Here are a dozen literary agents seeking science fiction. All are from established literary agencies.
Make sure to read the agency website before submitting. You'll get a good sense of whether your book will be a good fit by looking at the books the agency has represented.
Note: You can find a comprehensive list of agents seeking clients here: http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p/agents.html
______________________
Carlie Webber (CK Webber Associates)
About Carlie: For ten years, she worked as a public librarian serving teens and adults, served on book awards committees, and reviewed books professionally for journals including Kirkus Reviews and VOYA. Wishing to pursue her interest in the business side of books, she then enrolled in the Columbia Publishing Course. Her professional publishing experience includes an internship at Writers House and work with the Publish or Perish Agency/New England Publishing Associates and the Jane Rotrosen Agency.
What she is looking for: “I prefer my adult speculative fiction to have some grounding in reality, so for that audience am looking for SF set in our world, or a world with strong echoes of our own. I’d love books like YEAR ZERO by Rob Reid or READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline. I’m a little more flexible when it comes to YA in terms of being removed from reality, and I especially enjoy teen books set in alternate societies. Some YA books along the lines of what I’m looking for include LEGEND by Marie Lu and THE DARKEST MINDS by Alexandra Bracken.”
How to Submit: To submit your work for consideration, please send a query letter, synopsis, and the first 30 pages (or three chapters of your work, whichever is more) to carlie [@] ckwebber.com and put the word “Query” in the subject line of your email. You may include your materials either in the body of your email or as a Word or PDF attachment. Blank emails that include an attachment will be deleted unread. She only accepts queries via email.
——————--
Jennie Goloboy (Red Sofa Literary)
About Jennie: Jennie Goloboy has a PhD in the History of American Civilization from Harvard. She is also a published author of both history and fiction, and a member of SFWA, RWA, SHEAR, OAH, the AHA, and Codex Writer’s Group.
What she is looking for: “I’m especially looking for adult sci-fi and fantasy. Lighthearted and optimistic books are always welcome, and I love diverse protagonists. Have you got an unusual premise and an engaging protagonist? Send it my way!”
How to Submit: Send queries to jennie [@] redsofaliterary.com. “We highly encourage everyone to send an email and/or query letter initially, before attempting to send a full book proposal or sample chapters. If there is an interest, we will directly contact the author. If querying via email, please only put the contents of your query IN the email. We will not open attachments unless they have been requested in advance.” Please do not query Amanda Rutter of Red Sofa Literary (also on this list) if querying Jennie.
——————--
Moe Ferrara (BookEnds)
About Moe: "Becoming a literary agent was fitting for the girl who, as a small child, begged her dad to buy her a book simply because "it has a hard cover." Growing up, she had a hard time finding YA books outside of Christopher Pike and R. L. Stine, and instead tackled Tom Clancy or her mom's romance novels. Though her career path zigzagged a bit—she attended college as a music major, earned a JD from Pace Law School, then worked various jobs throughout the publishing industry—Moe was thrilled to join the BookEnds team in May of 2015 as a literary agent and the foreign rights manager."
What she is seeking: Moe is interested in science fiction and fantasy for all age groups (no picture books).
How to Submit: Send queries to MFsubmissions [@] bookendsliterary.com. Queries should be no more than a one-page query letter in the body of the e-mail. At this stage in the submission process we will not accept or open attachments. Address your query to Moe specifically.
——————--
Marisa Corvisiero (Corvisiero Literary)
About Marisa: Marisa A. Corvisiero is the founder of the Corvisiero Literary Agency and our Senior Literary Agent. During the few years prior to starting her own agency, Marisa worked with the L. Perkins Agency, where she learned invaluable lessons and made a name for herself in the industry. She is also a Literary Consultant, Speaker, Author and an Attorney practicing law with a focus on Corporate Law and Estate Planning in New York City
What she is looking for: “I love heavy science books (THE MARTIAN types) with quirky characters, or flawed redeemable characters who save the day. I’m an energy, space, and time travel nerd. So bring it on! I’m also really looking for MG and YA. MG Science fiction would be a dream. Especially if there is some kind of adventure and high stakes, even if the stakes are just important to the main character. They don’t have to be saving the world, but if they are it needs to be a well thought out and unique idea.”
How to Submit: Marisa prefers that you attach the 1-2 page synopsis (double-spaced) and the first 5 pages of your manuscript to the query e-mail as separate Word .doc or .docx files. No paper or faxed submissions will be reviewed. Send all queries to query [@]corvisieroagency.com and address Marisa by name in the salutation.
——————--
DongWon Song (Howard Morhaim Literary)
About DongWon: DongWon Song is a literary agent at Howard Morhaim Literary. He was formerly an editor at Orbit, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. There, he launched multiple New York Times bestselling series, including FEED by Mira Grant and LEVIATHAN WAKES by James S.A. Corey. He was the first hire at a publishing startup, Zola Books, and while there oversaw content and eventually became the head of product for the ecommerce and ebook apps. He is a graduate of Duke University with a BA in English and Economics.
What he is seeking: “I’m specifically looking for Science Fiction for YA (no middle grade), Space Opera, and Smart Near Future SF. NO Military SF or Cyberpunk or thrillers.”
How to Submit: Email your query letter and the first three chapters of your novel. Email attachments are acceptable. No snail mail submissions will be considered. Send queries to dongwon [@] morhaimliterary.com.
——————--
Amelia Appel (McIntosh & Otis)
What she is looking for: “I’m most interested in novels with elements of SF, not overwhelmingly in-your-face SF (meaning entire space settings, alien-focused stories, inter-planet battles, and that sort of thing, aren’t right for me).”
How to Submit: Send queries to AAquery [@] mcintoshandotis.com. “We ask that all text be pasted in the body of the email as outlined in the submission guidelines. Emails containing attachments will not be opened and will be automatically deleted due to security reasons. Because of the high volume of submissions we receive, we will only respond to queries when we are interested in reviewing additional materials. Please send a query letter, synopsis, author bio, and the first three consecutive chapters (no more than 30 pages) of your novel.”
——————–
Caitlin McDonald (Donald Maass Literary)
About Caitlin: Caitlin McDonald joined DMLA in 2015, and was previously at Sterling Lord Literistic. She represents adult and young adult speculative fiction, primarily science-fiction, fantasy, horror, and related subgenres, as well as contemporary fiction about geeky characters. She also handles a small amount of nonfiction in geeky areas, with a focus on feminist theory/women’s issues and pop culture. Caitlin grew up overseas and has a BA in Creative Writing from Columbia University.
What she is seeking: All science fiction and fantasy fiction (and subgenres) for adult, YA, and MG — especially secondary world fantasy and alternate history.
How to Submit: To query, please email query.cmcdonald [@] maassagency.com with the query letter, synopsis, and the first ten pages of your novel pasted into the body of the email.
——————–
Penny Moore (FinePrint)
About Penny: While completing degrees in Linguistics and Japanese Language & Literature at the University of Georgia, she spent time studying comparative literature at top universities in Japan and South Korea. She then spent time as a middle school TESOL teacher, a period during which she grew to love and understand the children’s book market. In 2013 she found her way to FinePrint Literary as an intern, officially joining the agency in 2014, and has since been actively working to build her list with exceptionally talented clients.
What she is looking for: In middle grade, and young adult fantasy and sci-fi. in adult fiction, her tastes lean towards literary, speculative fiction, sci-fi, fantasy.
How to Submit: Please send a query letter and the first ten pages of your manuscript pasted into the body of the email to penny [@] fineprintlit.com with the word “Query” in the subject line. Please query only one project at a time and do not send unsolicited attachments as they will remain unread and deleted immediately.
——————–
Amanda Rutter (Red Sofa Literary)
About Amanda: Amanda is a literary agent at Red Sofa Literary. She is a book reviewer, and produces work for her own blog, Floor to Ceiling Books, but can also be found reviewing for Tor.com, Hub Magazine, Vector and Fantasy Literature. Before becoming an agent, Amanda was an editor with Angry Robot, helping to sign books and authors for the Strange Chemistry imprint. In her free time, she is a yarn fiend, knitting and crocheting a storm. Find her on Twitter at @ALRutter.
What she is seeking: Adult fantasy and science fiction, as well as young adult fantasy.
How to Submit: Send queries to Amanda [@] redsofaliterary.com. “We highly encourage everyone to send an email and/or query letter initially, before sending sample chapters. If there is an interest, we will directly contact the author. If querying via email, please only put the contents of your query IN the email. We will not open attachments unless they have been requested in advance.” Please do not query Jennie Goloboy of Red Sofa Literary (also on this list) if querying Amanda.
——————–
Matt Bialer (Sanford Greenburger)
About Matt: Matt has been in the publishing community since 1985, and worked at two major literary agencies before joining the Greenburger team in 2003. While his list includes many veteran authors, he also enjoys finding unique new voices.
How to Submit: Please send query letter in the body of your email, and then send the following as an attachment: the first three chapters of your book. No snail-mail queries will be accepted. Send queries to mbialer [@] sjga.com.
——————–
Andy Kifer (Gernert)
About Andy: About Andy: Andy joined The Gernert Company in 2012 after two years working for Aram Fox, Inc., where he scouted books for foreign publishers. He grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, lived in North Carolina for five years, and worked briefly as a cross-country coach at a boarding school before starting his career in publishing. He lives in Brooklyn and runs in Prospect Park.
How to Submit: Send queries to info [@] thegarnertco.com. The email subject line should read “Query for Andy: [Title].” Feel free to paste a sample chapter in the email body below the query.
——————–
Lisa Rodgers (JABberwocky Lit)
About Lisa: Lisa grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from California State University, Sacramento, in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a minor in German literature-in-translation, history, and culture (sadly, she doesn’t speak German, although it’s on her bucket list). She moved to New York City in 2012 to attend NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute and joined the JABberwocky team a few months later. She’s previously worked at San Francisco Book Review and Barnes & Noble, interned at Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency, and was a submissions reader for Lightspeed Magazine. She is a member of Romance Writers of America.
What she is looking for: Fantasy: "I’m particularly drawn to characters whose struggles include not just “the quest”, but also choices that challenge their beliefs or values. I love both high- and low-magic fantasies; cohesive worldbuilding is the more important ingredient. While I tend to prefer epic, contemporary, or dark fantasies, I also enjoy trying new things.
Science Fiction: I love SF of all stripes, and in particular I’m drawn toward space opera and military SF. To explore what it means to be human, how technology (or aliens) affects that definition, and how to remain human given that (or if we should at all) are particularly intriguing to me. Large-scale stories are fantastic, but I’m also very interested in smaller-scale stories, where there focus is on a particular group of characters and not necessarily the fate of the galaxy. (And I really love space battles.)
For both science fiction and fantasy, complex magical/technological, political, and social systems are all good things in my book, as are moral quandaries and ambiguity. I’m also very interested in seeing female protagonists and/or settings outside the typical European setting."
How to Submit: To query, send your query letter (and optional 1-2 page synopsis) to querylisa [@] awfulagent.com. No attachments. Emails containing unsolicited attachments will be deleted.
Make sure to read the agency website before submitting. You'll get a good sense of whether your book will be a good fit by looking at the books the agency has represented.
Note: You can find a comprehensive list of agents seeking clients here: http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p/agents.html
______________________
Carlie Webber (CK Webber Associates)
About Carlie: For ten years, she worked as a public librarian serving teens and adults, served on book awards committees, and reviewed books professionally for journals including Kirkus Reviews and VOYA. Wishing to pursue her interest in the business side of books, she then enrolled in the Columbia Publishing Course. Her professional publishing experience includes an internship at Writers House and work with the Publish or Perish Agency/New England Publishing Associates and the Jane Rotrosen Agency.
What she is looking for: “I prefer my adult speculative fiction to have some grounding in reality, so for that audience am looking for SF set in our world, or a world with strong echoes of our own. I’d love books like YEAR ZERO by Rob Reid or READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline. I’m a little more flexible when it comes to YA in terms of being removed from reality, and I especially enjoy teen books set in alternate societies. Some YA books along the lines of what I’m looking for include LEGEND by Marie Lu and THE DARKEST MINDS by Alexandra Bracken.”
How to Submit: To submit your work for consideration, please send a query letter, synopsis, and the first 30 pages (or three chapters of your work, whichever is more) to carlie [@] ckwebber.com and put the word “Query” in the subject line of your email. You may include your materials either in the body of your email or as a Word or PDF attachment. Blank emails that include an attachment will be deleted unread. She only accepts queries via email.
——————--
Jennie Goloboy (Red Sofa Literary)
About Jennie: Jennie Goloboy has a PhD in the History of American Civilization from Harvard. She is also a published author of both history and fiction, and a member of SFWA, RWA, SHEAR, OAH, the AHA, and Codex Writer’s Group.
What she is looking for: “I’m especially looking for adult sci-fi and fantasy. Lighthearted and optimistic books are always welcome, and I love diverse protagonists. Have you got an unusual premise and an engaging protagonist? Send it my way!”
How to Submit: Send queries to jennie [@] redsofaliterary.com. “We highly encourage everyone to send an email and/or query letter initially, before attempting to send a full book proposal or sample chapters. If there is an interest, we will directly contact the author. If querying via email, please only put the contents of your query IN the email. We will not open attachments unless they have been requested in advance.” Please do not query Amanda Rutter of Red Sofa Literary (also on this list) if querying Jennie.
——————--
Moe Ferrara (BookEnds)
About Moe: "Becoming a literary agent was fitting for the girl who, as a small child, begged her dad to buy her a book simply because "it has a hard cover." Growing up, she had a hard time finding YA books outside of Christopher Pike and R. L. Stine, and instead tackled Tom Clancy or her mom's romance novels. Though her career path zigzagged a bit—she attended college as a music major, earned a JD from Pace Law School, then worked various jobs throughout the publishing industry—Moe was thrilled to join the BookEnds team in May of 2015 as a literary agent and the foreign rights manager."
What she is seeking: Moe is interested in science fiction and fantasy for all age groups (no picture books).
How to Submit: Send queries to MFsubmissions [@] bookendsliterary.com. Queries should be no more than a one-page query letter in the body of the e-mail. At this stage in the submission process we will not accept or open attachments. Address your query to Moe specifically.
——————--
Marisa Corvisiero (Corvisiero Literary)
About Marisa: Marisa A. Corvisiero is the founder of the Corvisiero Literary Agency and our Senior Literary Agent. During the few years prior to starting her own agency, Marisa worked with the L. Perkins Agency, where she learned invaluable lessons and made a name for herself in the industry. She is also a Literary Consultant, Speaker, Author and an Attorney practicing law with a focus on Corporate Law and Estate Planning in New York City
What she is looking for: “I love heavy science books (THE MARTIAN types) with quirky characters, or flawed redeemable characters who save the day. I’m an energy, space, and time travel nerd. So bring it on! I’m also really looking for MG and YA. MG Science fiction would be a dream. Especially if there is some kind of adventure and high stakes, even if the stakes are just important to the main character. They don’t have to be saving the world, but if they are it needs to be a well thought out and unique idea.”
How to Submit: Marisa prefers that you attach the 1-2 page synopsis (double-spaced) and the first 5 pages of your manuscript to the query e-mail as separate Word .doc or .docx files. No paper or faxed submissions will be reviewed. Send all queries to query [@]corvisieroagency.com and address Marisa by name in the salutation.
——————--
DongWon Song (Howard Morhaim Literary)
About DongWon: DongWon Song is a literary agent at Howard Morhaim Literary. He was formerly an editor at Orbit, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. There, he launched multiple New York Times bestselling series, including FEED by Mira Grant and LEVIATHAN WAKES by James S.A. Corey. He was the first hire at a publishing startup, Zola Books, and while there oversaw content and eventually became the head of product for the ecommerce and ebook apps. He is a graduate of Duke University with a BA in English and Economics.
What he is seeking: “I’m specifically looking for Science Fiction for YA (no middle grade), Space Opera, and Smart Near Future SF. NO Military SF or Cyberpunk or thrillers.”
How to Submit: Email your query letter and the first three chapters of your novel. Email attachments are acceptable. No snail mail submissions will be considered. Send queries to dongwon [@] morhaimliterary.com.
——————--
Amelia Appel (McIntosh & Otis)
What she is looking for: “I’m most interested in novels with elements of SF, not overwhelmingly in-your-face SF (meaning entire space settings, alien-focused stories, inter-planet battles, and that sort of thing, aren’t right for me).”
How to Submit: Send queries to AAquery [@] mcintoshandotis.com. “We ask that all text be pasted in the body of the email as outlined in the submission guidelines. Emails containing attachments will not be opened and will be automatically deleted due to security reasons. Because of the high volume of submissions we receive, we will only respond to queries when we are interested in reviewing additional materials. Please send a query letter, synopsis, author bio, and the first three consecutive chapters (no more than 30 pages) of your novel.”
——————–
Caitlin McDonald (Donald Maass Literary)
About Caitlin: Caitlin McDonald joined DMLA in 2015, and was previously at Sterling Lord Literistic. She represents adult and young adult speculative fiction, primarily science-fiction, fantasy, horror, and related subgenres, as well as contemporary fiction about geeky characters. She also handles a small amount of nonfiction in geeky areas, with a focus on feminist theory/women’s issues and pop culture. Caitlin grew up overseas and has a BA in Creative Writing from Columbia University.
What she is seeking: All science fiction and fantasy fiction (and subgenres) for adult, YA, and MG — especially secondary world fantasy and alternate history.
How to Submit: To query, please email query.cmcdonald [@] maassagency.com with the query letter, synopsis, and the first ten pages of your novel pasted into the body of the email.
——————–
Penny Moore (FinePrint)
About Penny: While completing degrees in Linguistics and Japanese Language & Literature at the University of Georgia, she spent time studying comparative literature at top universities in Japan and South Korea. She then spent time as a middle school TESOL teacher, a period during which she grew to love and understand the children’s book market. In 2013 she found her way to FinePrint Literary as an intern, officially joining the agency in 2014, and has since been actively working to build her list with exceptionally talented clients.
What she is looking for: In middle grade, and young adult fantasy and sci-fi. in adult fiction, her tastes lean towards literary, speculative fiction, sci-fi, fantasy.
How to Submit: Please send a query letter and the first ten pages of your manuscript pasted into the body of the email to penny [@] fineprintlit.com with the word “Query” in the subject line. Please query only one project at a time and do not send unsolicited attachments as they will remain unread and deleted immediately.
——————–
Amanda Rutter (Red Sofa Literary)
About Amanda: Amanda is a literary agent at Red Sofa Literary. She is a book reviewer, and produces work for her own blog, Floor to Ceiling Books, but can also be found reviewing for Tor.com, Hub Magazine, Vector and Fantasy Literature. Before becoming an agent, Amanda was an editor with Angry Robot, helping to sign books and authors for the Strange Chemistry imprint. In her free time, she is a yarn fiend, knitting and crocheting a storm. Find her on Twitter at @ALRutter.
What she is seeking: Adult fantasy and science fiction, as well as young adult fantasy.
How to Submit: Send queries to Amanda [@] redsofaliterary.com. “We highly encourage everyone to send an email and/or query letter initially, before sending sample chapters. If there is an interest, we will directly contact the author. If querying via email, please only put the contents of your query IN the email. We will not open attachments unless they have been requested in advance.” Please do not query Jennie Goloboy of Red Sofa Literary (also on this list) if querying Amanda.
——————–
Matt Bialer (Sanford Greenburger)
About Matt: Matt has been in the publishing community since 1985, and worked at two major literary agencies before joining the Greenburger team in 2003. While his list includes many veteran authors, he also enjoys finding unique new voices.
How to Submit: Please send query letter in the body of your email, and then send the following as an attachment: the first three chapters of your book. No snail-mail queries will be accepted. Send queries to mbialer [@] sjga.com.
——————–
Andy Kifer (Gernert)
About Andy: About Andy: Andy joined The Gernert Company in 2012 after two years working for Aram Fox, Inc., where he scouted books for foreign publishers. He grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, lived in North Carolina for five years, and worked briefly as a cross-country coach at a boarding school before starting his career in publishing. He lives in Brooklyn and runs in Prospect Park.
How to Submit: Send queries to info [@] thegarnertco.com. The email subject line should read “Query for Andy: [Title].” Feel free to paste a sample chapter in the email body below the query.
——————–
Lisa Rodgers (JABberwocky Lit)
About Lisa: Lisa grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from California State University, Sacramento, in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a minor in German literature-in-translation, history, and culture (sadly, she doesn’t speak German, although it’s on her bucket list). She moved to New York City in 2012 to attend NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute and joined the JABberwocky team a few months later. She’s previously worked at San Francisco Book Review and Barnes & Noble, interned at Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency, and was a submissions reader for Lightspeed Magazine. She is a member of Romance Writers of America.
What she is looking for: Fantasy: "I’m particularly drawn to characters whose struggles include not just “the quest”, but also choices that challenge their beliefs or values. I love both high- and low-magic fantasies; cohesive worldbuilding is the more important ingredient. While I tend to prefer epic, contemporary, or dark fantasies, I also enjoy trying new things.
Science Fiction: I love SF of all stripes, and in particular I’m drawn toward space opera and military SF. To explore what it means to be human, how technology (or aliens) affects that definition, and how to remain human given that (or if we should at all) are particularly intriguing to me. Large-scale stories are fantastic, but I’m also very interested in smaller-scale stories, where there focus is on a particular group of characters and not necessarily the fate of the galaxy. (And I really love space battles.)
For both science fiction and fantasy, complex magical/technological, political, and social systems are all good things in my book, as are moral quandaries and ambiguity. I’m also very interested in seeing female protagonists and/or settings outside the typical European setting."
How to Submit: To query, send your query letter (and optional 1-2 page synopsis) to querylisa [@] awfulagent.com. No attachments. Emails containing unsolicited attachments will be deleted.
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