US Young adult (YA) Literary Agents

Commercial fiction, historical mystery, mystery, romance, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, women's fiction, young adult, children's

Wants: Query letter

Miriam is passionate about commercial fiction with strong voice and narrative drive, representing everything from children's through adult, with special emphasis on fantasy, science fiction, women's fiction, romance, thrillers, and historical mysteries.

Submit through Miriam Kriss'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.

Fiction, nonfiction, memoir, food writing, cookbooks, nature, environment, biography, pop culture, travel, adventure, true crime, politics, health, fitness, picture books, middle grade, young adult

Wants: Pitch

The Unter Agency is interested in quality fiction and general nonfiction, especially memoir, food/cooking, nature/environment, biography, pop culture, travel/adventure, true crime, politics and health/fitness, plus all types of children's literature.

Email Jennifer Unter with a pitch at Jennifer@theunteragency.com. If there is no response within three months, consider it a pass.

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.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

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.

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.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

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.

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.

Young adult, adult fiction, science fiction, fantasy, romance, women's fiction, horror, domestic suspense, psychological thriller, speculative thriller, queer, bipoc

Wants: Query letter

Kiana represents young adult and adult fiction across genres, especially high-concept commercial stories with queer BIPOC characters. Her wishlist includes science fiction, fantasy, romance, women's fiction, horror, domestic suspense, psychological and speculative thrillers, adult and YA horror, YA fantasy, and selected romantasy/dark academia with a twist.

Submit through Kiana Nguyen's QueryTracker or QueryManager link from her official wishlist page. Her personal site says the listed contact email is not for queries.

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.

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

Wants: Query letter, first chapter, synopsis, picture book manuscript

Pippin Properties is devoted primarily to picture books, middle grade, graphic novels and young adult novels, while also representing adult projects on occasion.

Email Holly McGhee at ExclusivetoHolly@pippinproperties.com. Holly accepts exclusive queries only and requires six weeks to consider.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

Middle grade, young adult, adult fiction, picture books, author-illustrators, mystery, thriller, romance, pop culture nonfiction

Wants: Query letter

Kristin represents middle grade, young adult and adult fiction, plus picture book author-illustrators. She is actively looking for adult mystery, thriller and romance, plus nonfiction focused on popular culture.

Submit through Kristin Ostby's QueryTracker form. Submit to only one SLM agent at a time, no response within 12 weeks means pass.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

Literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbooks, thriller, fantasy, horror, young adult, picture books, illustration

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

The Book Group represents award-winning novelists and illustrators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, thrillers, fantasy, horror, young adult classics, memoirs, cookbooks and picture books.

Email a query letter addressed to the agent at submissions@thebookgroup.com. Put the agent name in the subject line and paste the first ten sample pages below the query. The Book Group only accepts electronic queries to that inbox and does not read attachments.

Narrative nonfiction, popular science, spirituality, history, biography, pop culture, business, technology, parenting, health, self-help, music, food, thriller, crime fiction, science fiction, fantasy, military fiction, literary fiction, middle grade, young adult

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, bio, opening pages

Peter specializes in high-quality fiction and nonfiction, including narrative nonfiction, popular science, spirituality, history, biography, pop culture, business and technology, parenting, health, self-help, music, food, literate thrillers, crime fiction, science fiction, fantasy, military fiction, literary fiction, middle grade, and some boy-oriented young adult.

Query Peter through the QueryTracker link on his FinePrint profile. FinePrint asks writers not to submit to more than one FinePrint agent at a time and to follow the selected agent's preferred submission method.

Thriller, mystery, literary fiction, upmarket fiction, commercial fiction, young adult, adult fiction, horror, suspense

Wants: Query letter, first ten pages

Barbara is looking for high-octane thrillers, edgy mysteries, literary, upmarket and commercial YA and adult fiction, suspense, horror and anything with a unique voice.

Email Barbara.queries@wordonelit.com with the query letter and first 10 pages of the work in the body of the email.

Commercial fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy, young adult, narrative nonfiction, business, self-development, history, true crime, pop culture, humor, sports

Wants: Query letter, sample pages

Peter represents commercial and literary fiction, science fiction and fantasy, young adult, narrative nonfiction, business, self-development, history, true crime, pop culture, humor, and sports.

Submit through UTA Publishing's official query route and select Peter Steinberg where available. Do not query multiple UTA literary agents simultaneously.

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.

Fantasy, horror, middle grade, young adult, graphic novels

Wants: Query letter, sample pages, synopsis

He seeks hooky and high-concept books with commercial plots, strong craft writing, and compelling characters. He prioritizes underrepresented voices and LGBTQ+ stories. For middle grade, he wants epic adventures and magical stories with series potential. For young adult, he seeks dark stories, atmospheric horror, and unique formats.

Submit through Query Manager form with query letter, 10-20 pages for novels, complete manuscript for picture books, and graphic novel proposals with sample pages.

Fiction, non-fiction, picture books, middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, adult fiction, adult non-fiction

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, sample pages

She seeks marginalized creators and diverse stories, prioritizing BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, genderfluid, neurodiverse, and disabled voices. She wants stories about found families, cozy grounded fantasy, queer love and community, magic and witches, heartbreak with hope, dark moody Young Adult/Adult writing, and narrative nonfiction about sciences and humanity.

Submit through Query Manager during the first week of each month (1st-7th). Select one agent at a time. Submit 10-20 polished pages for novels, complete manuscript for picture books, proposals for graphic novels and nonfiction.

Middle grade fiction, young adult fiction, picture books, narrative non-fiction, commercial fiction

Wants: Query letter, first 25 pages, synopsis

For middle grade and young adult fiction, he seeks authentic kids' voices and rousing, high concept stories with realistic settings and science fiction preferred over fantasy. He is eager to find the next great picture book author/illustrator. For adults, he actively looks for narrative nonfiction in music, sports, history, popular science, big think, performing arts, health, business, memoir, military history, and humor, plus commercial fiction but is very selective.

Send query letter via email with full query in body, include first 25 pages of manuscript for fiction or proposal with sample chapter for nonfiction in body below query. For picture books include full text and dummy or sample art as PDF attachments no larger than 20MB. Query only one agent at agency at a time.

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.

Author-illustrators, picture books, board books, middle grade, young adult, children's books, poetry

Wants: Query letter, portfolio link, picture book dummy, first three pages, bio, comparison titles

Authors and author-illustrators of books for children and teens, including board books, picture books, fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, Middle Grade, and Young Adult. She does not want adult projects and does very few chapter books or Young Adult projects.

Email the full text for board books or picture books in the body of the message. Author-illustrators should include a link to the dummy and sample illustrated pages, with no attachments. Longer works should include the first three pages, project description, bio information, relevant experience, recent comparison titles, audience notes, and why Mary Cummings may be a fit.

Author-illustrators, picture books, graphic novels, middle grade, young adult, children's books

Wants: Cover letter, synopsis, portfolio link, art samples, picture book dummy, first 20 pages, graphic novel sample

Author-illustrators who write their own picture books and graphic novels, Middle Grade fiction and nonfiction, and Young Adult fiction. LK Literary Agency does not represent adult work, picture book text-only authors, or illustrators who are not yet writing their own work.

Email a cover letter with pitch, synopsis, contact information, and online presence in the body of the message. Novel submissions should paste the first 20 pages into the email. Emailed illustrator portfolios are accepted at 72 dpi, online portfolios are welcome, picture book dummies should be PDF attachments, and graphic novel submissions should include a PDF of two to three illustrated chapters with text.

Middle grade, young adult, adult genre fiction, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thrillers, suspense, horror

Wants: Query letter, synopsis, one paragraph pitch, comparable books, first ten pages, ai disclosure

Laurie McLean specializes in middle grade, young adult, and adult genre fiction, including fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thrillers, suspense, and horror. Until further notice, she is only looking at queries she requested at conferences or online events, especially all types of middle grade fiction, YA horror, mystery, thrillers, science fiction and fantasy, and adult mystery, suspense, and thrillers.

Laurie McLean is requested-only until further notice. Query through her official QueryManager page only if she requested the query at a conference or online event. The form asks for book details, query letter, synopsis, one-paragraph pitch, target audience, comparable books, AI disclosure, and the first 10 pages.

Middle grade, young adult, picture books, illustration, author-illustrators, children's

Wants: Query letter, sample pages

Jennifer represents authors, illustrators and author-illustrators with a distinct point of view and layered stories. She is interested in middle grade and YA with mind-expanding premises, survival stories, Dickensian sagas, puzzling plots, and middle grade about resilient kids sorting out messy lives.

Jennifer is currently closed to queries. Andrea Brown Literary Agency asks writers to select one agent, check that agent's bio and query status, and not query multiple ABLA agents simultaneously.

Picture books, middle grade, young adult, new adult, adult fiction, illustrators, contemporary fiction, magical realism, fantasy, horror, romance, romantic comedy, romantasy, women's fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, spirituality, self-help, health and fitness, parenting, business, celebrity, lifestyle, pets, psychology, relationships and dating, true crime, bipoc voices, lgbtq and voices

Lynnette Novak is an agent at The Seymour Agency. When she reopens, she is especially excited about BIPOC, diverse, and LGBTQ+ projects; illustrators for board books, picture books, illustrated MG, and illustrated covers; fiction and nonfiction picture books; MG contemporary, magical realism, contemporary or grounded fantasy, and horror; YA romcom, romantasy, fantasy, magical realism, and horror; NA contemporary romance, romcom, and romantasy; adult horror, dark romance, contemporary romance, romcom, romantasy, and women's fiction; and adult nonfiction including memoir, narrative, spirituality/New Age, self-help, health/fitness, parenting/family, motivational/inspirational, business, celebrity, lifestyle, pets, psychology, relationships/dating, and true crime by experts with platforms.

Lynnette Novak is currently closed to all queries according to the official Seymour Agency about page. The page says to watch her MSWL page for updates when she reopens, but no current open official query route is listed.