If you’ve written a romance novel, or a story belonging to one the multitudes of romance sub-genres (such as historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance etc.), and your story is targeted to a relatively small audience, take a look at our list of romance publishers accepting submissions.
You may just find the romance publishing house perfect for your book.
On the other hand, if you’re aiming big with your story and want a large publisher to publish it, one of the following 19 top romance literary agents may be able to help.
1. Whitney Ross
If you’re looking to get your romance novel published, you’ll hardly find someone as talented and experienced as Whitney Ross. With a B.A degree in Literature and an M.S degree in Publishing, Whitney started her career as an editor Macmillan, where she served the role for a decade. Over the course of her career, she ranked up from editor to senior editor while working for Tor Teen, Tor and Forge. As of now, she’s working in the Irene Goodman Company and you can always count on her for proper recognition and widespread representation of literary work. While she represents middle grade fiction, young adult fiction and supernatural fiction, romance continues to be her specialty. Whitney has worked with talented authors like Susan Dennard, Steven Erikson and Cora Carmack; and you too can join the list if your work is good enough. Take a look at submission guidelines at this page from which you can also find Whitney’s contact details.
2. Rebecca Friedman
Rebecca Friedman is yet another exceptionally talented agent who can represent your works in commercial fiction and contemporary romance. Graduating in English from Barnard College, Friedman started her career as an editor for. A couple of years later, she decided to establish her very own literary agency and that is how RF agency came to be. While she primarily focuses on romance novels, you can also send in your works pertaining to women’s fiction and young-adult fiction to her. For a submissions, send in a brief without elucidating on the concept of your story. While there are no additional guidelines, Rebecca is particularly fond of strong narrative voices. So if you want your work to make the cut, keep this point in mind. Visit this page to find information about how to make a submission.
3. Niki Terpilowski
If you’re looking to collaborate with a young entrepreneur who also comes with an impressive background in English language- Niki Terpilowski can be your best bet. After graduating with a B.A degree in English, Niki wanted to align her communications career with marketing, and that is when she decided to establish Holloway Literary Agency. With an impressive experience in working for government and civilian clients, the job was relatively simple for her. Eventually her small venture focusing on romance and women’s writing went on to cover quite a few genres like mystery, thrillers, supernatural and virtually anything under commercial fiction. ‘In Bed With a Spy’ by Alyssa Alexander and ‘The Marriage Lie’ by Kimberly Belle are two among the several award winning works published with her guidance. Her agency is currently open for submissions and you can always send in around 15 pages of your manuscript with a header, subject line, genre listing, word count, author bio and a list of comparative titles. For more details about the publishing procedure, visit this page.
4. Jessica Faust
A veteran in the publishing industry, Jessica happens to be both the owner and the president of the Bookends Literary Agency. She started her career with a couple of big and small stints in Berkley Publishing and Macmillan, after which she decided to pursue her own business. In Bookends, she primarily represents romance novels, with the addition of women’s fiction, mystery and young-adult fiction. Sara Woolf and Sofie Kelly are two among the hundreds of best-selling authors that she has represented. Jessica also writes a regular column at the Romantic Times magazine and has been awarded by the NYC Association of Romance Writers. She is currently open for submissions and is seeking romance novels with a hint of suspense. For more details about her submission guidelines, visit this page.
5. Laurie McLean
A founding partner of fuse Literary Agency, Laurie has spent almost two decades in the publishing industry, and eight years as a senior literary agency. After a stint at a prestigious PR Agency, she wanted to shift gears and entirely focus on writing. In 2002, she realized that she was meant to be a literary agent, following which she decided co-found this agency. While she has worked with several NY-Times best-selling authors, her biggest client is Linda Wisdom who written more than 100-romance novels in her career. Laurie’s agency is currently open for submissions and you can send in the first few pages of your manuscript with a short query letter on this page.
6. Ann Leslie Tuttle
Like her contemporaries, Ann boasts an impressive resume with years of experience and consistent association with award-winning authors. After graduating with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English, she decided to join Harlequin Books where she went on to work for two decades. She resigned with the title of senior editor and eventually joined DG& B literary agency at 2017. Here, she primarily focuses on contemporary romance fiction and has already managed to collaborate with best-selling writers like Suzzane Baltsar and Jessica Brody. Her agency is currently up for submissions and you can always send in 25 pages of your manuscript with a proper query letter. Ann can be reached out to on this page.
7. Lisa Rodgers
Are you looking to be represented by someone who has collaborated with best-selling writers like Tim Akers, Jason Heller and John Hemry? If your answer is yes, Lisa Rodgers is one of the best agents for you. Born and raised in San Francisco, Lisa qualified with a Bachelors degree from California State University. She eventually moved on to attend a publishing program from NYU’s publishing institute, and that is how she came to join Jaberwocky Literary Agency. Her agency is currently open for submissions, and Lisa is seeking contemporary romance right now. She’s particularly looking for some novel where the hero and heroine overcome their obstacles for happy denouement. You can send in a query letter to Lisa, here.
8. Eva Scalzo
Born in New Jersey, Eva Scalzo is a supremely literary talented agent who’s literally thrives and survives on romance novels. She holds a B.A and M.A degree in Publishing and you can always count on her proper, consistent representation. Eva currently works for Speilberg Literary Agency, and although they’re closed for submissions, you can always keep an eye on their submission page for the latest news.
P.S:- While she is willing to represent every possible genre of romance; avoid sending in manuscripts about inspirational romances or young adult fiction.
9. Ali Herring
Ali Herring can be a perfect literary agent for anyone who’s looking to publish their realistic romance novel. Graduating from Berry College with a degree in journalism, Herring decided to pursue her communications’ career by joining a leading literary magazine. After a couple of years, she came across Spencerhill and decided to join this agency ever since. Having worked with best-selling authors like Alyssa Alexander and Donna Alward, you can absolutely count on her for proper and consistent representation. Herring is fond of strong narrative voices with a captivating plot. Her agency is currently open for submissions, and you can fill out this form for collaborating with her.
10. Jessie Stover
Have you penned down a page-turning romance that’ll keep your readers in complete awe? If that is your case, Jessie Stover can be your go-to literary agent. Jessie is a fresh graduate from Taylor University and although she doesn’t have too much collaboration to boast of, you can still count on her for proper representation. She currently works in the Seymour Literary Agency as an associate agent, and you can send in your contemporary romance, romantic suspense or romantic comedies to her. In case you’re looking, find more about sending in your query, visit this page.
11. Nalini Akolekar
After a remarkable career in the editorial and advertising, Nalini decided to pursue her career as a literary agent. Her role has given her ample opportunities to blend her editorial instincts and her insights on marketing. Nalini is best known for representing top romance authors, and her association has led to amazing publication deals at Harlequin, Amazon and the likes of it. Vice President of Spencerhill Associates, she is best known for her romance and women’s fiction with a hint of suspense. Since her agency is currently open for submissions, you can always pitch in your query with a short query letter on this page.
12. Michelle Grajkowski
Like most of the other agents on this list, Michelle Grajowski is an established literary agent who decided to come up with the 3 Seas Literary Agency after her successful stint in a couple of publishing houses. Michelle holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and she loves surrounding herself with talented authors who want to come up with something new. She primarily represents romance (all sub-genres) and bestselling authors like Katie MacAllister, and C.L Wilson have already worked with her. Her agency is currently open for submissions, and you can always send in the first chapter of your manuscript with a short query letter. Collaborate with Michelle on this page.
13. Kaitlyn Johnson
If you’re proud of your fantasy romance novels and want somebody to represent your manuscript- Kaitlyn Johnson can be your answer. After graduating with a B.A degree from Emerson College, Kaitlyn worked as a freelance editor for a while and within the next couple of years she managed to bag the editorial position at Corvisiero Literary Agency. While she represents both general and contemporary romance, you can also send in your adult fiction and middle grade fiction to her. Kaitlyn is particularly fond of romance novels with a dystopian theme or fantasy elements; so if you have something similar in mind, get in touch with her on this page.
14. Stephanie Hansen
Owner of the Metamorphosis Literary Agency, Stephanie is yet another gifted literary agent who harbors a special fondness for romance novels. After completing her Master’s Degree with a specialization in creative writing, she decided to work for Mind’s Eye Literary Magazine. Things changed in 2016, when she came up with Metamorphosis in an attempt to represent creative newbie storytellers. Nicole Bea and Brittany Cooper are just among the several best-selling authors she has already represented. As of now, Stephanie is seeking romance tales with a smart, witty and free-flowing narrative. You can contact her here for your submission queries.
15. Kate Nash
Can you ever go wrong with an agent who has collaborated with leading authors like Christie Barlow and Maxine Barry? Well, that is exactly why you need to contact Kate. With more than two decades of experience in the publishing industry, Kate has served multifaceted roles as an author, publicist and marketing enthusiast. Over the time, she decided to pursue her own gig and came up with the Kate Nash Literary Agency. Her agency flourished with top collaborations and her holistic services. But while she works with every possible genre pertaining to contemporary fiction, romance novels seem to be her reigning favorite. So if you’re an aspiring romance novelist who’s looking to be represented by her, visit this page for more details.
16. Danielle Burby
Danielle Burby is a young and promising agent, who literally enjoys devouring romance novels. After double majoring in English and creative writing from Hamilton University, she managed to bag jobs an editor in many top publishing companies. A couple of years later, she decided to join the Nelson Agency in 2017. While she primarily represents YA fiction, she has also worked with quite a few authors on their romance novels. Burby is fond of easy-flowing narratives that can visibly strike a chord among readers. Her agency is currently accepting submissions and you can always mail them a query letter with an appropriate subject line. Visit this page for more details.
17. Kortney Price
Kortney Price is a rather newbie literary agent, who has already collaborated with big names in her short career. Graduating in B.A from Greenville University, she worked as an intern for leading names like Andrea Hurst & Associates and Inklings Literary Agency. After two years, she finally got a chance to work as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Price is currently looking for new-age fiction with a historical, romantic or paranormal setting. Here’s what you need to know about the guidelines.
18. Cassie Hanijan
If you’re looking to work with someone who has been associated with prestigious agencies like Waxman Leavell and DeFiore and Company; you can surely count on Cassie Hanijan. Although she primarily focuses on non-fiction texts, she has also worked on a couple of commercial fiction titles. Cassie is the only agent representing romance novels from her agency and ‘Tying the Scot’ by Jennifer Tretheway is one of her upcoming projects. Her agency is currently up for submissions and you can always send them the first five pages of your manuscript along with a short query letter. For more details about the guidelines, visit this page.
19. Melissa Edwards
Melissa Edwards stepped into the publishing industry after graduating from Washington State University with a degree in English. Within just one year; she cracked her first job at Aaron Press Literary Agency. Finally, after 2016, she was hired at Stonestrong where she represents commercial fiction pertaining to romance, thrillers and suspense. Her agency is currently accepting submissions and in order to work with her, you’ll have to send a chapter of your novel along with a query letter. Visit this page for a bigger scoop on the submission guidelines.
Are you aware of any other top romance literary agents we need to know about? Please tell us more in the comments box below!
I am Ruposhree, a regular happy-go-lucky girl with not-so-regular (read extraordinary) dreams. I love reading, obsessing over random TV series, dreaming of unrealistic vacations, and most importantly, trying my hand at writing. I want to believe that I somehow have a way with words and maybe one day I’ll manage to see and be everything that I ever dreamt of!