30 Mystery and Thriller Literary Agents Now Accepting Submissions

Are you looking for a literary agent to help you sell your mystery or thriller novel to a publisher?

If so, you’ll love this curated list of 30 top literary agents that are currently accepting open submissions for mysteries and thrillers.

1. Carrie Pestritto

Carrie is currently with Laura Dail Literary Agency. She spent six years at Prospect Agency before coming to her current agency.

“I am looking for thrillers, but am looking for more high-concept thrillers aimed at a female audience rather than police procedurals.”

Agency website: www.ldlainc.com/submissions
Personal website/link: literarycarrie.blogspot.com/p/how-to-submit-to-me.html
Manuscript Wish List: www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/carrie-pestritto/#

2. Bernadette Baker-Baughman

Bernadette is a literary agent at Victoria Sanders & Associates. She has a special interest in thrillers. Bernadette prefers to have a long-term partnership with authors whose tastes for thriller novels match hers.

Agency website: www.victoriasanders.com/submissions/
Personal website/link: www.bakersmark.com/submission-guidelines.html

3. Mitch Hoffman

A 20-year veteran of the publishing industry, Mitch joined Aaron Priest Literary Agency in December 2015. He is actively looking for authors writing fiction and nonfiction stories, including thrillers.

Agency website: www.aaronpriest.com/submissions/
Personal website/link: www.aaronpriest.com/member/mitch-hoffman/

4. Lisa Erbach Vance

Also from Aaron Priest Literary Agency, Lisa is interested and actively seeking out some particular types of works, including emotionally engaging thrillers. Visit her personal link to read a detailed listing of genres she’s most interested in.

Agency website: www.aaronpriest.com/submissions/
Personal website/link: www.aaronpriest.com/member/lisa-erbach-vance/

5. Aaron Priest

President of Aaron Priest Literary Agency, his special interests include thriller novels.

Agency website: www.aaronpriest.com/submissions/

6. Laura Dail

Laura is the president of Laura Dail Literary Agency Inc. She is especially interested in high-concept fiction and serious nonfiction. She represents genres that fall under these categories: narrative nonfiction, practical non-fiction, history, current events, food, memoir, general fiction, mysteries and thrillers, and historical fiction.

Agency website: www.ldlainc.com/submissions/

7. Evan Gregory

Evan is a senior agent from The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. He works remotely and only accepts email submissions. He represents several genres under fiction including Mystery and Thriller. Visit his personal link and manuscript wishlist to know more about other genres he represents.

Agency website: www.ethanellenberg.com/submission-guidelines/
Personal website/link: www.aaronline.org/Sys/PublicProfile/2309906
Manuscript Wish List: www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/evan-gregory/

8. Bibi Lewis

Bibi is from The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency as an associate agent. Mystery and thriller are two of the genres she is looking for.

She wrote, “I have a particular love for mysteries and puzzles, anything that readers can solve along with the protagonist.”

Agency website: www.ethanellenberg.com/submission-guidelines/
Manuscript Wish List: www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/bibi-lewis/

9. Chris Bucci

Chris Bucci is a literary agent at The McDermid Agency soon to be united with The Cooke Agency.

The agency is now open for submissions after April 1st, 2018.

Agency website: www.mcdermidagency.com/contact/

10. Marisa Corvisiero

She is the Founder and Senior Literary Agent at the Corvisiero Literary Agency. Marisa seeks creative stories with well-developed plots and rich characters with unique voices.

Agency website: www.corvisieroagency.com/submissions.html
Personal website/link: www.corvisieroagency.com/marisa-corvisiero.html

11. Cate Hart

Cate is also an agent from Corvisiero Literary Agency. She welcomes all diverse stories and authors and responds to every query.

Agency website: www.corvisieroagency.com/submissions.html
Personal website/link: www.catehart.com/?page_id=27

12. Kimberly Brower

Kimberly is an agent from Brower Literary & Management and also its founder. She is fond of stories that can bring her into a world where she doesn’t want to leave and with characters that have strong character arcs.

Agency website: www.browerliterary.com/submissions/representation/
Manuscript Wish List: www.mswishlist.com/profile/agent/KimberlyBrower

13. Jess Dallow

Also from Brower Literary & Management, she is looking for YA contemporary and adult commercial fiction. She loves original voices and stories that she can’t put down regardless of what time it is.

Agency website: www.browerliterary.com/submissions/representation/

14. Meg Ruley

Meg has been with the Jane Rotrosen Agency for over 30 years and represents commercial fiction with a strong interest in suspense, mysteries, romance and general fiction.

Agency website: www.janerotrosen.com/submission-guidelines.html

15. Annelise Robey

Annelise is also from the Jane Rotrosen Agency. Her client list includes bestsellers in women’s fiction, suspense, mystery, literary fiction, and the occasional nonfiction project.

Agency website: www.janerotrosen.com/submission-guidelines.html

16. Christina Hogrebe

Another agent from the Jane Rotrosen Agency, Christina is driven by the desire to help her clients achieve their goals. She is currently accepting queries from published and unpublished writers with works in commercial fiction, including Mystery.

Agency website: www.janerotrosen.com/submission-guidelines.html

17. Rebecca Scherer

Also an agent from the Jane Rotrosen Agency, she has worked within each department and gained a deep understanding of the business before becoming an agent. Rebecca represents commercial fiction across several genres.

Agency website: www.janerotrosen.com/submission-guidelines.html

18. Jessica Faust

Jessica is from BookEnds Literary Agency, a literary agent slash the owner slash the president. She is seeking submissions in women’s fiction, mystery, thrillers, and suspense. Read more on what she is looking for on their website.

Agency website: www.bookendsliterary.com/submissions-2/
Personal website/link: www.querymanager.com/query/1006
Manuscript Wish List: www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/jessica-faust/

19. Jessica Alvarez

A senior literary agent from BookEnds Literary Agency, Jessica is looking for books that celebrate diversity in all its forms as well as for a wide range of nonfiction. Some of her interests in fiction include mysteries, thrillers, and suspense.

Agency website: www.bookendsliterary.com/submissions-2/
Personal website/link: www.querymanager.com/query/1007
Manuscript Wish List: www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/jessica-alvarez/

20. Tracy Marchini

Tracy, another literary agent looking for mysteries and thrillers, joined BookEnds Literary Agency in June, 2016. She’s also looking for diversity to include to her list.

Agency website: www.bookendsliterary.com/submissions-2/
Personal website/link: www.querymanager.com/query/1009
Manuscript Wish List: www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/tracy-marchini/

21. Natascha Morris

Natascha is once again another agent from BookEnds Literary Agency. She yearns for books that will leave her with a book hangover.

Agency website: www.bookendsliterary.com/submissions-2/
Personal website/link: www.querymanager.com/query/1067

22. Beth Campbell

Beth is also from BookEnds Literary Agency and is actively looking for mysteries. Like her other colleagues she is also fond of diversity in character and other elements of a great novel.

Agency website: www.bookendsliterary.com/submissions-2/
Personal website/link: www.querymanager.com/query/1011

23. Rachel Brooks

Having joined BookEnds Literary Agency on June 2017, Rachel represents adult romance, young adult, women’s fiction and cozy mysteries. She wants a fun theme with an idyllic setting.

Agency website: www.bookendsliterary.com/submissions-2/
Personal website/link: www.querymanager.com/query/RachelBrooks

24. Amanda Jain

She is also from BookEnds Literary Agency and likes historical fiction in all genres. Amanda is currently looking for adult mystery, romance, women’s fiction, and upmarket projects, and always enjoy historical fiction in all genres.

Agency website: www.bookendsliterary.com/submissions-2/
Personal website/link: www.querymanager.com/query/AmandaJain
Manuscript Wish List: www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/amanda-jain/

25. Paul Lucas

An agent from Janklow & Nesbit Associates, Paul is actively looking for upmarket commercial fiction, specifically historical, thrillers, science fiction, and fantasy.

Agency website: www.janklowandnesbit.com/submissions

26. Brooks Sherman

Another agent from Janklow & Nesbit Associates, Brooks is interested in adult fiction across literary to speculative fiction, including psychological thrillers. The ones that make him laugh score extra brownie points.

Agency website: www.janklowandnesbit.com/submissions
Manuscript Wish List: www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/brooks-sherman/

27. Luke Janklow

Luke is a literary agent, president, and the managing director from Janklow & Nesbit Associates. He’s looking for a great thriller or spy story.

Agency website: www.janklowandnesbit.com/submissions

28. Kirby Kim

Kirby is again another agent from Janklow & Nesbit Associates. He represents both literary and commercial authors.

Agency website: www.janklowandnesbit.com/submissions

29. John Talbot

John is from The Talbot Fortune Agency. John has over twenty-five years of book publishing experience as an editor and literary agent.

Agency website: www.talbotfortuneagency.com/submission-guidelines/

30. Michael Curry

Michael is an agent from Donald Maass Literary Agency. He is interested in novels with a compelling concept and a distinct voice.

Agency website: www.maassagency.com/submissions/

How to Submit a Mystery or Thriller Novel

When’re looking for a literary agent for your novel, make sure that you are well matched with each other. Find an agent that shares similar tastes and opinions with you, and make absolutely sure that your manuscript fits the genre expectations the agent is looking for.

For example, don’t submit a mystery novel to an agent who says they’re only looking for romance novels. That said, if you submit to an agent listed on this page, you should have a pretty good chance that they’ll be interested in reading your work.

Spend time to visit each of these agents’ agency and personal websites to discover what they look for from a novel, such as a story structure, character, tone, theme, setting, plot, and more. One of them might be the one you are most suitable with in terms of ethics and preference.

We also wrote a detailed guide for authors on how to find a literary agent if you need more help.

Now Accepting Mystery and Thriller Submissions

TCK Publishing has an open call for submissions for mystery and thriller novels for authors with or without a literary agent. You can check out our submissions guidelines and read our publishing FAQ.

Literary agents can review our literary agent FAQ.

If you liked this post, here are some other articles you might love: