One thing about the majority of these large book publishers is that they do not accept submissions directly from authors. You will need an agent to act on your behalf - to negotiate the best terms for you.
We’ve put together a list of 10 best literary agents for christian books to help you pick the best agent for your project. These agents represent faith-based novels, nonfiction, inspiration and spiritual books.
Let’s begin.
Steve Laube
Steve Laube is an agent and founder of the Steve Laube Agency. He has been in the bookselling industry for roughly 45 years, during which he has worked with several bookstores and publishers. He has won various awards, including the National Store of the Year award in the 80s by CBA, Editor of the Year by AWSA and Agent of the Year by ACFW.
He began the Steve Laube Agency in 2004 and has since represented over 2000 new books. He represents all kinds of Christian books; Fiction and nonfiction, except;
- Poetry
- Short stories
- Screenplays
- Photography books
- Family history biographies
He has represented Talented authors like Lisa Bergren, Tracy Highley and Nancy Pearcy.
Submission Guidelines
If you are interested in having your book represented by Steve Laube, you'll be required to send a query letter and a full proposal with sample chapters attached.
You can send your proposal via email or as a hard copy. The proposal should be attached as a Word document or PDF if you choose to submit it via email. If you send it via mail, remember to include a Self-addressed-staff-envelope (SASE).
Here's a link to the agency's detailed submission guidelines.
Website:
Email:
krichards@stevelaube.com
Lisa Jackson
Lisa is a literary agent and the Executive Vice President at the Alive Literary Agency. Before joining the agency in 2014, she had worked as a reporter and editor for a local newspaper, as an associate editor for a magazine and directed the nonfiction team at Tyndale Publishing House.
Lisa has a little over 30 years of experience in the book publishing industry. She's renowned for identifying and cultivating key voices. She has the expertise to help authors maneuver the rapidly-changing book publishing industry.
Lisa lives in Colorado with her husband and enjoys spending time in nature and the company of her two grandkids.
Submission Guidelines
Lisa Jackson is currently not accepting unsolicited manuscripts or proposals. You can contact the agency only when you've been referred by one of their clients or know any of their agents.
You'll need to fill out a short form on their website to reach the agency.
Website:
Address:
5001 Centennial Blvd #50742 Colorado Springs, CO 80908
Alexander Field
Alexander Field is a literary agent with The Bindery, an agency he started in 2017. Before beginning The Bindery, he had worked in journalism and book publishing for about 18 years.
He started his career at the Los Angeles Times, writing articles and news reports. Besides the Los Angeles Times, Alexander has also written for Relevant Magazine and Writer's Digest and served as a publisher and vice president for Penguin Random House.
Field endorses authors in Religion and Spirituality, Christian Living, Parenting, Personal Growth, Commercial Fiction, Science Fiction and more.
Submission Guidelines
You can query The Bindery by emailing info@thebinderyagency.com. When submitting your book proposal, you'll need to send a cover letter along with;
- A precise brief of your book concept
- Table of Contents for nonfiction
- At least 2 sample chapters
- Your publishing history
- Author biography
- Relevant contact information
You can attach your full book proposal and sample chapters in the email body following your query letter.
Website:
Email:
info@thebinderyagency.com
Cynthia Ruchti
Cynthia Ruchti currently works with the Books & Such Literary Agency in California. She has served on several platforms in different capacities. She started as a writer, producer and later president of an international radio station.
She served as a board president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) from 2009 through 2010 and is currently ACFW's professional relations liaison. Lisa has experience working with publishers, editors, retailers, book reviewers, marketing managers, library representatives, and other literary agents.
She's also an author of 23 books; hence, she understands both sides of the book production process. She's passionate about helping authors attain their goals. Cynthia currently accepts nonfiction Christian books.
Submissions Guidelines
To submit a query, you are needed to adhere to the following instructions:
- Limit your query to one page
- Write a short description of your project, including your manuscript's subject and genre, its unique elements and target audience. The description should be a paragraph long.
- State your book marketing vision, writing experience, the person who referred you to the agency and whether you're submitting to other agents.
You'll send your query to representation@booksandsuch.com. You can read the rest of the submission guidelines here.
Website:
Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.ruchti
https://www.instagram.com/cynthiaruchti1994
Adria Goetz
Adria Goetz is currently working with P.S Literary Agency as a senior literary agent. Before this, she served as a senior literary manager with Martin Literary Management. She is a Bachelor's degree holder in English with an emphasis in creative writing from the University of Washington.
Before becoming a Senior Literary Manager, Adria worked for two years at the Pierce County Library and three years as an assistant at the Martin Literary Management, where she nurtured her creative skills.
Adria is currently representing books for the general as well as Christian markets, including:
- Picture books
- Young adult
- Middle grade
- Adult fiction
- Graphics novels
You can visit her personal website to get a better understanding of her wish list.
Submission Guidelines
You can send your submission via query@psliterary.com, and it should include the following elements:
- Paragraph 1: Title and genre of your work, estimated word count and a short introduction.
- Paragraph 2: Short overview of your manuscript. It should read like that on the back cover of a book.
- Paragraph 3: Author biography. Talk a bit about yourself.
- Include at least 10 Pages of your work in the body of the email, not as an attachment.
You can learn more about their submission guidelines here.
Website:
Contacts
query@psliterary.com
info@psliterary.com
212-655-9276 (New York)
416-907-8325 (Toronto)
Danielle Egan-Miller
Danielle is the owner and president of Browne & Miller Literary Associates, LLC. She is a bachelor's degree holder in English from the Loyola University of Chicago and a graduate of the Radcliffe Publishing Course.
Danielle has served in various positions in different firms, including Dearborn Trade, NTC Business Books/Contemporary Books, and McGraw-Hill Trade, before being the business partner of the legendary Jane Jordan Browne.
She mainly represents adult fiction, with Christian fiction included. She has hundreds of books. Many of her clients have won prestigious awards such as
- Edgar Award
- The Colorado Book Award
- The Willa Award
- The Canadian Governor's General Award
- The RITA Award, etc.
Submission Guidelines
If you seek Danielle's representation, send your query letter to mail@brownsndmiller.com.
The query should be included in the email and not as an attachment. The email should include the following elements:
- The genre of your book
- Word count of your manuscript
- A brief overview of your project
- Information about yourself: your publishing history, academic background etc.
- Referral source
- Your contact information.
Website:
Contact:
mail@brownsndmiller.com
Jim Hart
Jim Hart is an agent with the Hartline Literary Agency. He is also a singer, songwriter, and worship leader and has been a member of his church's youth and music ministry for decades.
Jim represents both fiction and nonfiction clients in general as well as Christian markets. He is interested in topics concerning Christian living, self-help, church growth and social issues, leadership and parenting.
He can also represent fiction in genres like romance, sci-fi, thriller and speculative fiction.
He has worked with veteran and debut authors alike. To work with him, you will need to show growth in your area of expertise.
Submission Guidelines
Jim Hart accepts email submissions only. Your book proposal submission should be sent as an MS. Word doc attached to an email. The email's subject line should be submission: title, author's name, and word count," and the body should only be the cover or query letter.
The proposal should be a single document, not a batch of files. You can follow the individual guidelines for submitting a fiction and a nonfiction book proposal on the Hartline website.
It's important to note that Jim doesn't accept submissions for books that conflict with Christian views. He doesn't represent books that contain violence, unnecessary vulgarity, or gratuitous sexuality.
Website:
Contacts:
jim@hartlineliterary.com
Phone: 412-829-2483
Greg Johnson
Greg Johnson became a full-time literary agent in 1994 after writing and publishing 20 nonfiction books with traditional publishers. He also has editorial experience working for a teenage boys' magazine. He is currently working with the Word Serve Literary Agency.
Greg has represented over 2300 books and mediated over 1800 contracts to a little over 85 publishers in his career as a literary agent. He primarily represents Christian fiction and nonfiction books, military nonfiction and memoirs, business books, adult trade books, children's books, speciality Bible books and more.
He also works with pastors and speakers with compelling messages to write for their audiences. Greg lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife. He is blessed with six adult children and seven grandchildren.
Submission Guidelines
Greg's agency only accepts email submissions. All queries are expected to include the following components;
- A proposal for the book.
- The first five pages of the manuscript pasted into the email body.
- Information about you and your platform for a nonfiction query.
- Information about your publishing history for a fiction query
Note that all information should be in the email body and not as an attachment.
The query should be submitted to admin@wordserveliterary.com. You can learn more about their submission protocols here.
Website:
Email:
admin@wordserveliterary.com
Shannon Marven
Shannon Marven is the current president of Dupree Miller and Associates, a literary agency located in Dallas, Texas. She primarily represents Christian fiction and nonfiction books. She has worked with the likes of Dr.Phil, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Jim Wallis, and Joel Osteen.
Shannon is talented in creating polished products from basic ideas, driving them to the marketplace, where they become cultural movements. She is hardworking, dedicated, and a significant player in the publishing industry.
Submission Guidelines
Unfortunately, neither Shannon nor the agency is accepting unsolicited submissions. You can, however, still reach her through email at editorial@dupreemiller.com for more information and general inquiries.
Website:
Email:
editorial@dupreemiller.com
Christopher Ferebee
Christopher Ferebee has been a literary agent since 1999. He served for 12 years at Yates and Yates firm in southern California, representing a broad spectrum of Christian authors, speakers and pastors.
In 2011, Christopher founded The Christopher Ferebee Agency based in Corona, California. It is a relatively small agency that serves a clientele with a significant impact in the world of influence.
Chris looks to represent works that are thought-provoking, inspiring, and life-changing. He represents various genres in both fiction and nonfiction categories except poetry, academic works and children's books.
Submission Guidelines
Christopher accepts submissions only made to submission@christopherferebee.com. He does not receive hardcopy proposals via mail.
You'll attach a query letter and your book's proposal to the email. The book proposal should be in Word format. The email should have the following details with the subject line as SUBMISSION.
- Name
- Telephone number
- Publishing history
- Sales history
- Source of referral
Multiple submissions are discouraged, as well as querying the agency via social media or phone.
