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  • Guide to Literary Agents

Fantasy Agents

These literary agents represent fantasy novels: high fantasy, urban fantasy and more. They are currently seeking clients and submissions.

Successful Queries: Agent Sara Megibow and “The Daedalus Incident”

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This series is called “Successful Queries” and I’m posting actual query letter examples that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting these query letter samples, we will also get to hear thoughts from the writer’s literary agent as to why the letter worked.

The 61st installment in this series is with agent Sara Megibow (Nelson Literary Agency) for author Mike Martinez’s Fantasy/Steampunk novel THE DAEDALUS INCIDENT (May 7, 2013; Nightshade Books). Read more

New Literary Agent Alert: Jamie Bodnar Drowley of Inklings Literary

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Jamie is seeking: In Adult, New Adult and Young Adult fiction, Jamie is seeking fantasy, mystery, romance, paranormal, historical, contemporary, horror, light sci-fi and thrillers. In MG, she loves stories that make her laugh and are imaginative with a clear voice. She loves strong characters with distinct voices and unique story lines that stay with her long after she is finished reading. Read more

Agent Advice: Shira Hoffman of McIntosh & Otis, Inc.

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This interview features Shira Hoffman of McIntosh & Otis, Inc. Shira began her career in publishing as an intern at Tor Books and has been with M&O since 2007. In 2013, she took over as Director of Subsidiary Rights. She also Tweets @ShiraSHoffman.

She is seeking: mainstream commercial fiction, mystery, literary fiction, women’s fiction, romance, urban fantasy, fantasy, science fiction, horror and dystopian. Read more

New Literary Agent Alert: Kathleen Zakhar of Harold Ober Associates

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Kathleen is seeking: Kathleen loves all things YA and is also actively looking for adult science fiction, fantasy in all its varieties, historical fiction, and horror novels. She enjoys quirky middle grade tales with captivating adventures and original voices, and will also accept picture books. Kathleen has a special place in her heart for sweeping love stories, magical realism, inventive world-building, repurposed folklore, dark comedy, and genre-bending novels. Read more

Agent Advice: Brooks Sherman of FinePrint Literary Management

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This installment features Brooks Sherman of FinePrint Literary Management. After a two-year stint with the Peace Corps in bucolic West Africa and a one-year stint in the savage jungles of Hollywood, he is thrilled to be living once more in Brooklyn. As befitting his chosen career in publishing, he subsists on a diet of breadcrumbs and bourbon.

He is seeking: Adult fiction that runs the gamut from literary and upmarket to speculative (particularly urban/contemporary fantasy rooted in realistic settings, horror/dark fantasy, and magical realism), as well as historical fiction and crime fiction. On the children’s side, he is seeking middle grade novels of all genres (but particularly fantasy adventure and contemporary), and is open to YA fiction of all types except paranormal romance. He would especially love to get his hands on a dark and/or funny contemporary YA project Read more

New Literary Agent Alert: Kaylee Davis of Dee Mura Literary

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Kaylee is seeking: Kaylee is actively seeking to build her client list in the genres of sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction, and young adult; bonus points if there are elements of steampunk, coming-of-age, urban fantasy, espionage, social commentary, or counter culture. Kaylee is drawn to exciting, thought-provoking stories with a fresh perspective that explores what it means to be human. She accepts queries from new and emerging writers. Read more

New Literary Agent Alert: Jen Karsbaek of Foreword Literary

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She is seeking: “Jen is aggressively looking to build her list with women’s fiction, upmarket commercial fiction, historical fiction, and literary fiction. She looks for books with particularly well-developed characters and strong authorial voice. In historical in particular she is interested in books that bring the setting to life and maintain balance between historical accuracy and strong plot choices. She is also interested in mystery, fantasy, and occasionally romance approaches to any of the genres listed above.” Read more

Literary Agent Interview: Michelle Johnson of Inklings Literary Agency

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This interview features Michelle L. Johnson of Inklings Literary Agency. She is a literary agent, the founder of Inklings Literary Agency (formerly of the Corvisiero Literary Agency), and she has a business administration background in addition to a lifetime of working with books (sales, editing, and writing) and authors (marketing, promoting, event planning). She is also a script/story consultant for an independent film under production in Halifax, NS.

She is seeking: contemporary, steamy romance, suspense, thriller, mystery, horror, fantasy, paranormal and supernatural elements in adult, new adult and young adult fiction. Her nonfiction interests include memoir and true crime. Read more

New Literary Agent: Ethan Vaughan of Kimberley Cameron & Associates

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He is seeking: “Fantasy/sci-fi (particularly of the young adult variety) has long been my default, but I also appreciate and am actively looking for women’s fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction, and historical nonfiction. While I love escaping into an incredible new world, I’m a big sucker for really well-done literary fiction (something like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which sheds light on who we are as humans).

“As regards my first love, fantasy, I am very selective. I strongly prefer fantasy that is somehow grounded in the real world, be that through the integration of mythology (as in the Percy Jackson series) or through a fantasy universe being hidden inside our own (as in the Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia series). Read more

New Agent Alert: Margaret Bail of Andrea Hurst & Associates

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Margaret is seeking: adult fiction only. Specifically, she seeks romance, science fiction, thrillers, action/adventure, historical fiction, Western, fantasy (think Song of Fire and Ice or Dark Tower, NOT Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia). Please do not query with YA, MG, or children’s books. Also, Margaret does not seek steampunk, Christian/religious literature, chick lit, poetry, screenplays. Read more

Literary Agent Interview: Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary Services

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This interview features Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary Services. Paula began as a journalist, and over the years she has penned countless new stories, articles, essays, collateral, and blogs, as well as authored/co-authored more than a dozen books. Along the way, she has also added editor, acquisitions specialist, digital content manager, and publishing executive to her repertoire.

She is currently seeking: Mystery/thriller, SF/fantasy, romance, YA, memoir, humor, pop culture, health & wellness, cooking, self-help, pop psych, New Age, inspirational, technology, and science. Read more

Agent/Author John M. Cusick Teaches “Writing and Selling Sci-Fi & Fantasy for Kids and Teens” – Dec. 13, 2012 Webinar With Query Critique

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On Dec. 13, 2012, we’re pleased to welcome back literary agent & kidlit author John Cusick to our webinar program. Because he is both a successful children’s novelist as well as a literary agent for Scott Treimel NY who reps kids books, John is a remarkably good instructor at explaining how to get young adult and middle grade published. On Dec. 13, he’s teaching “Writing and Selling Science Fiction & Fantasy For Kids/Teens.” If you’re writing in either of these hugely popular genres, let John explain what agents are looking for, and let him give your query letter a critique at the same time! Read more

New Literary Agent: Jennifer Udden of the Donald Maass Literary Agency

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Reminder: New literary agents are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list.

She is seeking: science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries, and is particularly interested in finding works that creatively combine aspects of all three genres. Read more

Literary Agent Kate McKean Teaches “Awesome First Pages: How to Start Your Story Right” — Webinar With Critique on Nov. 15, 2012

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No longer can writers compose books that “really start to cook on page 40.” Books must start strong from the very first page. Your first paragraph, your first sentence, your first few pages — they all must have momentum and conflict and purpose. They cannot be fluff. Weak starts to stories is one of the most frequent reasons agents & editors reject submissions. Lucky for us, we have an expert on the subject. One of our most popular webinar instructors, literary agent Kate McKean, has returned to teach “Awesome First Pages: How to Start Your Story Right” on November 15, 2012. Read more

New Literary Agent Alert: Thao Le of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

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She is seeking: Thao is currently building her list and is specifically interested in middle grade and YA, as well as adult science-fiction and fantasy. She’s particularly drawn to smart, strong and sassy characters (whether they be robots, fairies, demons or of the human variety) and twisty plots with a compelling narrative. She’s always on the lookout for the type of stories that make you stay curled up in bed, turning page after page even after the sun has come up. Read more

Literary Agent Interview: Evan Gregory of The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency

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This installment features Evan Gregory of The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. Evan began at the agency in 2008 as an Assistant. He currently manages subsidiary rights for the agency in addition to his duties as an agent and general office manager. You can find him on Twitter or over at his blog.

He is seeking: In literary fiction, Evan is looking for horror, mystery, thrillers, science-fiction, fantasy, and women’s literature. He also accepts children’s books including picture books, early readers, and middle grade as well as young adult. In narrative nonfiction, his interests vary and he’s looking for a wide range of subjects including arts, cinema, photography, biography, business, cooking, health, history, nature, family, politics, science, sports, and travel. Read more

Literary Agent Interview: Jita Fumich of Folio Literary Management

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This installment features Jita Fumich of Folio Literary Management. Jita first began working with Folio in 2006. She holds a B.A. from New York University and has taken classes at NYU’s Center for Publishing. As an agent, Jita seeks to work with her authors on all aspects of their career—understanding that being an author today involves more than just writing a great book. In addition to traditional agenting, Jita is the Digital Liaison at Folio. In this capacity, she assists all Folio authors seeking to self-publish both backlist and original titles in electronic format.

She is seeking: Urban fantasy, lighter traditional fantasy, edgy paranormal romance, edgy contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, women’s fiction, commercial fiction, YA of all sorts, and select narrative nonfiction. Read more

New Literary Agent Alert: Andrew Wetzel of Martin Literary Management

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He is seeking: “Speaking of my tastes, the areas I’d most like to carve out for myself with Martin Literary Management would be ‘Literary with a capital L’ fiction (think Eugenides, Houellebecq, Murakami, Cormac McCarthy, Martin Amis) as well as the dark corner of the literary list that is slightly less pretentious and slightly more commercial (think Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Dennis Johnson). That’s a very ‘male’ list and it is definitely where my personal tastes lie. I love a great story but style is just as important to me sometimes. I’m also very interested in reading Young Adult novels, specifically those with a macabre sensibility or a fascinating dystopian or fantasy setting…” Read more

Literary Agent Interview: Nicole Resciniti of the Seymour Agency

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“Agent Advice” is a series of quick interviews with literary and script agents who talk with Guide to Literary Agents about their thoughts on writing, publishing, and just about anything else. This installment features Nicole Resciniti of the Seymour Agency. Nicole is a member of AAR, ACFW, RWA, and Mensa. She holds degrees in biology, psychology, and behavioral neuroscience. She also Tweets.

She is seeking: romance, mainstream suspense, thrillers, mysteries, young adult, inspirational, science fiction/fantasy, and action/adventure. Read more

More Than 60 Agents Will Be Taking Pitches at the 2012 Writer’s Digest Conference

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The 2012 Writer’s Digest Conference (Jan. 20-22, 2012) is coming up fast and promises to be a blast. We have incredible presenters lined up to instruct, fun sessions to attend, and, of course the gigantic Agent Pitch Slam that features the largest gathering of literary agents (more than 60 literary agents this year!) at any writing conference in the country. Last year, we had about 55, but the conference attendance was so outstanding that we felt lines were too long for each agent. That’s why our solution this year is “more agents, more time.” Read on. Read more

Literary Agent Interview: Jessica Alvarez of BookEnds, LLC

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This interview features Jessica Alvarez of BookEnds, LLC. Mere days after graduating from New York University with a B.A. in English Literature, Jessica began her publishing career in 2001 as an editorial assistant at Harlequin Books. There, she had the opportunity to acquire and edit a wide array of women’s fiction, specializing in historical romance, romantic suspense, and inspirational romance. The agency has a blog. Find Jessica on Twitter here.

She is seeking: women’s fiction, erotica, urban fantasy/paranormal, single title and category romance submissions. She has a special fondness for historical romance and romantic suspense. Read more

Literary Agent Interview: Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency

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This installment features Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. A freelance copyeditor, Dawn reviewed mysteries for years before starting Blue Ridge Literary Agency in January 2009. She lives in Lynchburg, Va., where she also facilitates a local writers’ group and is very active in her church. Although she read mysteries for fun, she handles most types of fiction and children’s fiction. She also blogs and Tweets.

She is seeking: mysteries, cozy mysteries, thrillers, urban fantasy, romance (no erotica), sci-fi, women’s, general, historical, Christian, young adult, middle-grade, and young readers. She does not seek: poetry, scripts, short stories, children’s picture books, memoirs, nonfiction, or screenplays. Read more

Literary Agent Interview: Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst & Associates Literary Management

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This installment features Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst & Associates Literary Management. Vickie has a BA in English Literature from Western Washington University. Her blog, Navigating the Slush Pile, covers all issues of publishing and gives valuable advice to new and seasoned authors.

She is seeking: YA contemporary & adult fiction in the following areas: dystopian, steampunk, fantasy, dark fantasy, paranormal, and cozy mysteries. In nonfiction: narrative, humorous memoir, healthy living, cookbooks with a strong platform, and current events. She loves all things weird, fantastical, morbid, and romantic, and she has a special love of unique plots, dark themes, strong characters, an engaging voice, and witty humor. Read more

Literary Agent Interview: Russell Galen of Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency

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This installment features Russell Galen of Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency. Russell is a graduate of Brandeis University. He started within days as an apprentice to “the most colorful and successful agent of his era,” Scott Meredith, and he made his first sale within a month.

He is seeking: In fiction, his passion lies within novels that stretch the bounds of reality. A novel needs to take him some place you can’t get to in a car, whether it be the past, the future, a fantasy world, an alternate historical track, a world in which our world touches another that is hidden or rarely seen, or one which has been changed by some new technology, event, or idea. In nonfiction, he seeks strong, serious books on almost any subject—as long as they teach him something. He’s interested in science, history, journalism, biography, business, memoir, nature, politics, sports, contemporary culture, literary nonfiction, etc.
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Literary Agent Interview: Eddie Schneider of JABberwocky Literary Agency

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This installment features Eddie Schneider of JABberwocky Literary Agency.

He is seeking: literary fiction, science fiction and fantasy projects with a more literary emphasis, character-driven YA and middle-grade projects, humor/satire, and graphic novels. His nonfiction interests include history, science, narrative nonfiction, nature and ecology, and cultural/social issues. Read more

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