6 Literary Agencies For Both New And Established Writers
Even if you've written a great book, no one will ever see it if you can't get it in the hands of the right publisher. Or worse, it'll end up with the wrong publisher, and you'll sign a bad deal that takes away all your rights. These agencies work hard to ensure their clients' work is seen by as many people as possible so they can keep turning out great works of literature. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
6 Agencies Bringing Great Writers to the Masses
How To Get A Literary Agent
Organizations That Support And Encourage Writers
| Name | Headquarters | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| PEN America | New York, NY | Works to protect free expression with initiatives on college campuses, in prisons, in nations where artists and journalists are at risk, and in communities around the world |
| West Coast Songwriters | Chapters throughout California | Network of local groups where members can build relationships and receive helpful feedback on their work |
| A Studio in the Woods | New Orleans, LA | Retreat and learning center providing artists and scholars with a space close to nature where they can pursue their work |
| Sisters in Crime | Lawrence, KS, with chapters across the US and Canada | Supports women crime writers, promoting diversity and inclusion through a professional network, quarterly journal, and research grants |
| PlayPenn | Philadelphia, PA | Guides playwrights as they craft new works with staged readings, classes, networking opportunities, and the three-year Foundry program |
| Authors Guild | New York, NY | Membership organization with resources for authors like contract reviews and legal aid, and a foundation that advocates on behalf of writers on issues like free speech and copyright protection |
What It's Really Like to Be a Literary Agent
In Depth
Literary agents are responsible for managing many important aspects of a writer's career. This may include book proposals, contracts, publishing rights, translation rights, film licensing and much more. A good agency is invested not only in the work that the author produces, but in the author's overall career trajectory. In no particular order, here is a list of passionate industry professionals dedicated to exposing quality writing to the world.
Up first at #1 on our list, ICM/Sagalyn is a literary agency based in the heart of Washington, D.C. and represents journalists, academics, thinkers, business writers, and novelists. In 2012, Sagalyn Literary Agency formed a strategic alliance with ICM Partners, creating ICM/Sagalyn. This company focuses primarily on nonfiction and books on business.
Some of the agency's bestsellers include Robert Reich's Saving Capitalism, David Maraniss's Once in a Great City and Greg McKeown's Essentialism. A number of the agency's titles have been licensed for development as feature films and television projects. The 2005 film Syriana was based on Robert Baer's CIA memoir, See No Evil.
Some of the agency's bestsellers include Robert Reich's Saving Capitalism, David Maraniss's Once in a Great City and Greg McKeown's Essentialism.
Moving on to #2, The Friedrich Agency was founded by Molly Friedrich in 2006. This agency is dedicated to fostering intimacy with their clients, and providing attentive, hands-on representation. The company's strategy is to nurture every dimension of an author's career. Bringing new voices to readers is one of this company's foremost passions.
The Friedrich Agency is home to a select list of novelists and authors of non-fiction who are both critically and commercially celebrated. A few among them are Sally Field, Sue Grafton and Glynnis MacNicol. In addition to print publishing and performance rights, The Friedrich Agency also handles any copyright circumstances that are not included in the publishing deal.
Up next at #3, D H H Literary Agency is an editorially-led group run by passionate book lovers. The team at this company draws from a range of professional experiences including bookselling, collecting, in-house editing and more. The agency focuses on being commercially aware, well-connected and skilled at helping authors develop their ideas.
The agency focuses on being commercially aware, well-connected and skilled at helping authors develop their ideas.
Founded by David Headley in 2008, D H H Literary Agency is dedicated to discovering and nurturing talented authors, whether debut or established. The company's goal is to provide attentive, honest and personalized representation to their clients. This agency aims to build upon their authors' careers in addition to selling their books.
At #4 on our list, Bookmark Literary is an agency specializing in illustrated books for children and youth. Founded by Teresa Kietlinski in 2016, the company focuses on early readers, graphic novels and fiction for young adults. Kietlinski started her career in 2009 when she began focusing on illustrators and picture-book authors. Bookmark Literary's list of works continues to grow in that direction.
As an agent, Kietlinski has had the pleasure of launching the careers of many creative authors. Her expertise lies in illustrated book development. She works closely with authors and illustrators developing manuscripts, book dummies and portfolios with strong visual narratives. Bookmark Literary's roster includes Vin Vogel, Daniel Wiseman, and Brooke Smart, among others.
As an agent, Kietlinski has had the pleasure of launching the careers of many creative authors.
Onto #5, Georgina Capel Associates is a literary agency that represents novelists, poets, historians, biographers, playwrights, screenwriters and writers for children and young adults. This company also represents the work of notable politicians, philosophers and economists. Georgina Capel Associates see the world as their market, and strive to do business in many languages and in countries all over the world.
The team at this company wants to ensure their writers are not only being represented for their books, but also for film, television, journalism and speaking engagements. The associates manage the careers of many talented authors including Alev Scott, Alice Morrison, Flora Fraser and Tobias Jones. This agency is always on the lookout for new writers, so those interested can send their submissions via post or email.
At #6 on our list, The Blake Friedmann Literary Agency was founded when Julian Friedmann and Carole Blake merged agencies to form one company. This group focuses on representing dynamic and exciting writers across all genres. The agency's main intention is to represent entire careers, rather than just individual books and projects, and to expose their writers to as many markets, languages and media platforms as possible.
The agency's main intention is to represent entire careers, rather than just individual books and projects, and to expose their writers to as many markets, languages and media platforms as possible.
Based in London, The Blake Friedmann Literary Agency has a very active Translation Rights team that represents authors across many different territories and formats. The agency attends major international book fairs, and the authors that they work with travel widely to promote international editions of their books. This agency's writers and team members have won numerous awards and literary prizes.
