US Contemporary Literary Agents

Adult fiction, young adult, contemporary fiction, upmarket fiction, commercial fiction, family saga, coming-of-age, rom-com, narrative nonfiction, memoir, self-help, sports, humor, pop culture, business, science, technology, social justice, human rights, feminist issues

Wants: Query letter, first five pages, full proposal

JL is reviewing fiction and nonfiction projects: adult and YA contemporary, upmarket and commercial fiction, family stories, coming-of-age, rom-coms, plus prescriptive and narrative nonfiction, memoir, style, fashion, art, culture, mental health, spirituality, self-help, sports, humor, pop culture, business, science, tech, social justice, human rights and feminist issues.

Submit a query letter and first five pages or full nonfiction proposal through the Next Level Lit QueryManager form. Do not query JL by email.

Picture books, chapter books, middle grade, graphic novels, young adult, new adult, select adult, illustrators, commercial fiction, contemporary, fantasy, dystopian, mystery, horror, romance, science fiction, humour

Hollie Michaels is building a list across children's and adult work. In picture books she wants humour of all kinds including dark and wacky, kids being kids, commercial fiction, and nonfiction told in an engaging way, and is not a good fit for didactic or lesson-based books. In middle grade and chapter books she wants commercial, contemporary, fantasy, dystopian, mystery and horror with humour, heart and a strong voice. She takes graphic novel pitch packets at chapter book, middle grade and young adult level, preferring author-illustrators, though writers with a real background in comics are welcome. In young adult she wants commercial, fantasy, dystopian, romance, science fiction and horror. In new adult she wants romance, fantasy and genre mashups. In adult she is selective and looking for humour and a unique voice across commercial, science fiction, dystopian and romantic comedy, cosy and witchy fantasy, and supernatural or speculative horror. She also represents illustrators working in traditional and digital styles and does not accept AI-generated work.

Submit to Hollie Michaels through her official QueryTracker form. The form asks for a bio, the book title, word count, genre, a covering letter, a synopsis and the first twenty pages pasted in, with artwork or a portfolio link where relevant. Martin-Newens accepts submissions by email or through QueryTracker only, asks writers to put QUERY and the title in the email subject line, and asks that only one representative at the agency is approached at a time. Mention publisher submission history and previous publishing credits if you have them, and tell the agency straight away if you receive an offer of representation.

Commercial romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, upmarket thrillers, contemporary fiction, young adult fiction, cookbooks, food writing, sports, pop culture, music, psychology, lifestyle, wellness

Wants: Query letter, first 10 pages

In fiction, she is looking for commercial romance, adult and crossover fantasy, science fiction, horror, upmarket thrillers, contemporary fiction and select young adult fiction. She is drawn to stories that embrace genre conventions from a fun, fresh angle. In non-fiction, she is looking for cookbooks and food writing, sports, pop culture, music, psychology, lifestyle, and wellness, especially when approached from a specific, unique perspective.

Include the first ten pages of text only within the body of your email for adult fiction, adult memoir, adult non-fiction essay collection, or children's fiction and non-fiction.

Mysteries, thrillers, cozies, contemporary romance, romcoms, upmarket women's fiction, memoirs, narratives, cookbooks, self-help, mg fiction, ya fiction, historical narratives

Adult Fiction: High-stakes mysteries and thrillers, and funny cozies––especially ones featuring ensembles, intergenerational family dynamics, and/or main characters outside of law enforcement, military, or journalism; contemporary romance and romcoms; upmarket women's fiction. Adult Non-Fiction: memoirs, narratives, cookbooks involving family heritage, self-help with concrete takeaways, empowerment, cultural tradition, and parts of history not typically taught in school. MG and YA: commercial fiction, including contemporary fantasy, horror, romance, mystery, and thriller––including ones with spooky or paranormal elements––especially ones that grapple with identity and/or intersectionality with fresh perspectives.

Use QueryManager link provided

Commercial nonfiction, commercial fiction, health and well-being, psychology or self-help, politics and current affairs, memoir, personal finance, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, women's bookclub fiction

Wants: Query letter

Women's bookclub fiction, Epic juicy generational sagas, Historical mysteries and thrillers, Genre mash-ups, A great triplets thriller, Activist fiction or fiction that illuminates a topical or societal issue in a new way, Experts bringing new ideas that can help people in their everyday lives

Query via QueryTracker only - we do not accept unsolicited proposals or manuscripts

Contemporary romance, thrillers, suspense, ya or na romance, commercial fiction, romantic comedies, fantasy, paranormal romance

Emotionally driven stories and swoony character arcs, contemporary romance, thrillers, suspense, YA/NA romance, commercial fiction, romantic comedies, and fantasy or paranormal romance, but only when the romance leads the way

Check agent's submission page

Mg, ya, graphic novels, contemporary romance, horror, speculative sci-fi, book club fiction, non-fiction

Wants: Query letter, bio, first 5-10 pages

Stories about identity, family relationships, and travel. MG, YA, & Graphic Novels. Contemporary romance, horror, speculative sci-fi, and book club fiction. Non-fiction submissions and illustrators

Send a short description, short bio, and 5-10 pages of text pasted into the body of the email. I do not open attachments

Literary fiction, upmarket fiction, contemporary novels, fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, horror, mysteries, middle grade fantasy, picture books, graphic novels, arts, pop culture, nature, psychology, cultural history, science, wellness, occult

Wants: Query letter, first 10 pages

Literary and upmarket fiction, non-fiction book proposals, select children's books, and graphic novels. In fiction, she's looking for contemporary novels (with or without speculative elements), fantasy, grounded science fiction, magical realism, horror, and mysteries. In non-fiction, she's interested in projects that explore the arts, pop culture, nature, psychology, cultural history, science, wellness, and the occult

Include the first ten pages of text only within the body of your email for adult fiction, adult memoir, adult non-fiction essay collection, or children's fiction and non-fiction. For graphic novels, Maria is only considering projects by a single creator both writing and illustrating the book.

Young adult, new adult, fantasy, thrillers, mysteries, suspense, romance, women's fiction, horror, literary fiction, historical fiction, contemporary, nonfiction, faith-based books, illustrators

YA (all subgenres except sci-fi), thrillers/suspense/mystery, horror, contemporary, romance, new adult, women's fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, faith-based/inspirational fiction and nonfiction, true crime, illustrators. Welcomes BIPOC and disabled main characters.

Query via agency submission process

Women's fiction, historical fiction, romance, contemporary fiction, narrative nonfiction, prescriptive nonfiction, gift nonfiction, true crime, pop culture, motivational or self-help, business, finance, wellness, spiritual, diet, parenting, lifestyle

Wants: Query letter, book proposal for nonfiction

Transportive upmarket and commercial fiction, strong female voices, sweeping love stories, historical fiction, new adult, romantic comedies, quirky mysteries, family dramadies, psychological thrillers, and broad nonfiction topics.

Use The Knight Agency submissions page and the relevant QueryManager link, do not query multiple TKA agents simultaneously.

Women's fiction, upmarket adult, commercial adult, domestic suspense, literary mystery, thrillers, historical, contemporary romance, book club fiction, pop science, business, psychology, cookbooks, memoirs, lifestyle, narrative non-fiction

Wants: Query letter, first 10 pages

In terms of fiction, she is seeking women's fiction, upmarket adult, commercial adult, domestic suspense, literary mystery and thrillers, historical, contemporary romance, and smart book club fiction. In terms of non-fiction, she is looking for pop science, business, psychology, cookbooks, unique memoirs, lifestyle (health, wellness, relationships, parenting), narrative, and platform based non-fiction

For fiction queries, please format email subjects as 'Fiction: TITLE or GENRE or CREATOR NAME' and non-fiction queries as 'Non-Fiction: TOPIC or TITLE or CREATOR NAME'

Romance, contemporary romance, sports romance, new adult romance, paranormal romance, suspense, romantic thriller, cozy mysteries, young adult

Wants: Query letter

Roxanne, listed as Roxie on the submissions page, is open to romance subgenres including contemporary, sports, new adult and paranormal, as well as suspense, romantic thrillers, cozy mysteries, young adult, and more.

Submit through SBR Media's submissions page and choose Roxie or Roxanne Madar. Query only one SBR Media agent at a time.

Contemporary romance, paranormal romance, dark romance, erotic romance, science fiction romance, romantic thriller, bdsm, erotica, women's fiction, thriller, suspense

Wants: Query letter

Nikki is particularly looking for heart-stopping epic romances, gritty nail-biting thrillers with clever twists, and captivating, unique writing styles. Her listed categories include contemporary romance, paranormal romance, dark romance, erotic romance, sci-fi romance, romantic thriller, BDSM, erotica, women's fiction, thriller, and suspense.

Submit through SBR Media's submissions page and choose Nikki Groom. Query only one SBR Media agent at a time.

Dark romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, erotica, bdsm, lgbtq and romance, suspense, christian fiction

Wants: Query letter

Kim is open to dark romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, erotica, BDSM, LGBTQ+ romance, suspense, Christian fiction, and may consider other genres outside the listed categories.

Submit through SBR Media's submissions page and choose Kim Tatum. Query only one SBR Media agent at a time.

Dark romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, erotica, bdsm, lgbtq and romance, suspense, christian fiction

Wants: Query letter

Laura is open to dark romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, erotica, BDSM, LGBTQ+ romance, suspense, Christian fiction, and may consider other genres outside the listed categories.

Submit through SBR Media's submissions page and choose Laura Pink. Query only one SBR Media agent at a time.

Contemporary romance, romantasy, new adult romance, sports romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, young adult romance, women's fiction, cozy mysteries, nonfiction

Wants: Query letter

Amanda is open to contemporary romance, romantasy, new adult romance, sports romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, romcom, young adult romance, women's fiction, cozy mysteries, and may consider nonfiction.

Submit through SBR Media's submissions page and choose Amanda Wooden. Query only one SBR Media agent at a time.

Contemporary romance, romantic comedy, dark romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, thriller, erotica, nonfiction

Wants: Query letter

Dani is open to contemporary romance, romantic comedy, dark romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, thriller, erotica, and may consider nonfiction depending on topic. SBR notes she is looking for authors with a strong social media following and presence.

Submit through SBR Media's submissions page and choose Dani Sanchez. Query only one SBR Media agent at a time.

Commercial women's fiction, ya, contemporary romance, thrillers, suspense, historical fiction

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, first three chapters

Commercial women's fiction with a fresh and fun hook, all genres of YA (especially diverse stories), contemporary romance, thrillers and suspense, the occasional historical fiction, and anything that might be read in a day on the beach

Complete the form with query letter, synopsis, and first three chapters

Thriller, mystery, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, romance, science fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, biography, middle grade

Wants: Query letter, first chapter

Ronald is focused on cinematic stories with strong hooks and relatable characters, and is actively looking for thriller and mystery, historical and contemporary fiction, romance, grounded science fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir and biography, and middle grade.

Email a query letter to assistant@bookhaven.com with the word "Query" in the subject line and the first chapter attached as a Word document.

Women's fiction, historical fiction, grounded speculative fiction, contemporary romance, thriller, psychological suspense, book club fiction, commercial fiction

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, first three chapters, proposal, sample chapters, bio, publishing history

Amy Tannenbaum represents women's fiction, historical fiction, grounded speculative fiction, contemporary romance, thriller, psychological suspense, fiction in the sweet spot between literary and commercial, and works by marginalized voices.

Send queries for Amy Tannenbaum to atannenbaum@janerotrosen.com. Include all material in the body of the email with no attachments. Jane Rotrosen Agency asks writers to query one agent at the agency and include a concise description, relevant bio, publishing history, and for fiction a synopsis and first three chapters or for nonfiction a proposal and sample chapters.

Young adult, middle grade, picture books, contemporary fiction, contemporary fantasy, fantasy, speculative fiction, suspense, romance, historical fiction

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, author bio, sample pages

Daniele is open to YA, middle grade, and picture books. She prioritizes contemporary but is also open to contemporary fantasy, selective fantasy/speculative, suspense, romance, and historical, especially lyrical, literary, voice-driven work by diverse authors.

Query Daniele through her official QueryManager link. For children's and YA, include query letter, synopsis, first three consecutive chapters up to 25 pages, author bio, and any relevant illustrations.

New adult, adult fiction, young adult, middle grade, fantasy, upmarket fiction, commercial fiction, dark academia, epic fantasy, historical fantasy, contemporary fantasy, romance, diverse voices

Wants: Query letter

Isabelle is actively looking for New Adult books across genres and is also interested in adult, young adult, and middle grade fantasy plus upmarket and commercial adult fiction with worldbuilding, unique characters, strong plotting, hooks, romantic subplots, and diverse voices.

Submit through Isabelle Rader's Codex Literary online query form. Codex asks writers to choose only one Codex agent and notes that it cannot represent authors who have worked with one of its agents on Reedsy or work-for-hire projects.

Picture books, cookbooks, middle grade, young adult, science fiction, fantasy, horror, suspense, contemporary fiction, upmarket women's fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir

Jennifer Wills is a literary agent at The Seymour Agency. She is interested in a wide range of picture books and cookbooks, especially author-illustrators of sweet and wacky picture books and cookbooks with health-conscious, budget-friendly, or celebrity-chef recipes. In fiction she is interested in middle grade and YA with a sci-fi/fantasy, horror/suspense, or contemporary bent, and upmarket women's fiction with a sense of humor. In nonfiction she welcomes narrative nonfiction and memoir. She wants a great hook, a distinct voice, and work that can make her laugh out loud or ugly cry.

Query Jennifer Wills through her official Seymour QueryManager link: https://querymanager.com or query or JenniferWills. The current Seymour profile also lists jennifer@theseymouragency.com as a contact email, but the public query route is QueryManager.

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.

Young adult, science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, mystery, thriller, literary fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction

Wants: Query letter, first three chapters, full proposal for nonfiction

Laura represents YA, science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, mystery, thriller, literary fiction with speculative elements, and select contemporary and historical fiction. She is aggressively looking in adult horror, mystery, and thriller, and is interested in genre-crossing work.

Submit through QueryManager. Follow standard query-letter format, query one Headwater agent at a time, and do not email queries.

Picture books, middle grade, graphic novels, young adult, children's, adult projects, illustration, author-illustrators, fantasy, magical realism, contemporary, romance

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages, synopsis, artwork samples, portfolio link

Marissa is open to a wide range of children's book authors, illustrators and author-illustrators, and is especially looking for stories by underrepresented and marginalized creators.

Submit through Marissa Brown's QueryManager form. Query only one Pippin agent at a time.

Commercial fiction, literary fiction, suspense, women's fiction, contemporary romance, young adult, journalistic nonfiction, memoir

Wants: Query letter, first chapter

Rebecca is interested in commercial and literary fiction with a focus on literary novels of suspense, women's fiction, contemporary romance, and young adult, as well as journalistic nonfiction and memoir. Most of all, she is looking for great stories told in strong voices.

Email queries@rfliterary.com with only a brief query letter of no more than three paragraphs and the first chapter pasted into the email, not exceeding fifteen double-spaced pages. Do not send attachments. Queries sent directly to Rebecca are deleted.

Children's books, adult contemporary fiction, upmarket fiction, speculative fiction, light fantasy, magical realism, romantic comedy, thriller, mystery, suspense, horror, picture books, chapter books, middle grade, young adult

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, full manuscript, full proposal, artwork samples

Savannah Brooks is an associate literary agent whose official personal site says she joined KT Literary in 2022 and represents all of kid lit plus adult contemporary and upmarket fiction, speculative/light fantasy/magical realism, romcoms, thrillers, mystery, suspense, and horror. She is especially interested in stories that teach her something new, add to a larger sociopolitical conversation, and highlight underrepresented identities and cultures.

Submit through Savannah Brooks's QueryManager route. The live form asks writers to check her website before submitting, confirm whether the project has been submitted to her before, and include author details, title, word count, genre, query letter, synopsis, and full manuscript or nonfiction proposal, artwork samples may be uploaded if applicable. The form says she is only open to children's books by request or referral, so public unsolicited submissions should match the currently open adult categories.

Middle grade, young adult, adult fiction, adult nonfiction, contemporary fiction, grounded fantasy, horror, mystery, cozy mystery, romantic suspense, cookbooks, health, fitness, advocacy, bipoc voices

Wants: Query letter, first 50 pages, proposal

Stefanie is exclusively taking on clients systemically excluded from publishing, with a focus on BIPOC authors. She is seeking MG, YA, and adult fiction and nonfiction, especially gutsy contemporary, grounded fantasy, horror, mystery, cozy mysteries, romantic suspense, cookbooks from immigrant perspectives, and advocacy-centered nonfiction around sports/exercise science, health, fitness, nutrition, medicine, and animals.

Submit through Stefanie Molina-Santos's QueryTracker form with a query plus the first 50 pages, or a full proposal for nonfiction.

Chick lit, commercial, contemporary, cozy fantasy, cozy romantasy, crime, detective, police, family saga, fantasy, fantasy: magical realism, fantasy: urban, graphic novel, historical, horror, lgbtq and, literary, middle grade, military, espionage, multicultural, mystery, new adult, offbeat, quirky, romance, romantasy, suspense, thriller, upmarket, women's fiction, young adult

Query Letter, Synopsis, One Paragraph Pitch, Comparable Books, First 10 Pages

Submit through Query Manager. Unsolicited queries sent to his email address will be deleted unread.

Literary fiction, mainstream fiction, mystery, suspense, thriller, historical fiction, contemporary women's fiction, young adult, middle grade, memoir, biography, history, business, psychology, pop culture, popular science

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, first 5 to 10 pages, writing credentials

Maria Carvainis Agency represents a wide range of fiction and nonfiction with special interest in literary and mainstream fiction, mystery, suspense, thrillers, historicals, contemporary women's fiction, young adult and middle grade, memoir, biography, history, business, psychology, pop culture, and popular science.

Email a query letter, a synopsis of the work, the first 5 to 10 pages, and a note of any writing credentials to mca@mariacarvainisagency.com. Attachments must be Word documents or PDF files. Queries are also accepted by post.

Contemporary, fantasy, horror, romance, picture books, middle grade, young adult, graphic novels

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, first 20 pages

Books with pain-in-the-ass heroines, dark and creepy settings with lyrical voices, and books with well-thought out twists and turns. Fantasy should be easily accessible and horror should not make her need to keep the lights on. She seeks LGBT+ books that are about more than just a coming out story and is particularly keen to grow her adult list in rom-coms and fantasy/romantasy.

For Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult novels: paste the first 20 pages into the sample text field. For picture books: include a link to the full dummy. For Author or Illustrated graphic novels: include a link to a few sample spreads. Note that for picture book and graphic novel creators, she is only considering author or illustrator projects at this time.

Debut fiction, horror, new adult, paranormal fiction, science fiction, fantasy, thriller, romance, mystery, suspense, contemporary romance, sapphic romance, upmarket fiction, dark romance, dystopian, speculative fiction

Wants: Query letter

Sade and Beck Literary are seeking romance, character-driven stories, unique trope mash-ups, books by BIPOC authors, mystery, suspense, thriller, contemporary romance, sapphic romance, upmarket fiction, dark romance, horror, dystopian, paranormal romance, fantasy, m/m romance, and speculative fiction.

Submit through the Beck Literary Airtable form. The agency does not represent short stories, poems, plays, or scripts. No response after eight weeks means pass.

Commercial, contemporary, family saga, genre-bending, horror, lgbtq and, literary, multicultural, mystery, offbeat, quirky, short stories, suspense, thriller, upmarket, women's fiction, cultural, social issues, current affairs, history, journalism, lifestyle, narrative, nature and ecology, politics, pop culture, psychology, relationship and dating, science and technology, women's issues

Wants: Query letter, sample pages

She seeks writers driven by curiosity and discovery, whether through formal inventiveness in fiction or rigorous investigative journalism. She is drawn to poets who have turned to prose and writers whose dexterity with language allows them to articulate emotions or sensibilities. She loves moody atmosphere, setting-as-character, and fantastical elements in literary and upmarket fiction, particularly when genre elements explore where language fails us.

Send query letter and 5 sample pages to only one agent with the word QUERY and the title of your project in the subject line, or submit through Query Manager. Do not send attachments, include all materials in the body of the email.

Historical fiction, horror, contemporary fiction, fantasy, suspense, thriller, graphic novels

Wants: Query letter

Kaitlyn is interested in historical fiction, horror, contemporary fiction, fantasy, suspense/thriller, and graphic novels across age groups, with emphasis on non-mainstream history, psychological or haunting horror, LGBTQ+ storylines, mental health angles, MG/YA and crossover fantasy, and commercial MG graphic novels.

Kaitlyn is closed to queries. When open, submit through her official QueryManager route. Belcastro asks writers to read each agent's wishlist and submit to one agent at a time.

Upmarket fiction, commercial fiction, women's fiction, psychological thriller, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, young adult, science fiction, paranormal romance, thriller, nonfiction, cookbooks, memoir, self-help, lifestyle

Mariah is interested in upmarket and commercial adult fiction, women's fiction, psychological thrillers, contemporary romance and rom-coms, young adult science fiction, paranormal romance, thrillers and contemporary romance, plus nonfiction including cookbooks, memoirs, self-help, lifestyle and how-to.

Mariah is currently closed to submissions.