Top 50 Literary Agents in the U.S. for 2026
This Market List ranking is designed to identify agents with exceptional records of selling books, building author careers, representing bestselling and award-winning writers, and working successfully with major U.S. publishers.
The list is based on a combination of recent dealmaking power, commercial client success, literary prestige, subsidiary-rights and career leverage, and current influence within the publishing industry.
It is intended as a measure of overall publishing success and influence rather than a ranking of the easiest agents for new writers to query.
How This Ranking Was Developed
The Market List weighted five primary factors when developing the ranking:
- Recent deal power — 30%: Recent sales to major publishers, significant auctions and preempts, large advances, and the frequency and quality of reported deals.
- Commercial client success — 25%: New York Times and other national bestsellers, long-running author careers, major franchises, and consistently successful backlists.
- Literary prestige — 20%: Representation of authors recognized by major literary prizes and honors, including the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Booker Prize, National Book Critics Circle awards, and other significant distinctions.
- Rights and career leverage — 15%: Strength in foreign rights, film and television, audio, subsidiary rights, literary estates, and the ability to develop an author's career beyond a single book.
- Current industry prominence — 10%: Reputation among editors and authors, ability to attract major clients, agency influence, and continued relevance in the current publishing market.
Submission status was not used as a measure of success. Some of the most influential literary agents in the United States are closed to unsolicited submissions, accept new clients primarily through referrals, or maintain extremely selective lists.
Their inclusion reflects their publishing record and industry influence, not their accessibility to unpublished writers.
The ranking should therefore be viewed as a snapshot of the most successful and influential U.S. literary agents currently working in trade publishing. Individual rankings are necessarily subjective, and an agent's relative importance can vary considerably by genre.
An agent specializing in romance, children's books, science fiction, or serious nonfiction may be considerably more influential within that category than the overall numerical ranking suggests.
Top 50 U.S. Literary Agents
1. Andrew Wylie
The Wylie Agency
Elite literary fiction and nonfiction, major authors, literary estates, and international rights.
2. Amanda Urban
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
Literary fiction, major nonfiction, journalism, and bestselling and award-winning authors.
3. Lynn Nesbit
Janklow & Nesbit Associates
Prestige literary fiction, biography, history, journalism, and serious nonfiction.
4. Celeste Fine
Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management
Blockbuster commercial fiction and nonfiction, bestselling authors, and major publishing deals.
5. Nicole Aragi
Aragi, Inc.
Prize-winning literary fiction, distinctive voices, and critically acclaimed authors.
6. Tina Bennett
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
Journalism, narrative nonfiction, history, politics, science, and major thought leaders.
7. David Gernert
The Gernert Company
Literary and commercial fiction, nonfiction, and long-term author career management.
8. Sloan Harris
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
Major commercial and literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir.
9. Bill Clegg
The Clegg Agency
Literary fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and critically acclaimed writers.
10. Eric Simonoff
William Morris Endeavor (WME)
Literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, science, and sophisticated commercial projects.
11. Molly Friedrich
The Friedrich Agency
Literary and commercial crossover fiction, bestselling authors, and major nonfiction.
12. Esther Newberg
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
High-profile nonfiction, politics, celebrity, sports, and major commercial authors.
13. Dorian Karchmar
William Morris Endeavor (WME)
Literary and upmarket fiction, memoir, and major narrative nonfiction.
14. Jennifer Joel
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
High-end fiction and nonfiction with strong commercial and media potential.
15. Amy Berkower
Writers House
Commercial and literary fiction, children's publishing, major authors, and literary estates.
16. PJ Mark
Janklow & Nesbit Associates
Literary fiction, essays, memoir, and intellectually ambitious nonfiction.
17. Jin Auh
The Wylie Agency
High-literary fiction, nonfiction, and internationally significant authors.
18. Claudia Ballard
William Morris Endeavor (WME)
Literary and upmarket fiction, memoir, and serious nonfiction.
19. Julie Barer
The Book Group
Prize-winning literary and upmarket fiction, book-club fiction, and narrative nonfiction.
20. Faye Bender
The Book Group
Literary-commercial crossover fiction, children's books, young adult, and breakout authors.
21. Sarah Burnes
The Gernert Company
Literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, journalism, and children's fiction.
22. Chris Parris-Lamb
The Gernert Company
Literary fiction, cultural nonfiction, and distinctive literary voices.
23. Elisabeth Weed
The Book Group
Upmarket fiction, psychological suspense, thrillers, and book-club fiction.
24. Brettne Bloom
The Book Group
Literary and upmarket fiction, nonfiction, and long-term author career development.
25. Kimberly Brower
Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management
Romance, commercial fiction, bestselling series, and digital-to-print breakout authors.
26. Susan Golomb
Writers House
Serious literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, and critically acclaimed writers.
27. Jodi Reamer
Writers House
Young adult, children's books, commercial fiction, and major bestselling authors.
28. Steven Malk
Writers House
Children's literature, young adult, picture books, and major author-illustrator careers.
29. Kristin Nelson
Nelson Literary Agency
Commercial and upmarket fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and book-club fiction.
30. Jane Dystel
Dystel, Goderich & Bourret
Commercial fiction and nonfiction, bestselling authors, and long-term career representation.
31. Michael Bourret
Dystel, Goderich & Bourret
Adult fiction, young adult, children's books, memoir, and narrative nonfiction.
32. Jim McCarthy
Dystel, Goderich & Bourret
Literary and commercial fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, and young adult.
33. Robert Gottlieb
Trident Media Group
Commercial bestsellers, major publishing deals, subsidiary rights, and career management.
34. Ellen Levine
Trident Media Group
Literary and commercial fiction, narrative nonfiction, and award-winning authors.
35. Mark Gottlieb
Trident Media Group
Commercial fiction and nonfiction across a broad range of publishing categories.
36. Sarah Chalfant
The Wylie Agency
Prestige literary fiction and nonfiction, international literature, and major authors.
37. Luke Janklow
Janklow & Nesbit Associates
Literary and commercial fiction, narrative nonfiction, and major publishing projects.
38. Kirby Kim
Janklow & Nesbit Associates
Literary and commercial fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and distinctive voices.
39. Simon Lipskar
Writers House
Broad trade publishing, fiction and nonfiction, bestselling authors, and career development.
40. Dan Lazar
Writers House
Commercial fiction, literary fiction, nonfiction, middle grade, and young adult.
41. Merrilee Heifetz
Writers House
Science fiction, fantasy, young adult, and major genre-writing careers.
42. David Kuhn
Aevitas Creative Management
Cultural, political, and narrative nonfiction, journalism, and prominent public figures.
43. Todd Shuster
Aevitas Creative Management
Major nonfiction, business, biography, thought leaders, and high-profile personalities.
44. Ammi-Joan Paquette
Aevitas Creative Management
Children's books, young adult, graphic projects, and crossover properties.
45. Kelly Sonnack
Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Children's literature, middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, and illustrators.
46. Laura Rennert
Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Young adult, middle grade, literary fiction, and crossover projects.
47. Jennifer Laughran
Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Children's books, middle grade, young adult, and distinctive commercial voices.
48. Holly Root
Root Literary
Commercial fiction, romance, fantasy, young adult, and children's publishing.
49. Holly McGhee
Pippin Properties
Picture books, middle grade, young adult, and major children's author-illustrator careers.
50. Jennifer Jackson
Donald Maass Literary Agency
Fantasy, science fiction, horror, and sophisticated commercial speculative fiction.
Updated September 2026.