If you’re looking for a compilation of literary agents looking for upmarket fiction, below we’ve featured 15 for you.
1. Amanda Jain
Amanda Jain from Bookends Literary Agency is a literary agent representing both fiction and non-fiction authors. Her clients include Marlowe Benn, Anna Kaling, Matthew Fraser, and Dylan Taylor-Lehman, among others. In fiction, Amanda is currently seeking upmarket fiction, mystery, romance, women’s fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction. In non-fiction, she is seeking books on history, popular science, food history, social history, archeology, art history, material culture, and the literary world. She is not interested in children’s books, hard science fiction, erotica, high fantasy, or horror.
If you are interested in querying Amanda, you can do so through her query form. For general inquiries, you can get in touch with her via email. For more information, check out Bookends Literary Agency’s submission guidelines here.
2. Irene Goodman
Irene Goodman, founder of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, has been an important member of the publishing community for more than 30 years. Throughout her career as a literary agent, she has over 1500 books, and many of her clients have appeared on the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestseller lists. Her areas of interest include upmarket fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, young adult and middle grade fiction, and mysteries. In non-fiction, she is interested in food, pop culture, science, music, Francophilia, Judaica, and current affairs.
Irene is currently open for submissions. If you are interested in working with her, you may send her an email containing the first 10 pages of your manuscript, followed by the synopsis. Your query letter should be pasted at the very bottom of your email.
3. Paul Lucas
Paul Lucas from Janklow & Nesbit Associates represents both fiction and non-fiction authors. At the moment, he is actively seeking upmarket commercial fiction, particularly historical, science fiction, fantasy, and thrillers. On the literary side, he is drawn to narratives about class, race, family, and immigration. He is also interested in narrative non-fiction. His client list includes James Islington, Ben Raines, Katherine Arden, Erin Williams, Anthony Ryan, and more.
Should you be interested in querying Paul, you can send him your cover letter, a brief synopsis, and the first 10 pages of your book. Submissions may be sent via email or post, and don’t forget to address your submission to Paul. For more detailed information, check out Janklow & Nesbit Associates’ submission guidelines here. For general inquiries, you may contact the agency via email.
4. Stephanie Delman
Stephanie Delman is a literary agent at Greenburger Associates, a successful literary agency based in New York. She specializes in adult fiction, particularly literary fiction, upmarket fiction, psychological suspense, near-historical fiction, and literary narratives with elements of science fiction, surrealism, or fantasy. Titles on her list include In Our Other Lives by Theodore Wheeler, The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick, Hysteria by Jessica Gross, and What Should Be Wild by Julia Fine, among others.
Interested in working with Stephanie? You may send her a query via email. Include a brief query letter, as well as the first few chapters of your manuscript. If Stephanie is interested in your work, she will get in touch with you within 4-6 weeks. Due to the volume of queries she receives, she is unable to reply to every single submission.
5. Lisa Grubka
Lisa Grubka is a literary manager from Fletcher & Company. She joined the agency in 2012 after graduating from the University of Michigan. She currently represents a diverse list of fiction and non-fiction authors, including a number of New York Times bestsellers. At the moment, she is seeking upmarket fiction, literary suspense, historical fiction, and young adult fiction. She is also interested in cookbooks, science, lifestyle, current affairs, and narrative non-fiction. She is not the right agent for romance, horror, or science fiction.
To query Lisa, send her a brief synopsis of your book, along with the first 10 pages. Submissions may be sent via email. Make sure you address your query to Lisa, and don’t query other agents from Fletcher & Company at the same time. For more information, check out these submission guidelines.
6. Danielle Bukowski
Danielle Bukowski is an associate agent and foreign rights manager at Sterling Lord Literistic. Her most recent books include They Could Have Named Her Anything by Stephanie Jimenez, The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson, Evensong by Rafe Posey, The Reluctant Fortune-Teller by Keziah Frost, and At the Edge of the Haight by Katherine Seligman. Danielle is currently seeking upmarket women’s fiction, literary fiction, smart commercial fiction, and narrative non-fiction. She is particularly interested in stories from underrepresented and marginalized voices.
Should you wish to submit your work for Danielle’s consideration, you can fill out this submission form. Due to the volume of submissions, she can only respond to queries if she is interested in seeing more material.
7. Mary Krienke
Also from Sterling Lord Literistic, Mary Krienke is a literary agent representing authors of both fiction and non-fiction. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University. Her specializations are upmarket and literary fiction, as well as memoirs and voice-driven non-fiction. She is particularly interested in non-fiction that explores themes of identity, health, sexuality, and culture. Mary’s clients include Ashlee Piper, Betsy Bonner, and Shelby Lorman, among others. She also co-represents the Berenstain Bears franchise.
If you would like to submit your work to Mary, you can do so by filling out the submission form on Sterling Lord Literistic’s website. When submitting, make sure you select Mary as your agent of choice. Should you have any additional questions or concerns, you can contact Sterling Lord Literistic via email.
8. Saritza Hernandez
Saritza Hernandez is a senior agent at the Corvisiero Literary Agency. She is a self-proclaimed geek who loves all things Star Trek, Star Wars, and Harry Potter. She is also a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. With more than 15 years of experience in the publishing industry, she has represented a number of bestselling and award-winning authors, including April Daniels, Elia Winters, Tara Lain, and J. Leigh Bailey, among others.
Saritza is seeking upmarket women’s fiction, mystery, crime, horror, fantasy, science fiction, graphic novels, LGBTQ+ romance, young adult romance, and middle grade fiction. She is also open to non-fiction, particularly cooking, history, parenting, humor, and mind/body/spirit. You can submit your work to Saritza by filling out her query form.
9. Elizabeth Kaplan
Elizabeth Kaplan is the founder of the Elizabeth Kaplan Literary Agency, a full-service boutique agency located in New York. She started the agency in 2002, and since then, she has represented many bestselling and award-winning fiction and non-fiction writers, including Temple Grandin, Greg Mortenson, Hope Edelman, Catherine Johnson, and David Oliver Relin. At the moment, Elizabeth’s main areas of focus are literary fiction, upmarket women’s fiction, young adult fiction, memoirs, narrative non-fiction, biography, history, food writing, and cookbooks.
To submit your work to Elizabeth, you can email her a query letter, along with the first 10 pages of your manuscript pasted in the body of your email. Check out the submission guidelines on her website to learn more.
10. Stephanie Sinclair
Stephanie Sinclair is a senior agent at Transatlantic Agency. She represents both fiction and non-fiction authors, and many of her clients have won or been nominated for literary awards. Her clients include Sharon Bala, Lee Maracle, Becky Blake, Joshua Whitehead, Harriet Alida Lye, and Billy Ray Belcourt, among others. In fiction, Stephanie is seeking upmarket and literary fiction. She will also consider literary thrillers and suspense, as well as young adult crossover. In non-fiction, she is interested in narrative non-fiction, memoirs, true crime, and investigative journalism.
Stephanie currently accepts queries via email. All submissions must include a short biography, previous publishing credits, and a 20-page writing sample. Writing samples may be sent in either PDF or Word format. Due to the volume of submissions she receives, Stephanie can only respond to queries she is interested in.
11. Laetitia Rutherford
Based in London, Laetitia Rutherford is a literary agent from Watson Little. She has been working as an agent since 2003, and she holds literature degrees from Goldsmiths and Oxford. She currently represents a diverse set of authors, including Emile Chabal, Andrew Brown, Amos Ruiz, Tamsin Osmond, Jeremy Daldry, Clare Brown, Thabi Moeketsi, Ruth Brooks, and more. In fiction, Laetitia is looking for outstanding literary fiction, well-written upmarket thrillers, and reading group page-turners. In non-fiction, she is drawn to engrossing personal memoirs, personal takes on contemporary subjects, and books on parenting and wellness.
If you are interested in working with Laetitia, you can send her a query via email. Submissions should include a cover letter, a brief synopsis, and the first 10,000 words of your book. For more information, check out Watson Little’s submission guidelines here.
12. Hayley Steed
Hayley Steed is a literary agent and book to screen agent at the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency, one of the leading literary agencies in the UK. Hayley is currently building her fiction list, while also focusing on film/television adaptations and scripts written by existing clients. She is open for submissions and is interested in the following: upmarket fiction, high-concept novels, uplifting love stories, contemporary women’s fiction, grounded science fiction, horror, magical realism, feminist writing, and cross-genre books.
Should you wish to query Hayley, you can do so by sending her a proposal via email. Don’t forget to address your email to Hayley, and make sure you include a one-page synopsis and the first three chapters of your manuscript. Fiction submissions must also include a one-line elevator pitch and up to three comparable books. For more information, check out these submission guidelines.
13. Stephanie Winter
Stephanie Winter is an associate agent at P.S. Literary, a Canadian literary agency headquartered in Ontario. She holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Toronto, as well as an MA in English: Issues in Modern Culture from University College London. She represents both fiction and non-fiction authors. In fiction, she is looking for diverse representation in upmarket, historical, commercial, and women’s fiction. In non-fiction, she is interested in pop psychology, pop culture, cultural history, dessert cookbooks, essay collections, and LGBTQ+ narratives.
If you are interested in being represented by Stephanie, prepare a query letter including the following: a general introduction, a brief overview of your book, and a creator’s bio. Once you are ready, submit your query letter via email, and address your email to Stephanie. For additional information, check out P.S. Literary’s submission guidelines here.
14. Hilary McMahon
Hilary McMahon is the Executive Vice President of Westwood Creative Arts, one of the most respected literary agencies in Canada. Her current clients include Ann Douglas, Carrie Snyder, Susan Juby, Dean Jobb, Ann Dowsett Johnson, Charlotte Gray, and Susan Nielsen, among others. At the moment, Hilary is looking for crossover literary/upmarket fiction, realistic young adult and middle grade fiction, and stories that feature unique and compelling voices. She is not the right fit for genre fiction, prescriptive non-fiction, or politics.
Hilary is very selective when it comes to taking on new clients, but if you wish to submit your work for her consideration, you can check out WCA’s submission guidelines here. Submissions must include your bio and contact information, a brief synopsis, and a 10-page writing sample. For general inquiries, you can get in touch with WCA via email.
15. Margaret Kennedy
Margaret Kennedy, founder of the Margaret Kennedy Agency, is a Brisbane-based literary agent. She established her agency in 1996 after 17 years of working as a book editor. Throughout her career, she has represented some of Australia’s most talented authors, including Patricia Clarke, James Cowan, Hugh Lunn, and Judith Wright, among others. She represents both fiction and non-fiction, including upmarket and commercial, but she does not represent science fiction, young adult fiction, fantasy, self-help, or children’s books.
If you are interested in submitting your work to Margaret, you can start by sending her a brief query letter via email. If she is interested in your idea, she will reach out to you to ask for a full proposal. For more information, check out Margaret’s submission guidelines here.
Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis.