I’m asked all the time how I found my agent and where on earth did I find the 126 agents I queried before I signed with my first agent in 2010. Well. I not only used the internet, but I also used a good old-fashioned book. But to help you get started, or to help you fill in some gaps, today we have Chuck Sambuchino who not only offers 8 Tips For Writing Queries but 10 Literary Agents Seeking Women’s Fiction NOW. If you’re not quite ready, jot down these names and check them out when your manuscript is polished and primed. And don’t forget all the resources mentioned in Chuck’s bio below!

This is one of the most fun posts I’ve offered in four and a half years! Chuck put together the list to celebrate the release of 3 new books this month, the 2016 Guide to Literary Agents, the 2016 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, and his anti-clown humor book When Clowns Attack: A Survival Guide.

Amy xo

(Sorry for the wonky photo formatting, I’ve reached my “figure out a way to fix it” limit. Photos are above the agent info!)

10 Literary Agents Seeking Women’s Fiction NOW

by Chuck Sambuchino

As the editor of the 2016 Guide to Literary Agents, it’s my job to compile oodles of markets for kidlit writers and illustrators. But the truth is that not every market listed everywhere is 100% open—it’s not that simple. Sometimes a few agents at any agency are open to signing new writers, whereas others are not. Sometimes a publisher or agent closes themselves down to submissions for a while. With all these ins and outs, what’s a writer to do?

It’s with all this in mind that I wanted to spotlight 10 literary agents who are actively seeking women’s fiction submissions now. Their e-mails are below. Query away. All of these agents listed below personally confirmed to me that they are seeking clients and open to submissions as of October 2015.

Good luck querying! If you want to see many, many more markets for writers of all children’s books, seek out the new & updated 2016 Guide to Literary Agents.

1. Scott Eagan

Greyhaus Literary

http://www.greyhausagency.com/

How to contact: E-query scott@greyhausagency.com with “Query” in the subject line. Keep the word count between 75,000 and 110,000. “Please focus on one issue and not a ton of personal problems the protagonist has. Stories can have happy or sad endings. Please no adultery.”

2. MacKenzie Fraser-Bub

Trident Media Group

http://www.tridentmediagroup.com/

How to contact: Send a query letter, pasted in the body of the email, to MFraserBub@TridentMediaGroup.com. Please do not send a manuscript or proposal until you have been requested to do so.

3. Kimberly Brower

Rebecca Friedman Literary

http://rfliterary.com/about/

How to contact: E-query Kimberly@rfliterary.com. Submit a brief query letter and your first chapter (pasted into the email, not to exceed fifteen double-spaced pages). No attachments.

4. Mallory C. Brown

TriadaUS

http://www.triadaus.com/

How to contact: E-query Mallory@triadaus.com. When querying, please include the first ten ms pages in the body of the e-mail after your query.

5. Danielle Burby

HSG Agency

http://hsgagency.com/

How to contact: Email a query letter and the first five pages of your manuscript to dburby@hsgagency.com. No attachments.

6. Jennifer Johnson-Blalock

Liza Dawson Associates

http://www.lizadawsonassociates.com/

How to contact: E-mail queryjennifer@lizadawsonassociates.com.

7. Marie Lamba

Jennifer De Chiara Literary

http://www.jdlit.com/

How to contact: Please email a query to marie.jdlit@gmail.com. Put “Query” in the subject line of your email, and please send the first twenty pages in the body of your email, along with a one-paragraph bio and a one-paragraph synopsis.

8. Carly Watters

P.S. Literary

http://psliterary.com

How to contact: E-query query@psliterary.com with “Query for Carly” in the subject line. “Do not send attachments. Always let us know if your manuscript/proposal is currently under consideration by other agents/publishers. If you don’t receive a response to your query within 4-6 weeks it means a no from the agency. In my women’s fiction, I look for an external hook other than the love story (career, family, personal history etc.)”

9. Patricia Nelson

Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

http://www.marsallyonliteraryagency.com/

How to contact: E-query Patricia@MarsalLyonLiteraryAgency.com.

10. Courtney Miller-Callihan

Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

http://greenburger.com/

How to contact: E-query cmiller@sjga.com.

Chuck Sambuchino (@chucksambuchino) of Writer’s Digest Books edits the GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS and the CHILDREN’S WRITER’S & ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET. His Guide to Literary Agents Blog is one of the largest blogs in publishing. His 2010 humor book, HOW TO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK, was optioned by Sony Pictures. His latest humor book, WHEN CLOWNS ATTACK: A SURVIVAL GUIDE (Sept. 29 2015), will protect people everywhere from malicious bozos and jokers who haunt our lives. His books have been mentioned in Reader’s Digest, USA Today, the New York Times, The Huffington Post, Variety, New York Magazine, and more.