A compiled list of SF/Fantasy agents...

Alan Yee

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I'll make one major update to that list: Rachel Vater no longer works for the Donald Maass Literary Agency. She is now at Loewenstein-Yost (sp?). She has a blog now, where she posts about queries, submissions, her taste in books, etc., so it would be smart to read the blog before submitting to her.

So yes, there's more of them than I originally thought. You still have to research each one's personal tastes, but this list is a good start.

Good luck on finding the right agent for your work.
 

Irysangel

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A further addendum: Dan Hooker at the Ashley Grayson literary agency passed away last November. Ashley Grayson now handles the agency's regular fantasy.
 

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List of SF/f Agents

This is a list of Agents that I have been able to find that say they rep SF/F, along with little tid-bits of info that might be useful in personalizing a query letter.

You may notice that several well-known names are not on the list; this is usually because they have said they are presently closed to submissions.

If you find it useful, especially if you manage to seduce one of these Agents into representing your work, I'll consider it work well worth the time taken to put the list together ;)

The list is not in alphabetical order, because my search took other factors into consideration. I also didn't list all the e-mails or websites.

And as always, CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!!

[*Edit*
After Victoria's input, I have flagged in red those agents that she mentioned from my list. See her post for details.]




1)Rachel Vater
§Lowenstein-Yost Associates
§http://www.lowensteinyost.com/
§Formerly an agent at Donald Maass
§Specializes in fantasy (S/S and modern)
§Formerly WD Editor of Guide to Literary Agents
§Agents Directory author
§P&E listed for sales
§Online submission form

2)Jane Chelius
§Owns own Agency
§Son, Mark, is sub-agent
§Started with Fawcett Gold Medal Books
§Former acquisitions editor at NAL
§Former Pocket Books Editor
§Sells a lot of Mystery fiction
§P&E Recommended*
§Frustrated by big pub houses corporate nature*
§Response time for e-mails: 3-4 weeks

3)Shana Cohen ?
§P&E listed, no sales recorded

4)Linn Prentis??
§Owns own Agency
§Previously with Virginia Kidd Lit Agency
§Actively seeking new clients
§P&E listed, no sales, link reported broken…

5)Shawna McCarthy
§Founding editor of Realms of Fantasy magazine
§Former Senior Editor at Bantam and Workman publishing
§Former agent at Scovil Chichak Galen Agency
§Specializes in SF/F
§P&E listed for sales

6)Mark Chelius
§See above, Jane Chelius

7)Cameron McClure
§Former agent at Curtis, Brown Agency
§No listing on P&E* but is a member of AAR
§Agent and Rights Director at Maass Agency

8)Scott Hoffman
§B.A. from William and Mary
§MBA (Finance) from NYU
§Founding partner of Folio Literary Management
§Likes dark novels w/ a ‘spiritual’ theme, and first novels*
§P&E listed for sales
§Former agent at PMA Literary
§Only accepts e-mail queries

9)Peter Cox (UK) §Agent with Redhammer (UK)
§P&E listed for sales
§Not AAR member
§Good recommendation by former CEO of Bloomsbury


10)Maya Rock
§Degree in English, Princeton, class of 02
§Agent with Writers House
§Assistant to Al Zuckerman*
§Formerly assistant with Anderson Grinberg Lit Mgmt*
§Not listed by P&E for sales
§Likes to ‘be transported to an environment that’s totally foreign but that the writer evokes perfectly’
§Drawn to stories with strong heroines*
§Seems more interested in historical romance than fantasy

11)Ethan Ellenberg
§Owns Agency
§AAR Member
§P&E listed for sales; Recommended*
§Snail Mail: Query, synopsis, 1st 50 pages
§E-Mail: query only, will respond if interested

12)Jennifer Jackson
§Agent with Donald Maass Agency*
§Previously a bookseller w/ Waldenbooks and Forbidden Planet
§AAR Member
§P&E listed for sales
§Only represents fiction
§First love is SF/F!!*
§Prefers snail mail queries: 1 page query, 1st 5 pages, SASE
§E-mail: query only* (But her personal website says she doesn’t accept e-mails*)??
§Reps Christian works*

13)Elizabeth Pomada
§Founder with husband of Larsen –Pomada Agency
§AAR Member
§P&E listed for sales
§E-mail: query in body of text
§Short synopsis, 1st 10 pages

14)Peter Rubie
§Owns Agency
§Former BBC Radio and Fleet Street Journalist
§Former Publishing, newspaper editor
§Published author, former professional Jazz musician :D
§AAR Member
§P&E listed for sales, Highly Recommended*
§Query, short synopsis, 1st 30-40 pages (sample chapter)
§NYU Prof: teaches only accredited course in literary agenting*
§http//www.peterrubie.com

15)Susannah Taylor
§James Madison College Grad (97)
§Agent with Richard Henshaw
§Not AAR Member
§P&E lists no sales*
§E-mail queries: 250 words in body, no attachments
§Attracted to ‘voice’
§Smart, stong heroine essential*
§Prefers heroes w/ humour and who 'like a woman for her brain' (LOL)

16)Michael Psaltis
§Own Agency
§Formerly with Ethan Ellenberg Agency
§AAR Member
§P&E listed for sales, further info unknown
§E-mail: query only
§Seems more interested in Cookbooks than anything else

17)Andrea Somberg
§Princeton Grad
§Formerly an Agent w/ Donald Maass (contracts, sub rights)
§Formerly w/ Vigliano Agency (2004)
§Agent with Harvey Klinger
§P&E listed for sales
§Interested in novels with strong, complex protags
§E-mails: query only

18)Robert Brown
§Agent with Wylie-Merrick Lit Agency
§Not AAR Member
§P&E listed for sales
§They are only interested in ‘high bestseller potential’…
§Has a blog on blogspot.com
§Do not represent “Christian’ novels
§Accepts e-mails, no attachments

19)Muriel Nellis
§Founder of Literary and Creative Artists, Inc
§AAR Member
§P&E listed for sales
§E-mail response time is three weeks (LOL)
§Fantasy placements thin (Although one placed at Simon and Schuster...)

20)Peter Miller
§Agent at PMA Lit Agency
§Not AAR Member
§P&E listed for sales
§Interested in books that can translate to movies, TV, cable productions
§Query plus synopsis
§Prefers e-mail queries
§Four weeks to answer

21)Nephele Tempest
§Agent with The Knight Agency
§AAR Member
§Only accepts e-mail queries
§Heads LA office
§E-mail to Elaine Spencer, MSS coordinator at [email protected]
§Has a blog on livejournal
§Worked for Simon and Schuster

22)Jonathan Lazear
§Owns Agency
§Not AAR member
§Listed on P&E for sales, few fantasy lately
§Al Franken’s agent…
§No listings of fantasy books published…

23)Denise Dumars §Agent with Ashley Grayson Agency
§Not listed on P&E
§Wiccan author
§E-mail; query, sample pages


24)Jessica Regel
§Agent with Jean Naggar
§Will consider any genre ‘as long as it’s a good story’.*
§P&E Recommended Agency*
§Jessica Regel not listed on P&E as having sales
§E-mail: Query with no attachments
§Not AAR member

25)Catt LeBaique
§Heads Heacock Literary’s West Coast office
§Especially interested in juvenile science fiction
§E-mail queries preferred
§Listed on P&E; no sales listed
§Member AAR
§Actively seeking new clients

26)Michelle Andelman
§NYU Grad (BFA in Dramatic Writing, MA in English
§Worked for two previous agencies (unnamed) and Oxford U. Press
§Agent at Andrea Brown Lit Agency
§Looking for urban fantasy
§Or magical realism
§Not listed on P&E for sales
§Not AAR member
§Actively building client list
§Agency categories DO NOT LIST fantasy…
§Query, short synopsis, 1st 3 chaps

27)Nathan Bransford
§Not listed on Curtis Brown’s website
§Not listed on P&E
§Member AAR? (or is that CB’s listing??)

28)Vivian Beck
§Owns her Agency, ('boutique')
§Not AAR but ‘adheres to their ethics’
§Not listed by P&E
§Accepts ONLY email queries
§Queries should be 1 page, summary, genre, word count, ‘pertinent’ author info, single-spaced (!) Ask to send partials or full.
§Type ‘Submission” in subject line of email
§Formerly with Ferguson Literary Agency

29)Matthew Bialer
§With Sanford J, Greenburger Agency
§DUNE Prequel Agent*
§C.J. Cherryh Agent*
§Formerly 14 years with William Morris Agency
§Query letter with summary, relevant author info and sample material if desired
§P&E listed for sales
§Web site: 1st 3 chaps, synopsis, brief bio/resume, SASE
§'Does not respond to unsolicited email queries'...
§[email protected]

30)Adele Brooks
§With Barron’s Literary Management (Adele Barrons-Brooks)
§Small Dallas/Ft Worth Agency ‘with good contacts in NY and London’
§Strongly favors email query, synopsis ONLY, and brief bio
§MBA in Marketing
§No sales listed on P&E
§[email protected]
§In business three years

31)Kimberly Cameron
§Founded Knightsbridge Publishing
§With Reece Halsey Agency
§AAR Member
§‘Specializes in bringing to market …new and unpublished writers’
§‘Polite, serious cover letter, short synopsis & 1st 50 pages MAIL ONLY, SASE
§Agency in California

32)Adam Chromy
§Owns Artists and Artisans Agency
§P&E listed for sales, Highly recommended*
§Studied film at NYU, wrote screenplays* (B.S. in Finance/Management)
§Brief author bio in the cover letter
§Accepts emails, only responds when interested (‘Query’ in subject)
§'Skip synopsis since we do not read them’ (LOL)

33)Ginger Clark
§With Curtis, Brown Agency
§6 years Assistant Lit agent at Writer’s House
§1+ Years Editorial Assistant at Tor*
§Secretary of AAR Contracts Committee
§NO EMAILS, query with SASE
§P&E Recommended*
§Website still under construction
§Searching for 'the Great American Werewolf Novel'

34)Robert Fleck
§With Professional Media Services
§Not listed on P&E
§Need more info on this guy...

35)Alaina Grayson
§With Halyard Literary, new Chicago-based agency
§Queries by email ONLY
§[email protected]
§Site under construction
§Not listed on P&E for sales

36)Jill Grinberg
§Partner at Anderson Grinberg Literary
§Maya Rock was Assistant here
§Prefer MAIL queries, letter and 1st 50 pages.
§Sub-Agent for Curtis Brown.* (Owns agency now?)

37) Emily Sylvan Kim
§Owns Prospect House
§Formerly with Harvey Klinger
§Query with name, date, 3 chaps and synopsis, contact info
§P&E lists no sales
§PM says they rep fantasy: web site says not at the moment (?)

38)Al Longden
§Former exec with HBJ
§GM/Publisher of DBM Publishing
§CFO of Drake Beam Morin
§Fairleigh Dickinson University grad
§AAR, Mystery Writer’s member, Founding member of Int. Thriller Writers Group
§Query, brief bio, SASE, synopsis, first 10 pages for snail mail
§As above, no MSS pages for email, according to website
§AgentQuery says: query, synopsis, first 2 chapters
§[email protected]
§P&E listed for sales

39) Henry Santsaver
§Owns Literary Associates
§Not listed on P&E for sales
§Not listed on AgentQuery
§Web site looks crappy, grammatical errors…meh


40) Joe Veltre
§Founder of Artists Literary Group
§Former Senior Editor at St. Martin’s Press, HarperCollins
§Former Editor-at Large for Miramax
§Former Agent at Carlisle and Co
§Emory U grad*
§Alabama U Grad English program, taught there
§10+ years experience
§P&E listed for sales, Recommended*
§Online form for submissions

41) Frank Weimann(Weinmann?)
§Founder of Literary Group International
§[FONT=&quot] '[/FONT]Represents over 100 Christian writers'
§No listing on AgentQuery
§P&E listed for sales
§Cover letter: name, addy, phone, email
§Credentials relevant to the book
§Synopsis: 2-5 single-spaced pages
§First 50 double-spaced pages
§SASE, or will email reply
§Only considers materials submitted on exclusive basis (30 days)

42) Justin Fernandez
§Owner of LIT4 Lit Agency
§Entertainment lawyer
§‘Discount’ Agency: 4% against an annual cap (?)
§Nothing on P&E
§Not listed on AgentQuery…


43) Jodi Reamer
§Agent at Writer’s House
§Mail: first 10 pages (or till end of ch) and query
§Used to be a corporate lawyer*
§P&E listed for sales
§E-mail: query only
§Associate to Amy Berkower
§Looking for a legal thriller

44) Kirsten Wolf
§Agent at Jill Grinberg Lit Ag
§Not listed on P&E
§Does not accept e-mail queries
§Not AAR member
§Query, first 50p and SASE
§Actively building client list



:D:D:D
 
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DraperJC

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Zonk, I like your list better. The list I posted was a cut and paste from a forum post that i kept in a word file and had forgotten I had. I also have a database in MS Outlook that has more up to date info but even that is about a year old now. Things sure do change quickly.
 

victoriastrauss

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A few notes about agents listed here:

- Henry Santsaver has no sales, no professional background that would qualify him to be an agent, and his website displays considerable ignorance of the publishing industry.

- Redhammer (Peter Cox) charges the equivalent of a reading fee by requiring any new writer who wants to query them to join Cox's Litopia Writers' Community. With previous agencies, Cox has charged nonstandard commissions and employed a nonstandard contract.

- Wylie-Merrick has some small press SF/fantasy sales, but none, as far as I can discover, to the large SF/fantasy imprints.

- Adele Brooks (Barron's Literary Management) has no qualifying professional background, promotes her own paid editing services, and as far as I know has made no sales in more than three years in business (as a general rule of thumb, an agent should start making regular sales within six months to a year of starting up--longer than that suggests that the agent lacks the skills and/or contacts required for success).

- I've been getting questions about Justin Fernandez since 2000. At one point he was charging a retainer of over $1,000, but he discontinued that practice a couple of years ago. Agenting is a part-time sideline for him (he's an attorney). He claims "several sales" but did not reveal them to me when I asked, so I can't verify this claim. I'm not aware he's ever sold a SF/fantasy book.

- The Gislason Agency, at last report, was charging $100 up front and had a nonstandard contract. I can discover sales for only a couple of clients--none to SF/fantasy publishers.

- BR Fleury has no sales at all, as far as I'm aware, though it has been around at least since 2004.

- David Duperre of Sedgeband Literary--This agency has a few small sales to independent publishers that accept submissions direct from authors, and no SF/fantasy sales at all that I'm aware of. It also charges excessive submissions fees, and, based on its billings, submits in an unprofessional manner. I've been told by some editors that they ignore its submissions.

- David Robie of BigScore Productions--This agency has sales but none appear to be SF/fantasy. It has a focus on the Christian market.

- Ditto for the Hartline Agency.

- Gina Panettieri's main sales concentration over the past couple of years is in nonfiction. She has only a few fiction sales, none to large SF/fantasy imprints.

- Metropol has a small nonfiction track record. No fiction sales at all, according to its website and other sources. It promotes its own paid editing services.

- Jean Naggar is an eminent agent, but she's not really interested in adult SF/fantasy.

- Graybill & English has dissolved, and the agents have gone their separate ways. Jeff Kleinman is now with Folio Literary, and Elaine English is on her own.

Here is one of the best resources for SF/fantasy agents around: a database compiled by writer Melinda Goodin from Locus sales reports.

- Victoria
 

arkady

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At last, a new list of F&SF agents! Thank you!
 

arkady

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badducky said:
However, isn't it nice to know you can really get a lot of rejections before you give up.

Take it from one who's been there: this is not a lot of agents. Often you'll be blithely given the advice that there are "x hundred agents out there," so keep on trying. Well, the number of agents who will represent fantasy is a lot smaller than "six hundred" or "four hundred" or "seven hundred" or whatever impressive number is being handed to you. Fantasy writers these days are aiming at a very small target.
 

HorrorWriter

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Victoria,
As far as Jean Naggar is concerned, one of her newer agents, Jessica Regal, does take on adult fantasy and horror. She is fairly new, so her sales are not that great yet but she is accepting folks. Just thought I'd mention it.:D
 

HapiSofi

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I just now saw Zonk's list. I hate to be a downer, but there are more major SF & fantasy agents missing than there are present on it, and there are a lot of names on it I've never heard before.
 

Zonk

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I did explain, Hap, why several of those major agents were left off; Zack and Cornier, for example, have announced they aren't accepting any new submissions at this point.

But if you have names you think should be added to the list, feel free :)

:D:D:D
 

mhwilson

my problem

My problem is finding the right science fiction publisher and/or agent. I write in an old style much like Edgar Rice Burroughs (I'm not comparing myself to him, but you know what I mean). I had one agent pretty much say that if I were living 70 years ago, I'd be a rich man. I guess space opera is what you would call my writing. Some people are turned off by that and I have had people tell me I need to read newer science fiction and try it that way. I have tried that and just can't finish newer books-- at least science fiction books. But, I have had people praised me too. I even had a 80 year old lady like my POD science fiction novel so much she bought a couple more for her grandchildren. So I am confident that I can make it someday. oh, and no, that lady was not kin to me. Maybe I would have been rich 70 years ago? Hmmm?
 

htack210

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A question about queries and agents

Hi, all. This is my first post to this forum. Thanks for the info you have provided regarding agents. My question involves queries. I am a relative novice when it comes to the writing biz. Can any of you point me in the right direction when it comes to writing queries? I could use pointers on how to write a query.

I offer you my apologies in advance if this is off topic for this forum.
 

Judg

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Read agent blogs, like Miss Snark, Nathan Bransford, Rachel Vater, Kristin Nelson, Evil Editor (OK, so he's not an agent, but he does help with queries). In these forums, check out the Share Your Work - Query Letters and Ask an Agent forums. There are examples and links to other resources.
 
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htack210

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Thanks!

Your answer to my previous query went above and beyond what I was expecting. Thanks very much. :) I will check all of this out!
 

Pthom

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htack210, you might also check in this forum for examples and advice. You will need to enter a password to get there. It is vista. Good luck.
 

waylander

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Christine Cohen of Virginia Kidd should be on the list
 

justpat

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QueryTracker.net is a new (and free) service to help writers find agents. It has a searchable database and a whole lot more. I know because I wrote it myself. I wanted something like agentquery.com, but I wanted to be able to just check off the agent's names as I either queried them or decided against them. It does a lot more than that, too. There is a tour on the site if you want to see what it can do.
 

Myrddin

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Cool site, Pat. Thanks for doing that.

It's a lot better than my Excel spreadsheet. ;)
 

justpat

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The reaction has been great. Membership is growing and word is spreading. It has really only been open for about a month and a half, and so far there are 600 members and over 3000 queries have already been initiated. The rate of new members continues to climb, I'm expecting membership to hit 1000 before the end of this month. After all, whats not to like? And free too.
 

mf3201d

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Hey Pat,

Just wanted to let you know that I've been using QueryTracker, and your list came up with several agents names that I hadn't come up with before. So thanks a million for putting this together. It's been incredibly helpful!

Russ