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Getting a literary agent can be a stressful, difficult prospect and I hope this listing of reputable (as far as I know) agents who take romance will help you. Please know that this listing is far from complete. Many of the very best agents simply don't have websites, although many do seem to be catching up to the times. This listing may be one starting place for you, but I will also suggest that you JOIN RWA! They have a listing of agents who represent romance and keep tabs on their activity so you can be assured these people are on the up and up. Not only that, but the RWR, the RWA monthly magazine, produces a list of all approved agents and their complete information each year. For a listing beyond those who have websites, another good resource is Karen Fox's website. I also hope you'll take a gander at my Agent F.A.Q., where I offer my personal take on agents in general. Agencies are listing in Alphabetical Order by agency name or agent last name (if their site is not affiliated with their agency). Be sure to check out the Writer Beware list of 20 WORST Agents, as well.
3 Seas Literary Agency -- Michelle Grajkowski and Cori Deyoe are the agents for this literary agency that is RWA-approval. They deal a lot in women's fiction and in romance (clients are listed in the client page). They do have submission guidelines. Alička Pistek Literary Agency, LLC -- Though this agency started in 2003, Alička Pistek was part of other agencies before. She represents commercial fiction (including romance). Check out her page of submission guidelines for more of what she personally likes to see as far as query letters. Alive Communications, Inc. -- Representing many Christian authors, including Christian romance author Lori Copeland, this group may be an option for those of you writing to this specific sub-genre. The website includes submission guidelines, a sample proposal, and industry links. Update: Alive Communications is now only open to submissions from unpublished writers referred by their current authors or published authors. Allen O'Shea Literary Agency -- Marilyn Allen and Coleen O'Shea are the agents here. Both once worked with major publishing houses and they do take romance clients. Submission guidelines are at the bottom. Anderson Literary Management, LLC -- Kathleen Anderson, formerly of Anderson Grinberg and, before that, editor at Poseidon is the lead agent here. They do list lady lit and chick lit in their interests, though I don't recognize any romance/women's fiction names on their list. They're building a new website (the main link here), but still maintain a page at Publishers Marketplace here with all their info. Artists Literary Group -- Represents romance/women's fiction and their new website has a lot more info on it than before, including author listing, info about the agents and submission guidelines. Ashley Grayson Literary Agency -- An agency that has been around since the 70s and represents several romance clients currently. Submission guidelines at the bottom of the page. Barbara Bova Literary Agency -- A well-known science fiction agency that is interested in taking on romance. Marlene Stringer is the one to contact and they do have submission guidelines. The Bent Agency -- Jenny Bent formed this agency in 2009 after stints with several large, well-established literary agencies. She represents many romance authors and has submission guidelines, as well as a blog. Book Ends, LLC -- They have an awesome mailing list. All their agents came from big New York publishing houses, working with big names in romance. Check out their submissions page for more info on which agent to query and while you're at it, tour around their site for other good info they share there. Also check out their blog. Books and Such Literary Agency -- A literary agency that seems to have a focus on Inspirational romance, though they may also take secular romance, as well. They do have submission guidelines. Bradford Literary Agency -- Laura Bradford, formerly of Manus and Associates, formed this agency. Submission guidelines are here. Brown Literary Agency -- Roberta Brown is a literary agent who has been around for a long while. She specializes in a lot of different kinds of romance. She has submission guidelines and be sure to check out the other pages on her site to get a general flavor. Browne and Miller -- Formerly known as Multimedia Product Development, they have now officially changed their name. Danielle Egan-Miller is the AAR member who runs this agency (Ms. Browne passed away in 2003). They are interested in romance. They do have submission guidelines, but also check out their section on how they work because I think it contains insights into the kind of relationship you might have if you're unpublished and can't sell right away. Caren Johnson Literary Agency -- Caren Johnson formerly worked at Firebrand Agency and now runs her own agency. The site is part of her blog, but it does have the usual info and submissions guidelines. Cornerstone Literary Agency -- Though the site is pretty barren, with only a short description of their submission guidelines, an address and a list of current titles, this agency is still well-known and respected. Helen Breitwieser takes the romance. Crichton and Associates, Inc -- This agency is run by lawyer Sha-Shana Crichton. They seem to have a keen interest in multicultural romance (especially African-American), contemporary and inspirational. They don't appear to be interested in historical romance. Submission guidelines are available. Denise Marcil Literary Agency, Inc -- This long-time agency (since 1977) represents women's fiction and romance. There is a page with comments from her authors. And there is a submission page that also has links to articles about querying that might be useful to you. Elaine P. English, Attorney & Literary Agent -- Elaine English, formerly of Graybill and English, has branched out on her own. Check out her section on her Literary Services, which contains her submission guidelines, as well as other info. The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency -- One of the most well-known and well-respected agents in romance... or anywhere else for that matter. Ellenberg has also written numerous articles on agentry and the market. Submission guidelines available. Farris Literary Agency -- Two married lawyers are the primary agents here. They do have detailed submission guidelines. FinePrint Literary Management -- This literary agency has some impressive clients in the women's fiction realm. Be sure to check out About the Agents for the best fit on querying your manuscript. Then head to the Submission Guidelines. Firebrand Literary -- Nadia Cornier, formerly of Paige Wheeler's Creative Media Agency, started this literary agency in 2005. The site includes Agent Bios and Submission Guidelines, as well as other things. Folio Literary Management, LLC -- A literary agency formed by Paige Wheeler (formerly of Creative Media), Scott Hoffman and Jeff Kleinman. They have a submissions guidelines page, as well as other info about their clients and personnel. Greyhaus Literary Agency -- Puget Sound area (WA) based literary agency that only takes romance. Check out the About Us to see some of their thoughts on various genres. Check out their Contact page for info on submissions, as well as a rule for turn-around on requests (if you're not ready to submit a request immediately to an agent... I probably wouldn't submit here). Hartline Literary Agency -- An agency that represents a lot of inspirational romance. They don't seem to have made actual sales in mainstream romance, but they will look at it. Check out their submission guidelines for more info. Harvey Klinger, Inc -- Another long time literary agency. You can read more about the agents in About Us. They have submission guidelines, as well.
Jane Chelius Literary Agency, Inc. -- This long-time agency has finally gotten a website. It includes some good tips on what they do for clients, bios of Jane and Mark Chelius, as well as submission guidelines. Jennifer Jackson -- A member of the Donald Maass Literary Agency (where other agents also take queries for romance), she is a member of AAR. She holds membership in several writing organizations (common for agents) and you can click on her client list. Also submission guidelines. Jet Literary Associates, Inc -- Not a lot of details on this sparse, no-nonsense site, but they do have a listing of clients that includes some romance authors. Submission guidelines are on the main page. Judith Ehrlich Literary Management, LLC -- This agency has been around since 2002 and its main agent, Judith Ehrlich, has been agenting since 1998 (before that she was a journalist and authored a nonfiction book of her own). Recently they've hired an agent interested in romance, so be sure to check out their listing of agents to know who to send to. And their submission guidelines. The Knight Agency -- Deidre Knight (who is also a romance author) is the founder of The Knight Agency. There is a list of acquiring agents and their tastes at the About page. The webpage has a lot of good information for a new author wondering what an agent is looking for, plus submission guidelines. Larsen Pomada Literary Agency -- This agency based out of San Francisco does indicate it takes romance submissions. Each agent has written several books on agenting including Michael Larsen's How to Write a Book Proposal and Literary Agents: What They Do, How They Do It and How to Find and Work with the One Right For You. The site also contains lots of info for authors looking for agents. Update: Their site now has a new look that I much prefer! Levine Greenburg Literary Agency, Inc -- Formerly known as James Levine Communications. Stephanie Kip Rostan (a former romance editor for Bantam/Dell) is the romance agent. They still have an electronic submission form. Linda Chester and Associates -- This agency represents several heavyweights in fiction and also has an agent interested in romance. Check out their About page to see which agent to query, then go to their submission guidelines, but be sure to read and follow their directions there. The Literary Group International -- A large agency that represents all kinds of work from Fiction to Non-fiction. They lay claim to several Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning authors. They do represent some romance and have simple submission guidelines. Loretta Barrett Books -- Established in 1990, this agency represents fiction and nonfiction. In romance they specifically mention romantic suspense. They have represented romances in the past and have a list of authors. There are submission guidelines. Lowenstein-Yost Associates -- This agency has been around for a long time and romance agent Nancy Yost is well-known and highly respected. Their submission guidelines are outlined, including how to submit via email to individual agents. Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc -- This literary agency has been around for a long time and is well-respected, but their Publisher's Marketplace has no info on submission guidelines or clients. Try a query. Marsal Lyon Literary Agency -- Two agents recently of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency formed this new group together. They are taking various genres of romance. Check out their submission guidelines for more info. Also, be sure to read their bios. Martha Millard Literary Agency -- Another agent I'm not very sure of. I've not heard of her before even though she says she has twenty years of experience. She does accept romance (and says she's big with sci-fi/fantasy so paranormal writers may want to take a look). Submission guidelines at the bottom of the page. The McCarthy Agency, LLC -- Another Publisher's Marketplace listing, and another agency I know little about. They do take email queries and submission guidelines are at the bottom of the page. Mendel Media Group, LLC -- This agency is run by Scott Mendel. Doesn't have a client list or submission guidelines, though it does have some tips in an FAQ. Mortimer Literary Agency -- This agency represents quite a bit of Inspirational Romance, but also secular romance, so a writer who had both on their mind might find the agency a good fit. They have submission guidelines. Natasha Kern Literary Agency -- This site presents a list of clients and books they've represented. She also offers advice and submission guidelines on her pages, including submitting online. Nelson Agency, LLC -- Kristin Nelson is the agent for this agency. She does list submission guidelines and you can query by email. Pam Strickler Author Management -- This agent represents a wide variety of romance writers, as evidenced in this site. She also once edited for Ballantine. Submission guidelines are at the bottom of the page and include instructions for email queries. Pema Browne Ltd -- Pema Browne is the agent for this agency. Although her husband Perry is still listed on the site, he passed away a while back. I'm not sure if she's still agenting, but you can give it a shot by following the submission guidelines.
Prospect Agency -- Emily Sylvan Kim, formerly of powerhouse Writers House, has started her own agency here. The site has a very friendly feel and a nice theme. Submission guidelines are available, as is a list of current clients. The Rappaport Agency -- Jenny Rappaport has formed this agency after a couple of years at the L. Perkins agency. She is interested in a variety of fiction, including romance. Submission guidelines are on the main page of this sparse site, but she also has a blog. Reece Halsey North Literary Agency -- This agency has represented some romance in the past, though I don't see much recent romance from their client list. As always, be cautious. Their revamped website has a submissions page. Richard Curtis Associates, Inc -- Richard Curtis has been around for over forty years. They stress on their homepage that they're looking for romance fiction that can be marketed as mainstream and also say they aren't taking previously unpublished authors. However, it never hurts to query. Submission guidelines are available. Richard Henshaw Group -- Once an agent with Richard Curtis Associates, Henshaw has been on his own since 1995. Look at the About Us section to see which agent to send romance/women's fiction to. And they do have submission guidelines. Rosenberg Group -- Barbara Collins Rosenberg is the owner and agent for this agency. There are submission guidelines. Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency -- This 20 year veteran literary agency has finally gotten a website. Check out the Meet the Agents page to find out who takes romance and then check out the submissions guidelines. They also have an agency blog, where you might find out more about the agents and the agency. The Seymour Agency -- Mary Sue Seymour has sold many books to several publishing houses, historical romance and contemporary. You can check out her list of sales at the site. There are no guidelines, but there is a contact info page. Spectrum Literary Agency -- They have long been loved by the Sci-Fi/Fantasy crowd and are interested in representing romance, as well. They specifically mention romantic suspense and historical romance on their main page. They do have submission guidelines. The Stringer Literary Agency -- Founded by literary agent Marlene Stringer (who was last with Barbara Bova), this agency does list romance in its interests. The site has submission guidelines, as well as a list of current clients. Talbot Fortune Agency, LLC -- Former Berkley romance editor Gail Fortune has joined with John Talbot (of the John Talbot Agency, Inc since 1998) to form this new entity. Check out their FAQ for genres they have an interest in. And then go to their submission guidelines to submit a query via email (check out the guidelines carefully for format, etc). Trident Media Group -- This agency was started by powerhouse agent Robert Gottlieb after he left William Morris. Several of the agents here represent a wide variety of romance writers. Submission guidelines are available, as are agent bios and client lists so you can pick exactly the right match for you.
William Morris Agency -- A leader in all kinds of representation. The William Morris site now has a new look and has actually added some very basic submission guidelines. No indication of specific agents to query, though. You may want to call to see who is taking romance submissions at this time. Writers House -- One of the powerhouse agencies for romance. They rep some of the best known writers around (see their list of bestsellers) and have submission guidelines.
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