What Top Literary Agents Are Looking For

Finding the right literary agent is a crucial step in your publishing journey. The agent you choose should not only represent your genre but actively seek the type of story you're telling. In today's competitive publishing landscape, a skilled agent can identify opportunities to enhance your career, boost your earnings, and secure better royalties worldwide.

Let's take a closer look at what the agents at The Blair Partnership—a prestigious London-based agency whose first client was J.K. Rowling—are currently seeking in their submission inboxes.

Hattie Grünewald: Commercial and Book Club Fiction

Hattie is actively searching for:

• Crime series with unique settings or unconventional detectives
• High-concept, female-led thrillers
• Dark, gritty women's fiction with strong plotting and issue-led hooks
• Epic, emotional love stories

She does not represent children's fiction, science fiction, fantasy, horror, action thrillers, sports books, poetry, short stories, or books featuring talking animals.

Hattie's Submission Tip: Focus more on perfecting your opening chapters than crafting your pitch. Introducing your world, central character, and plot arc effectively is 95% of the battle.

Jordan Lees: Crime, Thrillers, and MG Fiction

Jordan is eager to find:

• Crime and thrillers ranging from commercial to upmarket/literary
• Grounded horror and speculative fiction
• Detective fiction (historical or contemporary)
• Upper middle-grade fantasy with ambitious world-building
• Middle-grade stories with horror or sci-fi elements
• Middle-grade detective fiction

Jordan is not currently seeking spy novels, adult sci-fi/fantasy, or women's fiction.

Jordan's Submission Tip: Show your understanding of the market and how your book fits in—demonstrating a potential audience provides a solid foundation for your pitch.

Bea Fitzgerald: Fantasy and Character-Driven Stories

Bea is particularly interested in:

• Character-driven fantasy with immersive world-building
• Diverse voices in romantasy and cozy fantasy
• Stories featuring complex, flawed characters
• Works with distinctive, sharp voices
• High society dramas
• Heist narratives

Bea's Submission Tip: Research agents thoroughly and tailor your pitch specifically to what they're seeking.

Rachel Petty: Children's and YA Fiction

Rachel is looking for:

• Ambitious storytelling with bold approaches to structure and voice
• High-concept, diverse contemporary YA romance
• Horror and thrillers (or combinations with twists)
• YA fantasy/speculative with excellent world-building and clever pitches
• Humorous middle-grade fiction
• Bold graphic picture books
• Stories with screen adaptation potential
• Submissions from author/illustrators and underrepresented communities

Making Your Submission Count

When preparing to submit to these or any agents, remember these key principles:

1. Research thoroughly: Understand exactly what each agent represents and tailor your approach accordingly.
2. Perfect your opening: The beginning of your manuscript is often more crucial than your query letter.
3. Demonstrate market awareness: Show how your book fits into the current literary landscape while offering something fresh.
4. Highlight uniqueness: Whether through voice, setting, character, or concept, make clear what sets your work apart.
5. Be professional: Follow submission guidelines precisely and present your work with confidence.

The right agent will not only help sell your book but will become a partner in building your long-term writing career. Take time to identify agents whose interests align with your work, and your submission journey will be far more likely to succeed.