popular science, popular psychology

Literary fiction, book club and commercial fiction (including thrillers and YA). In non-fiction: history, travel, food, nature writing, investigative journalism, popular science and popular psychology.

Email: rachel@georginacapel.com

Fiction, non-fiction, middle-grade fiction, ya

Steven reads fiction and non-fiction of all kinds. In non-fiction, he is drawn to books that shed light on under-represented perspectives, communities and histories. In fiction, he seeks novels that explore new ideas, challenge the reader, or play with style, form, character and/or plot — writing with a sense of purpose that takes him by surprise. In middle-grade fiction, he is particularly looking for a quirky detective/mystery series, a fun historical adventure exploring contemporary issues, and a funny, warm-hearted family- or relationship-based drama with a strong voice. In YA, he is keen to read more thrillers.

Do not send submissions directly to Steven's email address unless he has specifically requested your work. For general submissions, please check the agency's submission guidelines first.

Foreign rights, graphic novels

Wants: Senior foreign-rights agent; sells rights in spain/latam/italy/brazil/portugal; liaises with foreign offices

Juliana represents Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children's and YA titles, with a particular focus on Spanish and Portuguese speaking territories worldwide. She also handles Graphic Novels and works across markets including Spain, Latin America, Italy, Brazil, and Portugal. She is drawn to exciting new voices and international authors whose work can travel across languages and borders.

Email submissions@nurnberg.co.uk with the agent's name in the subject line.

Humor, children's, picture books, middle grade, young adult

Creative, proactive, and friendly artists working across all genres and age ranges, particularly projects that are humorous, quirky, or designed to spark meaningful conversations

Send all enquiries to mail@thebrightagency.com.

Fiction and non-fiction, children's

Generalist across non-fiction, fiction and children's, looking to connect with writers who have a purpose and whose work speaks to the heterogeneity of human experience

QueryManager or submission form - https://www.aevitascreative.com or contact

Picture books, middle grade fiction, young adult fiction, children's nonfiction

Middle-grade and young adult fiction, including novels celebrating unlikely underdog alliances, close siblings, fierce friendships, and found families, with particular interest in stories centered on queer and BIPOC community and joy. In middle-grade: cozy, emotionally resonant fantasy and literary-leaning multi-layered mysteries. In young adult: sweeping fantasy set in fully realized unique worlds, especially those inspired by non-European cultures, as well as thrillers with strong hooks. Also open to well-researched, propulsive narrative nonfiction for both categories, especially from authors from marginalized communities.

Query Erin Murphy through Query Tracker only. Include a query letter and sample pages as requested through the platform.

Children's and ya, select adult speculative

Exceptional MG and YA fiction with global commercial appeal, graphic novels for children/YA with illustrations in place, very selective adult speculative, not picture books for new clients

Email - mollysubmissions@davidhigham.co.uk

Children's and ya

See source page for more info

QueryManager or email (agency) - submissions@ashliterary.com

Fiction and non-fiction, children's

Adult: literary fiction, commercial women's, psychological suspense, gothic thrillers, ghost stories, historical including alternate histories, creeping-horror edge (not high fantasy). Children's: 7+/MG/YA, originality/depth, underrepresented voices welcome

Email submissions@nurnberg.co.uk

Fiction, children's books, illustration

See source page for more info

Email davinia@andlynliterary.co.uk for all enquiries.

Children's authors and illustrators

Picture books, young fiction (5-8, series/character-led), MG (incl mystery/spooky/diary-format/graphic novel), YA (gritty realism, romance with twist, some spec elements), children's non-fiction

Email (to agent) - https://www.unitedagents.co.uk or etalbotunitedagentscouk

Children's literature, middle grade, chapter books, young adult, picture books

Penny Moore represents children's literature, mainly middle grade, chapter books, young adult, and select picture books. Though she is interested in all genres, she is specifically seeking inventive works featuring breakout voices and compelling plot lines that will make young readers feel seen and heard for the first time.

Penny only accepts submissions via Query Manager. Submit through her Query Manager page at https:// queryManager.com or LiteraryPenny.

Middle grade, ya, science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance

Sci-fi, fantasy, horror and romance from MG through YA/crossover to adult, with quality writing, compelling characters and hooky plots

Email - mjamieson@unitedagents.co.uk

Commercial fiction and non-fiction, narrative podcast pitches

Strong hook, brilliant pacing, big-picture career thinkers. Not open to children's books, sci-fi/fantasy or YA

Email - https://www.marjacq.com or submissions.html

Self-help, pop culture, music, memoir, history, science, politics, social justice, narrative food writing, faith, true crime, commercial fiction, psychological thrillers, horror thrillers, children's books, picture books, ya

Rick Richter represents self-help, pop culture and music, memoir, history, science, politics and social justice, narrative food writing, and faith. He is also interested in select true crime, commercial fiction, and psychological/horror thrillers and diverse voices in all categories. He has extensive experience in children's books and represents illustrators and children's authors writing fiction and non-fiction from picture books through YA.

Rick Richter only accepts queries through Query Manager. Please check his Query Manager profile for more information.

Fiction and non-fiction

Eclectic list across adult and children's/YA, drawn to strong voices, compelling concepts, and humour

Email Isobel@rcwlitagency.com with a one-page synopsis, brief bio, and first three chapters.

Fiction, non-fiction, poetry

SFF and YA with diverse casts and fun/unique concepts, hopeful and engaging non-fiction

Email submissions@janklow.co.uk with your name, the title of your work, and the agent's name in the subject line. Include a covering letter in the body of the email. For fiction, attach a synopsis and either the first three chapters or the first fifty pages. For non-fiction, attach a full chapter-by-chapter outline and, if possible, a sample chapter. For poetry, attach a short pitch and a sample of 3–5 poems. All documents should be double-spaced, size 12, in a reasonable font. Attach files directly (Word preferred, PDFs accepted), do not include external links.

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.