9 Literary Agents Seeking Horror NOW

Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint which agents are open to submissions at any given time. So with that in mind, I’m creating some new vertical lists of agents seeking queries right now, as of summer 2016.

Sometimes it's difficult to pinpoint which agents are open to submissions at any given time. So with that in mind, I'm creating some new vertical lists of agents seeking queries right now, as of summer 2016.

This list is for horror novels.

All the agents listed below personally confirmed to me as of August 2016 that they are actively seeking horror submissions NOW. Some gave personal notes about their tastes while some did not. Good luck querying!

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1. Alec Shane (Writer's House)

Notes: "I would love to find something set in an old abandoned asylum, and will never tire of that spooky house down the street. What I am tired of, though, is werewolves, demons, vampires, and any variations thereof."

How to Submit: "Please send the first 10 pages of your manuscript, along with your query letter, to ashane [@] writershouse.com with 'Query for Alec Shane: TITLE' as your subject heading. No attachments please!"

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2. Connor Goldsmith (Fuse Literary)

How to Submit: Send your query letter, a 1-2 page full plot synopsis, and the first ten pages of your manuscript to queryconnor [@] fuseliterary.com.

Please paste all content into the body of the email; attachments will not be opened.

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3. Amelia Appel (McIntosh & Otis)

How to Submit: Send query letters to AAquery [@] mcintoshandotis.com.

Include a synopsis, author bio, and the first three consecutive chapters (no more than 30 pages) of your novel. No attachments. If querying Amelia, do not query Shannon, also on this list.

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4. Ginger Clark (Curtis Brown)

Notes: Open to adult, YA, and middle grade horror.

How to Submit: Send query letter and contact information to gc [@] cbltd.com.

You can also submit via an online form.

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5. Shannon Powers (McIntosh & Otis)

Notes: Open to YA, middle grade, and adult horror.

How to Submit: Send query letters to SPquery [@] mcintoshandotis.com. For adult horror, include a synopsis, author bio, and the first three consecutive chapters (no more than 30 pages) of your novel. For YA or MG horror, include a synopsis and the first three consecutive chapters (not to exceed 25 pages) of the manuscript with your query letter. No attachments. If querying Shannon, do not query Amelia, also on this list.

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6. Elizabeth Copps (Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.)

Notes: "I prefer psychological horror over the slasher-type violence."

How to Submit: Send a query letter, a synopsis of the work, first 5-10 pages, and note of any writing credentials. Send queries to mca [at] mariacarvainisagency.com. Attachments must be either Word documents or PDFs.

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7. Becky LeJeune (Bond Literary Agency)

Notes: Open to adult, YA, and middle grade horror.

How to Submit: Please send a query letter via email to: queries [@] bondliteraryagency.com.

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8. Michelle Johnson (Inklings Literary Agency)

Notes: Open to YA and adult horror. "I prefer psychological horror to gory horror."

How to Submit: To query, type “Query (Agent Name)” plus the title of your novel in the subject line, then please send the following pasted into the body of the e-mail to query [@] inklingsliterary.com. Include a synopsis and the first ten pages of your manuscript. No attachments.

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9. Maximillian Ximenez (L. Perkins Agency)

Notes: "I'm specifically reading for 'Women and children who kill.'"

How to Submit: Send query letter to submissions [@] lperkinsagency.com. Include the first five pages of your novel with your query letter. No attachments.


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Chuck Sambuchino is a former editor with the Writer's Digest writing community and author of several books, including How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack and Create Your Writer Platform.