Have you written a high quality cookbook suitable for a large audience across the world and are now looking for a top class publisher to take your work on?
If so, one of the following top literary agents for cookbooks might be able to help you get a publishing deal.
1. Erin Clyburn
A literary agent with previous work experience in copy editing and recipe editing, Erin Clyburn is currently working at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency. With a B.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in Children’s Literature, Erin is eager to discover books in a wide range of genres. In terms of adult nonfiction, she is interested in cookbooks and culinary histories, pop science, and narrative nonfiction/memoir on sports/adventure, to give some examples. To submit a cookbook, send her the first 20 pages of your manuscript, a query, and a proposal here.
2. Christine J. Lee
With an experience of over 13 years in the publishing industry, Christine J. Lee has previously worked at Simon & Schuster and Bedford/St. Martin’s. Currently a literary agent at The Leshne Agency, Christine is interested in cookbooks, parenting, true crime, thriller, and literary fiction, to name some genres. If you’re interested in submitting your work, you can access the guidelines here. Nonfiction book proposals should be sent via email and should include an overview, a table of contents, target audience information, and an author bio, among other details.
3. Brian DeFiore
With a career spanning 40 years, Brian has worked in all aspects of publishing. As a senior editor at many notable firms, he even handled Walt Disney’s publishing division Hyperion as Editor-in-Chief. On account of his experience as an editor, he became aware of his eye for spotting talented authors and writers. Brian launched his literary agency DeFiore & Company in 1999. He wanted to work with unpublished authors and writers and help them achieve their goals. Brian wants the seed of raw talent to be present in your writings, as the technical side is something that can be taught. Strong narrative styles, hard-hitting characters, and an unusual storyline is something he wants. Brian is looking for both fiction and non-fiction books. Popular culture, pop science, humor, and cooking are just a few of his favorite genres. You can submit a query via email – it should include a short book description, an author bio, and a few details about the type of book you’re writing.
4. Stacey Glick
A former child actress with extensive experience in film and television, Stacey Glick has worked in all areas of the entertainment industry. Her creativity and desire to discover great writings were put to great use at Hearst Entertainment and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. Stacey loves interacting with people, guiding them, and negotiating on behalf of her clients. Now Vice President and Literary Agent at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC in New York, she has been with the agency since 1999. In terms of non-fiction, she is interested in memoirs, science, mental health & wellness, cookbooks, and current events. Non-fiction writers and authors will have to send a query letter via email. It should contain an overview, an annotated table of contents, an author bio, and some sample material. You can find the guidelines for non-fiction available on this page.
5. Monika Woods
Monika Woods is an accomplished literary agent who has worked at successful agencies, such as Trident Media Group and InkWell Management. After gaining extensive experience in the publishing field, Monika decided to establish her own business – therefore, she is presently the owner of Triangle House, a boutique literary agency. Excited to see original perspectives in existing genres, Monika is acquiring literary fiction, cookbooks, current affairs, and popular culture titles. In terms of submissions, you can send her an email containing the first 10 pages of your manuscript. If she is interested, you can expect a reply in the near future.
6. Gina Panettieri
Gina Panettieri’s main focus in the past 20 years has been her work as a literary agent. One of the things she enjoys the most when it comes to her job is being able to interact with people from many different backgrounds. Gina’s client list features psychologists, chefs, criminologists, scientists, and numerous other specialists. Currently a literary agent at Talcott Notch Literary, she is looking forward to discovering more fiction and non-fiction books. Parenting, cooking, self-help, true crime, urban fantasy, and horror are only a few of the various genres she is interested in. Queries can be sent here, but make sure to read the submission guidelines first.
7. Katherine Latshaw
As a book packager, Katherine was very aware of what readers and consumers prefer on the outside. She felt confident enough to understand what readers prefer on the inside as well. She joined Folio Literary Management in 2013, following several stints at agencies. She doesn’t just tell writers what to write, but rather assists them in the process. Her edits, re-writes, and constructive comments can often make the difference between a discount bin book and a bestseller. Based in New York, Katherine will pitch your book to the right editors and publishers. She is seeking non-fiction, poetry, memoirs, middle grade & YA, and cookbooks. Submit your query and proposal to her via email.
8. Erin Niumata
A literary agent at Folio Literary Management, Erin Niumata has around 30 years of experience in the publishing field. On account of her extensive work as an editor, Erin knows exactly what it takes for a book to become a bestseller. Her client list includes romance writers, humorists, inspirational speakers, chefs, and many more, so she is familiar with the subtleties of numerous fields of work. Erin is mainly interested in cookbooks, memoirs, narrative and prescriptive non-fiction, and thrillers, to give some examples. Authors who would like to collaborate with her should submit the first 3 chapters of their work, a synopsis, and a query letter at the email address specified here.
9. Andrea Somberg
A literary agent for more than 15 years, Andrea Somberg has worked relentlessly to get her clients the best of the publishing world. She is now an agent at the Harvey Klinger Literary Agency. Her experience has enabled her to figure the best deals and contracts for her authors without compromising their creative integrity. Andrea’s authors and writers have been nominated and received many popular awards, and topped the bestseller lists in the country. Interested in both fiction and non-fiction, she is looking for books in the genres of romance, fantasy, thrillers, self-help, how-to, travel, lifestyle, cookbooks, memoirs, and diet. You can submit your work to Andrea via email by pasting a synopsis, author bio, and the first 5 manuscript pages in the body of the email.
10. Ted Weinstein
A writer, marketer, and literary agent, Ted Weinstein has complete knowledge of the literary and publishing industry. His stint as a writer gave him an insight into the minds of his clients and made him a better literary agent. He formed the Ted Weinstein Literary Management agency in 2001 to offer his experience and skills to writers in need of a guiding hand and mentor. Eager to work one-on-one with upcoming authors, Ted is only interested in non-fiction. Some of the non-fiction genres he is keen on are food and cooking, current affairs, personal finance, business, popular science, and politics. You can use this link to read about the submission guidelines and get references. The same link has an online form to submit your query to Ted.
11. Meg Thompson
Currently a literary agent at Thomas Literary Agency, Meg Thompson has represented Lisa Leake, Tim Kreider, Ken Denmead, and Julia Chaplin, among other successful authors. Before starting her own business with Susanna Einstein, she earned a B.A. in British and American Literature from New York University and worked at LJK Literary Management. Some of the genres Meg is interested in are cooking, music, politics, fashion, and design. If you’d like to collaborate with her, you can send Meg a query letter here. However, make sure to check the full guidelines first.
12. William Clark
William Clark has been a literary agent since the early 1990s. Some of his previous employers were William Morris and Virginia Barber Literary Agency, two of the biggest and most successful agencies in the world. He finally launched his literary agency WM Clark & Associates in 1999. Working at a top-tier agency taught William the way to navigate this complicated business. He can handle the creative partnerships with his authors and writers and the commercial negotiation, contracts, and deals with editors, publishers, and book companies. William works hand in hand with authors and writers to push their book to bestselling lists and critical success without compromising anything. From 1993, he has been open to unsolicited queries, making him one of the few agents to do so. He is mainly interested in non-fiction, respectively in cookbooks, memoirs, true crime, mind/body/spirit, and lifestyle titles, to give some examples. You can fill an online query form to submit your manuscript.
13. Lisa Grubka
Lisa Grubka has been working as a literary agent at Fletcher & Company since 2012. After graduating from the University of Michigan and gaining extensive experience at two well-known literary agencies, Lisa became fond of both fiction and non-fiction. In terms of fiction, she is interested in literary suspense, historical fiction, and YA, to give some examples. If your novel happens to feature a Midwestern setting, a complex friendship, or a family saga, you have a great chance of getting her attention. Food/cookbooks, current events, science, and narrative non-fiction are also on her list. Lisa is very passionate about her work, so she provides assistance for authors during the entire publishing process. Submit your query according to the guidelines displayed here and you will most likely get a response in 4-6 weeks.
14. Wendy Sherman
Having worked in various divisions of publishing, including marketing, subsidiary rights, and sales, Wendy Sherman felt the urge to work one-on-one with writers. She enjoys exploring the creative process with writers and authors, and is highly interested in Southern voices, narratives which involve family secrets, and well-written mother-daughter relationships. Wendy formed the Wendy Sherman Associates Literary Management agency in 1999 to give writers a chance to shine. Some of her favorite genres are fiction, spirituality, lifestyle, food, and parenting. Submit your query via email by pasting the query letter and author bio in the body of the email. In the subject line, mention the agent’s name, your last name, and the title of the book.
15. Sarah Smith
Currently a literary agent at David Black Agency, Sarah has also worked at Trident Media Group. Living in Brooklyn, her interests are wide and mixed, giving authors a good chance to impress her. She is one of the few agents at David Black who accepts unsolicited queries. Sarah is on the lookout for non-fiction, especially when it comes to memoirs, music, food, social studies, and narrative history. You can send her a query letter and the first 3 chapters of your book via email, but keep in mind to paste them in the body of the email.
16. Danielle Svetcov
Initially a writer, Danielle started her career as a literary agent when she joined Levine, Greenberg & Rostan Literary Agency in 2002. She wrote for Forbes, the Chicago Tribune Magazine, and the New York Times, among other renowned publications. Danielle’s work experience gave her deep insights about the publishing industry, which help her understand the needs of new authors and amateur writers better. Danielle’s interests are a mixed bunch, displaying her love for reading and writing. She has represented many award-winning authors of cookbooks, funny books, narrative non-fiction, and fiction. Use the agency’s online submission form to send a query to Danielle.
17. Malaga Baldi
Owner and literary agent at The Baldi Agency since 1986, Malaga believes in the power of the written word. At an early age, Malaga discovered her passion for helping unheard voices and giving them the necessary tools to succeed. Based in New York, she has been recognized by the publishing industry as a venerated agent and name. She is interested in gay/lesbian fiction, memoirs, science, business, general fiction, history, cookbooks, and travel. You can query Malaga via email by sending a letter describing your project.
18. Jennifer Unter
Jennifer Unter is the founder and literary agent of The Unter Agency, which provides a wide range of services for writers and authors. An active member of the Women’s Media Group, Jennifer worked in several departments of publishing before finding her calling. Assisting writers every step of the publishing process and working on international projects are two things she excels at. As a former copyright lawyer, she is smart enough to negotiate beneficial deals and contracts for her writers. Jennifer is the professional any upcoming author would want or need. She is interested in young adult, children’s picture books, memoir, true crime, food/cooking, and nature/environment. You can send a query to the New York-based agent via email.
19. Whitney Ross
With a B.A. in English Literature and an M.S. in Publishing, Whitney Ross is presently a literary agent at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency. Before becoming an agent, Whitney worked extensively as an editor at Macmillan, Forge, and Tor Teen, to give some examples. Even though her main passion is fiction, especially when it comes to science fiction & fantasy, contemporary fiction, and romance, she is also interested in cooking, fashion, and design. Regardless of the genre, she wants to discover as many compelling books as she can. If you’d like to collaborate with her, you should know that she won’t be open to submissions before the fall. In the meantime, you can read the complete guidelines here and prepare your manuscript.
Are there any other literary agents for cookbooks that we need to know about? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
Shikha Pandey is a creative, content and script writer based in Mumbai, India.