Exclusive Substack Dispatch | Top Agents Open to Submissions!
Writing Tips and Advice from The Writing Community Chat Show. The UKs No3 Writing Podcast of 2025.
Let me set the scene. It is boiling here in South Wales, heat wave number 3, absolutely roasting, and I’m meant to be cracking on with drafting What Was Left Behind. My main character is about to walk into a trap, but instead, my black cat, Freida, is marching across the keyboard, demanding undivided attention. While trying to gently remove her without deleting a chapter, I got to thinking about all of us in the trenches, querying our hearts out.
We all know the absolute grind of the query machine. So, I decided to step away from the crime fiction (don’t tell Sarah, she thinks I’m hard at work in my partially decorated box room/studio) to do some heavy lifting for the community. I’ve spent the afternoon diving deep into the literary agency trenches to find out who is actually open to submissions right now. Grab a brew, or an ice-cold pint, because here are ten brilliant agents and agencies looking for your words across the UK and the US.
GB: Top 5 UK Agencies Open to Submissions.
1. Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency.
Location: London.
Focus: Commercial and literary adult fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books.
The Lowdown: They have a global reputation for cultivating careers of writers who become bestsellers and win major prizes. They are heavily passionate about discovering new talent.
How to Submit: Submissions are only accepted via the forms on their website. They require a 1.5 or double-spaced Word document containing a one-page synopsis and the first three chapters (or first 10,000 words).
2. David Higham Associates.
Location: London.
Focus: A wide range of fiction and non-fiction.
The Lowdown: A legendary agency with agents like Nicola Chang, who is currently open to both fiction and non-fiction submissions and explicitly loves discovering emerging writers.
How to Submit: To submit to Nicola Chang, send a covering letter in the body of an email with the first three chapters attached as a Word document (do not send PDFs).
3. Curtis Brown UK.
Location: London.
Focus: A broad range across fiction, non-fiction, and children’s literature.
The Lowdown: One of the most established agencies globally. They are highly active in community outreach, frequently running initiatives like the Discoveries programme to find unpublished and unagented female writers.
How to Submit: Check individual agent profiles on their website, as submission requirements vary strictly depending on who you are pitching to.
4. RCW Literary Agency.
Location: London.
Focus: A diverse range of international fiction and non-fiction authors.
The Lowdown: They have an unrivaled reputation for discovering and nurturing new writers and aim to respond to queries within six to eight weeks.
How to Submit: You must browse their agent page and submit to one agent directly. They do not accept postal submissions, and they mandate that your work cannot be generated or co-written using artificial intelligence.
5. The Soho Agency.
Location: London.
Focus: Adult fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books.
The Lowdown: They are highly active in looking for debut writers and represent a stellar list of cross-media talent with international appeal.
How to Submit: They prefer digital submissions sent directly to their dedicated submissions email, typically requesting a cover letter, synopsis, and the first three chapters.
USA: Across the Pond: 5 US Agencies to Watch.
1. Nelson Literary Agency.
Location: Denver.
Focus: Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women’s Fiction, Young Adult, Diverse Fiction, Horror, and Romance.
The Lowdown: A heavyweight agency that represents a huge array of bestsellers like Hugh Howey and Marie Lu.
How to Submit: Submit queries strictly through QueryManager.
2. Folio Literary Management.
Location: New York City.
Focus: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, and Politics.
The Lowdown: Folio agents see themselves as aggressive advocates, allies, and negotiators for their authors.
How to Submit: They accept submissions via email or their online form.
3. Trellis Literary.
Location: New York City.
Focus: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Romance, Thriller, and Historical Fiction.
The Lowdown: A fantastic destination for both commercial and upmarket literary voices.
How to Submit: Queries should be sent through Query Tracker.
4. Frances Goldin Literary Agency, Inc.
Location: New York.
Focus: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Politics, Diverse Fiction, Feminism, BIPOC, LGBTQ, Women’s Fiction, and Short Story.
The Lowdown: A legendary New York agency with a rich history of representing groundbreaking, diverse, and progressive voices.
How to Submit: Submit queries through email.
5. BookEnds Literary Agency.
Location: US.
Focus: Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Women’s Fiction, and Young Adult.
The Lowdown: A highly versatile and transparent agency with an appetite for strong commercial hooks. They are famous for pulling back the curtain on the industry via their YouTube channel.
How to Submit: Submit your queries via QueryManager.
Tips & Advice for Approaching Agents.
Alright, now that you have your targets, how do you actually land one? Having interviewed countless authors on the show, the advice always boils down to a few core principles.
Follow the Guidelines to the Letter: If an agency wants the first three chapters, do not send five. If they ask for an elevator pitch, keep it punchy. Agents look for reasons to reject to manage their overflowing inboxes—don’t make it easy for them by ignoring their rules.
Personalize Your Query: Treat your query letter like a job application. Use the agent’s name. Mention a book they currently represent that sits on the same shelf as yours. Show them why you are querying them specifically.
Nail the Hook: Your opening paragraph needs to sell the stakes immediately. Who is the main character, what do they want, and what is stopping them?
Keep Your Synopsis Objective: A synopsis is not a back-cover blurb. It should lay out the entire plot, including the ending, in a clear, objective tone. Spoil it for them! They need to know you can stick the landing.
Adopt D.I. Jolly’s Website Motto: Everything’s going to be just fine. Rejection is a massive part of this industry. It is rarely personal and often subjective. Keep polishing, keep submitting, and keep writing the next book.
Keep working, keep dreaming. The right agent for you is out there.
The Writing Community Chat Show - TOGETHER AS ONE WE GET IT DONE.
CJ Aggett.