The Fantasy genre has been a staple in bookstores worldwide. Readers just can’t seem to read enough about superheroes, werewolves, aliens, fairies, and more. Some might say that this genre is already saturated because of the volume of fantasy novels that get published annually.
But if you have a unique and appealing take on the make-believe world, readers will still flock to buy your books. Now, the only challenge is to get a publishing house to notice your work. For that, you will need a very good agent. Below are the 10 best literary agents for fantasy novels.
- Ann Rose from Prospect Agency
- Laura Rennert from Andrea Brown Literary Agency
- Matt Bialer from Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
- Queressa Robinson from Folio Literary Management
- Miriam Kriss from Irene Goodman Literary Agency
- Russell Galen of Scovil Galen and Ghosh Literary Agency
- Ginger Clark from Ginger Clark Literary
- Jim McCarthy from Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC
- Laura Wood from FinePrint Literary Management
- Brianne Johnson from HG LIterary
Ann Rose from Prospect Agency
Before becoming part of the Prospect Agency, Ann Rose tried numerous types of jobs including portfolio manager, systems analyst, and lifeguard. She found her true calling as a literary agent. Ann is the type of agent that brainstorms with her writers. The is very active in attending conferences and publishing-related workshops.
Ann Rose is very interested in putting a spin on traditional ideas and wants to see a protagonist that is willing to fight the entire world to defend what he or she believes. She is currently on the hunt for middle-grade, young adult, science fiction, fantasy, and commercial fiction.
Submission Guidelines
Submit your query letter, a copy of the first three chapters of your book, and a synopsis via the submission form on the agency’s website. The letter must have the author’s name, contact details, and a short description of the project. Mention any previous publications, educational background, and any other pertinent information.
You can submit your work in Word, PDF, Text, or HTML formats. Put all of your materials in one document. Submit your materials one project at a time. If you have multiple manuscripts ready for submission, send the best one and wait for the agency’s reply. Do not send your work to multiple agents in the agency.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.prospectagency.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Prospect-Agency-152341775728/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/prospect_agency
Laura Rennert from Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Laura Rennert has been a literary agent since 1998. She is now an executive agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Because she has been in the industry for over two decades, she has grown her client list to an intimidating level. She is still on the hunt for fantasy writers who love taking the conventional and putting their own spin on it.
Laura is an author. She is also married to one, so she knows the ins and outs of publishing. Her client list includes Lauren Kate (Fallen series), Joe Hart (The Dominion Trilogy), Mitali Perkins (You Bring the Distant Near), and Jay Asher (Thirteen Reasons Why).
Based on Laura’s wishlist, she is looking for fantasy based on non-Western mythology or Jewish lore, modern Gothic novels, academic mysteries like Possession, and thrillers with psychological insights like The Cutting Season. If your work revolves around these themes, you will definitely catch her attention.
Submission Guidelines
She is always on the lookout for materials that are authentic and have promising characters. If your work has these, then send a query letter to Laura. Send the query along with the first pages of your work. Don’t attach any files. Paste the material into the body of your email. Make sure to use the word “query” in the subject line.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.litagentlaurarennert.com/
Email address: ljrennert@mac.com
Query Manager: https://querymanager.com/query/LauraRennert
Matt Bialer from Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
Matt Bialer has been working in the publishing industry since 1985. He only joined the Greenburger Agency in 2003 but has worked as a literary agent in two other agencies before that. He may be a veteran but he is still very passionate about finding an author’s first novel.
He mostly represents authors of science fiction, thrillers, fantasy, and mysteries. He is fascinated by smart narrative nonfiction. He enjoys working on books about history, music, sports, pop culture, and more.
Matt currently represents authors Tad Williams (Shadowmarch), Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind), Sheila Williams (Things Past Telling), Lena Nguyen (We Have Always Been Here), and more. He is known for providing a lot of editorial feedback which new authors appreciate.
Submission Guidelines
If your work focuses on contemporary issues and offbeat subjects, try querying Matt by sending your query letter to his email. Unlike other agents, he opens attachments. Attach the first three chapters of your books or a complete book proposal. His response time is eight weeks.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.greenburger.com/
Email Address: querymb@sjga.com
Queressa Robinson from Folio Literary Management
Queressa Robinson’s entire career revolves around helping authors perfect their work. She is a voracious reader and has been fascinated by the fantasy genre since she was a kid. She loves characters that represent minorities, genre-bending projects, and epic storylines. Her favorite characters are warriors and fairies.
Queressa’s client list includes New York Times bestselling author Roseanne Brown (A Song of Wraiths and Ruins), National Bestselling Author Brittney Morris (Slay), Valerie Valdez (Chilling Effect), and more. Her clients have over a dozen books coming out in the future so she definitely has her hands full.
She is currently acquiring popular science by women of color and minorities, fantasy, romance, and science fiction. Her wishlist includes novels involving magic and people of color and stories about non-whitewashed cowboys.
Submission Guidelines
She is currently not accepting unsolicited submissions at the moment but keep her link in case she opens her Query Manager soon. This can be found on Folio’s website. Prepare your query letter, a brief bio, your writing credentials, plus the details of your project. Paste the first ten pages of the book into the body.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.foliolit.com/
Query Manager: https://querymanager.com/query/1066
Email address: quressa@foliolit.com
Miriam Kriss from Irene Goodman Literary Agency
Miriam Kriss has been an agent since 2004. Her acquisitions focus on commercial fiction. She does not have a specific story in mind but her hunt for new projects focuses on characters that she can fall in love with. Her clients have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.
Among her clients are Vicki Pettersson (Signs of the Zodiac, The Celestial Blues Trilogy), Lilith Saintcrow (Afterwar, Blood Call), and Karen Mahoney (The Iron Witch). According to Miriam, she chose these authors because their works were fun to read.
Submission Guidelines
Miriam’s goal is to make sure that her clients get noticed not just by publishing houses but by the readers as well. She loves helping her writers come up with stories that they themselves love. If you are a writer of fiction, you can send her your query via email. Include the keywords “submission” and “query” in the subject line.
In your letter, paste the first ten pages of your book along with its synopsis. You also need to include your brief bio and publication history if any. Miriam takes note of writers who do their research about the agent and the market that they’re trying to break into. Make sure to let that show in your query letter.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.irenegoodman.com/
Email address: miriam.queries@irenegoodman.com
Russell Galen of Scovil Galen and Ghosh Literary Agency
Russell Galen knew at a very young age that he wanted to be a literary agent. It became his dream when he read about F. Fitzgerald’s relationship with his agent, Harold Ober. He wanted to have the same relationship with his own writers where they would turn to him for inspiration, encouragement, and advice.
His career started as an assistant to Scott Meredith. The man taught him how to negotiate for his clients and guide them in turning their books into something people will love. In 1993, he launched his agency and started signing authors. He is selective of his clients. The writers’ works focused mostly on historical fiction and fantasy.
Russell is interested in a novel that can take its readers someplace that they cannot get to by car. It can either be in a fantasy world, the past, or the future. He enjoys stories that put a spin on historical events.
Submission Guidelines
Russell prefers email queries, but he will not open any attachments. You can also mail a hard copy letter but he will still respond to you via email so don’t include a SASE anymore. He appreciates a straightforward query letter containing the synopsis of your work and a sample in the form of the first ten pages of your project.
Contact Information
Website: http://sgglit.com/index.html
Address: 276 Fifth Avenue, Suite 708, New York NY 10001
Email Address: russellgalen@sgglit.com
Ginger Clark from Ginger Clark Literary
Ginger Clark’s career in publishing started at Writers House where she worked as an agent. She then joined Curtis Brown in 2005. After serving as the agency’s vice president, Ginger stepped down and began working on starting her own agency. This came to fruition in 2021 when she launched the Ginger Clark Literary agency.
Ginger’s focus is on horror, romance, women’s fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. Unlike other agents, she does not like to edit, she’d rather focus on the negotiating and contracts part of the job, but she always gives her clients’ manuscripts an editorial pass.
Her wishlist includes military, steampunk, or post-apocalyptic science fiction. She is also interested in alternative history, urban fantasy, and romantic fantasy. If you can write a female-driven space opera, you would likely catch her attention.
Among her list of clients are Richard Kadrey (Sandman Slim series, The Grand Dark), Tim Pratt (Axiom Space Opera, Heirs of Grace), and Patricia Wrede (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Thirteenth Child).
Submission Guidelines
If your work coincides with Ginger’s wishlist, send her a query letter via email. Don’t forget to include your brief bio and writing credentials if any. As always, provide a sample of your work and the synopsis of the material that you will be submitting. Ginger’s response time is two weeks.
Contact Information
Website: https://gingerclarkliterary.com/
Email Address: submissions@GingerClarkLiterary.com
Jim McCarthy from Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC
Jim McCarthy studied urban design at New York University. His plan was to go into the field of city planning. But when he was given the opportunity to intern at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, he grabbed it and essentially changed his life path. Eighteen years after, he is still with the agency and is not an agent and their vice president.
Jim is very interested in anything unexpected or unusual. He loves stories that either make you laugh out loud or cry. He is currently seeking writers of fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, crime fiction, and mysteries.
Submission Guidelines
Send your query letter to Jim McCarthy via email. Include the query in the email’s body. Give him a writing sample by pasting the first 25 pages of your manuscript below the query letter. Make sure that you proofread your material before sending it. As a company policy, only send a query letter to one agent from the agency.
Jim will not review your query if you submit to more than one agent. You can also query him through his Query Manager link. Fill out all the necessary information to save time. Do not attach any files and do not send any links as those will not be opened.
The agency responds to all queries but the wait time can be up to eight weeks. Submit one query letter per project. Wait for the agency’s decision before sending another query for a different project.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.dystel.com/
Query Manager: https://querymanager.com/query/JimMcCarthy
Email Address: jmccarthy@dystel.com
Laura Wood from FinePrint Literary Management
Laura Wood did not start out in the publishing industry. She was actually a merchandising manager at Barnes & Noble. This experience gave her a good insight into which books were getting traction from readers. Eventually, she became a literary agent for FinePrint Literary Management.
With two decades of experience under her belt, Laura has developed a sharp eye for picking what will sell. She has an impressive list of fantasy fiction. Her client list included avert-winning science journalists, animal behavior experts, NASA scientists, and paleontologists.
Submission guidelines
If your fantasy novel is heavily influenced by science, then you will have a good chance of attracting Laura’s attention. Send your query letter to this agent via email. Make sure that you write the words “Dear Laura” in the body to let her know that you’ve read her guidelines for submitting a query.
The query letter must contain the synopsis of your work, a brief author’s bio, and the opening pages of your work. Embed this in the body of your email. Do not attach anything so your email does not get deleted unopened. If Laura is interested in your work, you will be asked to submit a copy of your manuscript.
Contact Information
Website: https://fineprintlit.com/submissions.html
Email address: submissions@fineprintlit.com
Brianne Johnson from HG LIterary
Brianne Johnson worked her way up from being an intern to a senior literary agent, earning valuable experience along the way. She started in the world of publishing in 2007, worked at Writer’s House for some time, then eventually found her home in HG Literary.
Her client list includes Jenni Hendriks (HBO Max film Unpregnant), New York Times Best Selling Author Wesley King (OCDaniel), and Greg Howard (The Whispers) among others. Her clients not only consistently land on bestselling lists, but they also win prestigious writing awards like the Edgar Award.
She is currently working on acquiring projects in the following genre: young adult fantasy fiction, suspense, thriller, horror, and mystery. She is passionate about sex positivity, quirky romances, well-researched historical works, witch-based stories, and mythology-centered works.
Submission Guidelines
Brianne loves humorous writing, even in a query. Send your query letter, synopsis of the work, and a copy of the first 50 pages of your manuscript via her Query Manager. The link can also be found on the agency’s website. Note that she doesn't accept attachments and will immediately delete submissions with one.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.hgliterary.com/
Query Manager: https://QueryManager.com/briannejohnson.
