If you’re looking for a compilation of the best small literary agencies out there, the following list has been put together especially for you.
1. Union Literary
Established in 2012 through a merger between Brick House Literary Agents and Keating Literary, Union Literary is a full-service boutique literary agency based in New York. They specialize in a range of genres, including popular fiction, literary fiction, narrative non-fiction, popular science, social history, memoirs, cookbooks, and more. Their client list includes many talented writers, such as Kim Barnes, Kate Braestrup, Jenny Lee, Geoff Nicholson, and Ellen Sussman, among others.
Union Literary is currently accepting fiction and non-fiction submissions. Proposals should be sent directly to the agent you wish to work with and must adhere to Union Literary’s submission guidelines. You can find each agent’s contact information and areas of interest here. Due to the volume of submissions they receive, they only respond to queries they are interested in.
2. Beth Vesel Literary Agency
Also based in New York, Beth Vesel Literary Agency is a boutique agency that was founded by Beth Vesel in 2003. Prior to launching the agency, Beth spent more than a decade working as a senior agent at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. She is particularly known for helping psychologists, psychiatrists, and academics become published authors. Her areas of specialty include literary fiction, narrative non-fiction, psychology, science, memoirs, and cultural criticism.
If you are interested in being represented by Beth, you can send a proposal to her assistant via email. For more information on what to include in your proposal, you can find Beth’s full submission guidelines here.
3. Joelle Delbourgo Associates
Joelle Delbourgo Associates is a boutique literary agency based in Montclair, New Jersey. Founded by Joelle Delbourgo in 1999, the agency represents authors of various genres, including literary fiction, commercial fiction, expert-driven non-fiction, and creative non-fiction. They also represent authors who write fiction and non-fiction for the middle grade and young adult markets. Their current client list includes Ben H. Winters, Dale Russakoff, Debbie Cenziper, Chris Farrell, and many other talented writers.
If you are interested in submitting to Joelle Delbourgo Associates, you can email a query letter to the agent you wish to work with. You can learn more about their agents’ areas of specialty here. You can also check out their submission guidelines for more information.
4. Meredith Bernstein Literary Agency
Based in New York, Meredith Bernstein Literary Agency is a boutique agency that prides itself on building meaningful relationships with its authors. The agency represents fiction and non-fiction authors, and they happily welcome both new writers and those with established careers. Some of the books they have represented include David Carroll’s Following the Water, Sharon Naylor’s Mother of the Groom, Trinity Faegan’s The Mephisto Covenant, Nancy Pickard’s Scent of Rain and Lightning, and more.
They are currently accepting submissions by post or through their online contact form. Should you be interested in submitting, you can check out their submission guidelines here. Please note that they do not accept screenplays or poetry.
5. Pippin Properties
Founded in 1998, Pippin Properties is a small New York-based agency dedicated to the representation and management of today’s most talented authors and artists. They specialize in picture books, graphic novels, and young adult novels, but they also occasionally represent books written for adults. You can see a full list of all the authors and artists they currently represent here.
If you are an author or illustrator interested in being represented by Pippin Properties, you can take a look at their submission guidelines here. Queries from authors should include a short synopsis and the first chapter of the manuscript. Submissions must be sent to the agent you wish to query, and you may only query one agent at a time. To find the right agent for your work, check out all the agents’ profiles here.
6. Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency
Founded in 1974, Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency is one of New York’s most prestigious boutique agencies. They represent books across various genres, including literary and mainstream fiction, narrative non-fiction, thrillers, and more. They have also represented many bestselling titles written by Harlan Coben, Heather Graham, David Baldacci, Robert James Waller, Greg Iles, Robert Crais, and Johanna Lindsey, among others.
Interested in submitting? Take a look at the submission guidelines stated here, and make sure you send your query to the appropriate agent by checking out their profiles. If you have any general questions, you can reach the agency through the contact form on their website.
7. Emerald City Literary Agency
Based just outside of Seattle, Emerald City Literary Agency is a boutique agency that was founded by Mandy Hubbard in 2015. Mandy is currently joined by Senior Agent Linda Epstein, Associate Agent Garrett Alwert, and Contracts Manager Kirsten Wolf. Their clients include Katherine Sparrow, Aprilynne Pike, Jenna Gavigan, Ashley Shuttleworth, Brigid Kemmerer, and more.
ECLA is currently accepting submissions, and they are most interested in picture books, young adult and middle grade fiction, and children’s non-fiction. Submissions that feature LGBTQ characters and themes are highly encouraged. Each agent has different areas of interest, so make sure you read their profiles before sending a query. For more information, check out the agency’s submission guidelines here.
8. Elizabeth Kaplan Literary Agency
Founded in 2002, Elizabeth Kaplan Literary Agency is a full-service boutique agency based in New York. Over the years, they have represented many award-winning and bestselling authors in both fiction and non-fiction, including Hope Edelman, E. Lockhart, David Oliver Relin, Greg Mortenson, Temple Grandin, and Catherine Johnson. You can find a full list of all their book sales here.
They are currently interested in submissions in the areas of practical and narrative non-fiction, pop culture, history, memoirs, biography, young adult and middle grade fiction, literary fiction, women’s fiction, and historical fiction. For more details, you can check out the submission guidelines on their website.
9. Kate Barker Literary Agency
Kate Barker Literary Agency is a boutique agency based in London. Prior to launching the agency, founder Kate Barker spent a decade working as a commissioning editor at Penguin Books. She is currently building her client list and is interested in literary fiction, historical fiction, crime, thrillers, women’s fiction, and narrative non-fiction.
If you wish to submit your work for Kate’s consideration, you can send her a query through the submission form on her website. For general inquiries and other concerns, you can contact Kate via email.
10. Andrew Lownie Literary Agency
Established in 1988, Andrew Lownie Literary Agency is one of the leading literary agencies in the UK. Books they have represented include The Oxford Classical Dictionary, The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English, and The Penguin Companion to the Edinburgh Union. They have also represented many bestselling authors, including Daniel Tammet, Sam Faiers, Casey Watson, and Cathy Glass, among others.
At the moment, Andrew Lownie Literary Agency only accepts non-fiction submissions. Both established writers and first-time authors are welcome to submit. Submissions may be sent via email or through their online contact form. For more information on the kind of work they are interested in, you can check out their submission guidelines here.
11. Eve White Literary Agency
Founded in 2003, Eve White Literary Agency is a UK-based boutique agency that represents authors of literary fiction, commercial fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books. Their agents are members of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Association of Authors’ Agents. Authors they represent include Rebecca Reid, Jemma Wayne, James Clarke, Andrew Hatch, Saskia Sarginson, and Paul Cooper.
They are currently open for submissions. They welcome both fiction and non-fiction submissions, but they do not accept picture books. Should you be interested in submitting, you can check out their submission guidelines here. If you have any additional questions, you can reach Eve White Literary Agency through their online contact form.
12. Andlyn Literary Agency
Andlyn is a boutique literary agency based in London. Founded by Davinia Andrew-Lynch, the agency primarily represents children’s fiction, but they have recently expanded their scope to include fiction and non-fiction books for adult readers. Their current clients include Malcolm Duffy, Bex Hogan, Annabelle Sami, Claire Goble, Julian Butler, Cliff Chen, and more.
Andlyn is currently accepting submissions, and they are interested in both fiction and non-fiction. If you would like to submit your work for their consideration, you can send them a query via email. Fiction queries must be accompanied by a synopsis and the first three chapters of your manuscript. For non-fiction, submissions must include a detailed proposal, a few sample chapters, a contents page, and information about the author. You can check out their complete guidelines here.
13. Beadle Literary Agency
Beadle Literary Agency is a newly established boutique agency based in Toronto. They are currently building their client list and will happily consider submissions in the following areas: commercial fiction, upmarket adult fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction, romance, fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, cookbooks, and more. They do not accept translations, novellas, screenplays, or academic books.
If you are interested in submitting to Beadle Literary Agency, you can send them a one-page query via email. All submissions must include an introduction, a brief synopsis, and an author’s bio. Check out their submission guidelines here for more information. You can also contact them via email for any additional questions.
14. Beverley Slopen Literary Agency
Beverley Slopen Literary Agency is a Toronto-based boutique agency that represents authors of commercial and literary fiction, narrative non-fiction, and serious non-fiction. Some of their most prominent authors include Terry Fallis, Roberta Rich, Marina Nemat, Henry Aubin, and Donna Morrissey. You can find a full list of authors they currently represent here.
Although the agency doesn’t take on many new clients, interested authors are still welcome to submit their work. To do so, you can send them a short query letter via email. For more information, you can visit the submissions page on their website. You can also check out their current catalog to see the kinds of books they represent.
15. Donaghy Literary Group
Founded in 2013, Donaghy Literary Group is a full-service boutique agency based in Canada. They specialize in commercial fiction, particularly adult, young adult, and middle grade novels. Their clients include bestselling authors K.A. Tucker and Jay Crownover, as well as many other talented writers. They are currently open for submissions.
If you are interested in working with Donaghy Literary Group, you can send a proposal to the agent you wish to query. Before submitting, it is recommended that you visit the agents’ profiles to learn more about their areas of specialty. For tips on preparing your query, you can check out their submission guidelines here.
16. The Drummond Agency
Located just north of Melbourne, The Drummond Agency is a small literary agency that was founded by Sheila Drummond in 1997. They specialize in fiction and non-fiction for both children and adult readers, and their client list includes many award-winning and bestselling authors from Australia and New Zealand. Authors they represent include Dianne Maguire, Deborah O’Brien, Lee Fox, David Lawrence, Felicity Young, and Susan Green, among others.
The Drummond Agency is not accepting submissions at the moment, but you are free to visit the submissions page on their website for updates. Please note that they only represent authors residing in Australia, unless the author is a citizen of Australia or New Zealand. For general inquiries, you can get in touch with them via email.
17. Jacinta di Mase Management
Founded in 2004, Jacinta di Mase Management is a Melbourne-based literary agency that represents a wide range of authors and illustrators across various genres, including adult fiction and non-fiction, young adult fiction, and picture books. Some of the authors they represent include Penny Flanagan, Robert Hillman, Kirsten Alexander, Mandy Beaumont, Serina Bird, and many others.
Jacinta di Mase Management doesn’t accept unsolicited manuscripts, but they do welcome queries from authors they meet during publishing conferences and events. If you are interested in meeting their agents, you can check out their upcoming events here. For additional questions and concerns, you can reach the Jacinta di Mase Management team through the contact form on their website.
What did you think of our list of the best small literary agencies? Are there any other boutique literary agencies that should be on this list? Please tell us about them in the comments box below.
Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis.