Digg it!If you are looking for a literary agent, always verify agent’s information before sending your query. Verify the agent’s query preferences, contact information, genres of interest, and if the agent is still open to queries.
Never pay to get published and never give your entire manuscript unless the agent asks for it.
Write an initial query letter. Go search the net for a sample of a literary letter query letter.
10. Daniel Lazar
21 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10010
(212) 685-2400
(212) 685-1781 (fax)
http://www.writershouse.com
As per his site:
I’m always on the lookout for distinct fiction and great, lively non-fiction. I represent adult and children’s books (and for children’s books, I focus mainly on middle grade and YA). For fiction, I love stories that introduce me to new worlds — or even better, recreate the ones I may already know. I also especially love historical fiction of all kinds. For non-fiction, I enjoy memoirs, narrative non-fiction, all stripes and studies of pop-culture, and even small gifty books that strike my fancy and make me smile. I’m a huge fan of graphic novels and memoirs. And as the oldest child of six who has changed many, many diapers in his life, I’m equally intrigued by any book with unique views on parenting and family life.
9. Sam Stoloff
ss@goldinlit.com
His clients include Monika Bauerlein, Susan Bordo, Pratap Chatterjee, Cliff Conner, Daniel Duane, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Susanne Freidberg, Bruce Grierson, Jean Harfenist, Deborah Harkness, Mary Hays, Kristin Henderson, Mike Hudson, Anna Lappe, Stephanie Mencimer, Carla Peterson, Gretchen Reynolds, and Siva Vaidhyanathan.
8. Victoria Sanders
Victoria Sanders & Associates
241 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 11H
New York, NY 10014
queriesvsa@hotmail.com
After receiving her BFA from New York University, and earning her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Victoria Sanders worked in the Legal & Contracts department at Simon & Schuster. Realizing that she could satisfy her taste for the art of the deal and her desire to be involved in the creative end of book development as a literary agent, Ms. Sanders trained as an assistant in two top New York City agencies before founding her own, Victoria Sanders & Associates, in 1992. A literary agent for well over a decade, she counts among her illustrious clients the New York Times and internationally bestselling thriller author, Karin Slaughter, whose last five thrillers have debuted on the London Times, New York Times, Der Spiegel and Dutch Bestseller Lists and two American Book Award winners (Jeff Chang and Cecelie Berry). She takes great pride in the work she does on behalf of her prestigious client, the Zora Neale Hurston Trust, ensuring that the literary giant perseveres in the canon. Ms. Sanders represents a multi-cultural roster of clients, who offer diverse styles, viewpoints, and storytelling. She finds it most rewarding discovering, fostering, and ushering great new voices into publication.
7. Gail Ross
1666 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 500 Washington, D.C. 20009
Phone: (202) 328-3282 | Fax: (202) 328-9162
Gail represents a variety of important commercial nonfiction. She and her team work closely with first-time authors and have earned a reputation in the industry for providing rigorous, enthusiastic editorial guidance at all stages of the publishing process. Through the agency’s blog and regular happy hours, she also encourages her writers to view themselves as members of a literary community, helping each other toward success.
Gail is also a media lawyer with Lichtman, Trister & Ross, where she advises individuals, companies, and non-profits on copyrights, publishing, new media, and licensing.
6. Vicky Bijur
Twitter: @VBLA
Assistant: Claire Dunnington
assistant@vickybijuragency.com
Vicky Bijur started her agency in 1988 after working at Oxford University Press and with the Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. She represents fiction and non-fiction. Books she represents have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, in the New York Times Notable Books of the Year, Los Angeles Times Best Fiction of the Year, Washington Post Book World Rave Reviews of the Year, and been nominated for the L.A. Times Book Award as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award. Three of her mystery writers have won Edgar awards.
Vicky has served as president of the AAR (Association of Authors’ Representatives), the only organization of literary and dramatic agents in North America. She has been a member of the AAR Royalties Committee since 1993 and is currently Chair of its Ethics Committee .
If you liked this list you should also check out:
- Top 10 Literary Agents for New Authors Part 3
- Top 10 Literary Agents in New York Part 1
- Top 10 Literary Agents in New York Part 2
- Top 10 Literary Agents in California
- Top 10 Agents for Illustrators Part 2
I spotted a ncmmeot left on BWA’s Facebook wall under a post they published about an author whose contract had allegedly been cancelled as a result of ncmmeots made on the internet. This ncmmeot has now been deleted, but I copied it when I saw it as I thought that might happen. I would have thought that it would be better for a full response to be given to answer the valid questions raised.This is the ncmmeot that was deleted:Nahla-yes I agree. This sounds like a rumour to me and it depends what you mean by disparage. No one should be unprofessional but people should know some context which is that there’s a fair amount of Internet debate about BWA itself. As a former winner I’ve stayed out of this til now but I think posts like this raise quite legitimate questions I would love to see BWA give clear and professional answers I still believe they do a lot of good encouraging writers but my own experience is that they don’t always deliver what is promised or show themselves to be open to debate. Writers support writers- and free discussion.This is the FB link In any case, the ncmmeot has been deleted.I just want to reiterate the final line of that deleted ncmmeot: Writers support writers and free discussion.