Are you looking for a list of Canadian literary agents accepting submissions?
Below, we’ve featured 11 top literary agents in Canada who are accepting submissions from authors.
1. Sandra Bishop
Sandra Bishop is a literary agent working at Transatlantic Agency, a full-service literary agency headquartered in Ontario, Canada. Sandra primarily represents authors of non-fiction, but she also works with established fiction authors. Some of her most notable clients include Jessica Long, Rachel Macy Stafford, Sheila Hamilton, and Rebecca Eanes.
Sandra is currently seeking non-fiction submissions, and she’s particularly interested in working with authors who have an established online presence. She welcomes submissions of parenting books, cookbooks, celebrity memoirs, relationship books, and lifestyle books. She is also open to fiction submissions from established romance authors who are looking for new representation. She is not interested in textbooks, erotica, academic books, or textbooks.
If you would like to submit a query to Sandra, you can do so through her query submissions page. If she is interested in discussing your project further, she will respond to your query within six weeks. For other inquiries, you can send her an email, but do note that she doesn’t consider submissions sent to her email address.
2. Stephanie Sinclair
Also from Transatlantic Agency, Stephanie Sinclair is a literary agent who represents authors of adult fiction and non-fiction. Prior to working as an agent, Stephanie spent many years helping journalists, authors, and theater writers as a freelance editor. Her current client list includes Harriet Alida Lye, Becky Blake, Amber McMillan, and Fran Kimmel, among others.
Stephanie is currently accepting submissions in the following genres: literary fiction, commercial fiction, upmarket women’s fiction, memoir, narrative non-fiction, investigative journalism, and true crime. If you are interesting in submitting your work for Stephanie’s consideration, you can send her a query via email.
Submissions must include a short author’s biography, information about your past publishing credits, and a writing sample of at least 20 pages. Your writing sample must be sent as an attachment in either PDF or Word format. Due to the volume of queries she receives, Stephanie is unable to reply to all every single submission and only responds to those she is actively considering.
3. Denise Bukowski
Denise Bukowski is a Toronto-based literary agent and the founder of The Bukowski Agency. Prior to launching The Bukowski Agency in 1986, Denise worked as an in-house editor at some of the most renowned publishing houses in Canada, including McClelland & Stewart, McGraw Hill, and Douglas & McIntyre. She also worked as a freelance editor for Penguin, HarperCollins, Doubleday, and University of Toronto Press. Her agency now represents many award-winning and bestselling Canadian authors, including Liam Durcan, Lori Lansens, Susan Musgrave, and George Elliott Clarke.
The Bukowski Agency currently accepts fiction and non-fiction submissions from authors who reside in Canada. Please note that they are not interested in poetry, film or television scripts, genre fiction, picture books, or children’s literature. All submissions must be sent by mail and should include a self-addressed stamped envelope, a brief synopsis, and the first 50 pages of your manuscript.
You can learn more about The Bukowski Agency’s submission guidelines here. For any other questions or concerns, you can contact them via email.
4. Hilary McMahon
Hilary McMahon is the Executive Vice President of Westwood Creative Artists, the largest literary agency in Canada. She is also a trusted literary agent and has helped nurture the careers of many popular Canadian authors, including Susin Nielsen, Carrie Snyder, and Susan Juby.
Although Hilary is currently accepting submissions, she is quite selective about adding new authors to her client list. That said, she loves discovering new voices and is drawn to fresh and unique stories that make readers feel. She is most interested in crossover upmarket/literary fiction, but she is also open to realistic middle grade and young adult fiction. Hilary is not interested in science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, or genre fiction.
If you have a project you think Hilary might be interested in, you can submit a proposal to Westwood Creative Artists’ email address. Make sure you indicate that the submission is intended for Hilary. All submissions must include an author’s bio, a brief synopsis, and a 10-page writing sample pasted in the body of the email. For more information, check out Westwood Creative Artists’ submission guidelines here.
5. John Pearce
John Pearce is another literary agent from Westwood Creative Artists. He represents both fiction and non-fiction authors, and he is drawn to books with vivid stories and lively prose. Some of the books he has represented include Jan Wong’s Red China Blues, Kamal Al-Solaylee’s Intolerable, Doug Saunders’ Arrival City, and Anna Porter’s Kasztner’s Train.
John currently welcomes submissions. He is interested in high-quality thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction, and narrative-driven literary fiction. He also welcomes non-fiction submissions, but he isn’t interested in practical advice books.
If you are interested in being represented by John, you can check out Westwood Creative Artists’ submission guidelines.
6. Robert Lecker
Robert Lecker is a Canadian author, scholar, editor, and literary agent with a background in literary studies. He is also the founder of Robert Lecker Agency, a literary management and consulting firm located in Montreal. He launched the agency in 2003, after more than two decades of experience as co-founder and co-publisher of ECW Press. Robert’s areas of expertise include finance, entertainment, music, popular culture, science, and food culture. Some of the books he has represented include Lee Lamothe’s Picasso Blues, David Orrell’s Apollo’s Arrow, Joe Schwarcz’s An Apple a Day, and more.
Robert currently welcomes fiction and non-fiction submissions. If you are interested in submitting, prepare a proposal that includes your contact information, a one-page synopsis, a sample chapter, a table of contents, a summary of your book’s expected competition, and a brief author’s bio. Once you are ready, you can submit your proposal via email. For more information on preparing your proposal, you can check out Robert’s submission guidelines here.
7. Stacey Donaghy
Stacey Donaghy is the founder and primary agent of Donaghy Literary Group, a full-service literary agency that specializes in commercial fiction. Since launching DLG in 2013, Stacey has already sold a number of six-figure deals, and her client’s projects have been picked up by various publishing houses, including Hachette Book Group USA, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and more. She currently represents Christopher Francis, Jay Crownover, Diana Gardin, K.A. Tucker, Amber Hart, and Jamie Shaw, among others.
Stacey is interested in fiction for adults and young adults, particularly women’s fiction, contemporary young adult fiction, psychological thrillers, and romantic suspense. She is also drawn to stories that feature unreliable narrators and diverse voices. If you would like Stacey to consider your work, you can send her a proposal through her Query Manager page. Stacey responds to all queries and has an average response time of 4 to 8 weeks. For general inquiries, you can reach Stacey via email.
8. Sue Miller
Sue Miller is another Canadian literary agent from Donaghy Literary Group. She holds a degree in English Literature from York University, a Certificate in Publishing from Ryerson University, and a Certificate in Digital Marketing Management from the University of Toronto. She used to work in children’s publishing before discovering her passion for representing authors.
Sue is currently building her client list and is most interested in the following genres: urban fantasy, low-level science fiction and dystopian fiction, contemporary romance, and young adult fiction in any subgenre. She is not the right fit for high fantasy, time travel, horror, or anything historical. If you would like to submit your work to Sue, you can fill out her query form here. You can also reach her via email for general inquiries, but do not use her email address to submit proposals.
9. Curtis Russell
Curtis Russell is the founder, president, and principal agent of P.S. Literary Agency, an Ontario-based literary agency that was established in 2005. Curtis has a penchant for spotting new talent and discovering authors with fresh ideas. Some of the authors he has represented include Leslie Nagel, Gail Vaz-Oxlade, Liz Bugg, Rocco Constantino, Matthew Farrell, and Nick Powdthavee.
Curtis is currently interested in fiction and non-fiction submissions. In fiction, he is interested in romance, young adult, commercial, literary, suspense, thriller, and middle grade books. In non-fiction, he is seeking books on pop culture, politics, business, current affairs, health and wellness, humor, sports, and memoirs.
If you would like to submit your idea to Curtis, you can do so by sending a query to PSLA’s email address. Make sure you address the email to Curtis, and limit your submission to a three-paragraph query letter. For more information on what to include in your query letter, check out PSLA’s submission guidelines here.
10. Maria Vicente
Also from P.S. Literary Agency, Maria Vicente specializes in young adult and middle grade fiction and non-fiction for all ages. Her non-fiction areas of interest include pop culture, design, lifestyle, and science. She is also looking for illustrated books, including graphic memoirs, graphic non-fiction, and graphic novels. For more information on the kind of work she is interested in, you can find her detailed manuscript wish list here. Maria’s current client list includes Stephanie Cooke, Insha Fitzpatrick, Austin Gilkeson, Mat Heagerty, Nina Nesseth, Whitney Taylor, Gennelle Smith, Sarah Sawler, and more.
To submit your work for Maria’s consideration, you can follow PSLA’s submission guidelines. All submissions must be sent via email and should include nothing but a query letter. Do not attach a sample of your work unless requested. When sending your query, don’t forget to address your email to Maria.
11. Rick Broadhead
Rick Broadhead is a bestselling author and trusted literary agent. He is the founder of Rick Broadhead & Associates, a literary agency located in Ontario. Over the years, Rick has worked with non-fiction authors from various backgrounds—subject experts, journalists, politicians, scholars, storytellers, media personalities, pop culture icons, and more. Some of the titles Rick has represented include Dan Robson’s Quinn: The Life of a Hockey Legend, Tim Cook’s Shock Troops, Sam Kean’s The Disappearing Spoon, and Chris Hadfield’s An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth.
Rick is currently accepting submissions and is most interested in non-fiction, particularly in the following categories: pop culture, history, humor, business, self-help, relationships, politics, military history, medicine, health, national security, and current affairs. If you would like Rick to read your work, you can send him a query via email. Your query should include a brief description of your book, your contact information, and your credentials. For more information, you can check out Rick’s submission guidelines here.
Are you aware of any other Canadian literary agents accepting submissions? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis.