19 literary agents at Creative Artists Agency are seeking new authors

Karolina Sutton, who represents Margaret Atwood, is one of the agents at CAA who's open to new authors

Creative Artists Agency

https://www.caa.com/entertainmenttalent/books/

Creative Artists Agency is a leading entertainment and sports agency. that includes a full-service literary agency with two dozen US-based agents in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, and another five agents in the UK. More than 100 of their books appear on the New York Times and Sunday Times bestsellers lists every year. Their clients include myriad Nobel, Pulitzer, Booker, and Baillie Gifford Prize, and National Book Award winners.

Most of their agents are open for submissions. Including:

Hillary Jacobson represents a wide array of adult and young adult fiction, as well as select nonfiction. Quick Brown Fox readers may be familiar with her as Laurie Elizabeth Flynn’s agent.

Hillary began her career at Independent Creative Management in 2015 and joined CAA in 2022 following the agency’s acquisition of ICM.

A lifelong obsessive reader, she is always on the hunt for writing that provokes a strong emotional reaction, adds an important perspective to the cultural conversation, or challenges the reader's beliefs. She is particularly drawn to suspense, coming-of-age narratives, sweeping family sagas, moving love stories and rom-coms, as well as speculative fiction.

To submit your work, please send your pitch and the first 10 pages of your manuscript in the body of an email. She responds to every query, and her average response time is approximately one month.

Submit through Hillary’s profile page here.

Gaby Sheiner is Hilary Jacobson’s assistant and has just begun building her own list – so she definitely needs authors! Gaby represents both fiction and nonfiction. On the fiction side, she’s looking for commercial and upmarket authors and is always on the lookout for buzzy book club fiction, thrillers and suspense, romance, and family sagas. 

On the nonfiction side, she is particularly interested in cookbooks and lifestyle, psychology, memoirs, and books by experts with distinctive perspectives and authority in their fields. 

Gabby began her career at CAA in 2023. She is from Toronto, Ontario, and is a graduate of Tufts University.

To submit to Gaby, send a query letter and the first 10 pages of your manuscript to: gaby.sheiner@caa.com

For memoir, add a short synopsis, though note that Gaby doesn’t accept many memoirs from queries. 

Tia Ikemoto is another relative newcomer to CAA. Based in the New York office, she represents a diverse range of nonfiction and fiction across the commercial to literary spectrum.

She began her career at ICM Partners in 2019 assisting the co-head of the Publishing department and joined CAA in 2022 following the agency’s acquisition of ICM. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in Communication and a minor in Business.

She is seeking fiction and nonfiction projects that resonate with a wide audience. She is drawn to compelling and propulsive storytelling, emotionally resonant narratives, and high concept projects with unique hooks or fresh perspectives.

Submit through her profile page here.

See profiles of all of CAA’s US-based agents here.

Rachel Mann is based in CAA’s London office. She represents a broad range of work – largely fiction, with some non-fiction – from commercial to literary, in adult, young adult, and middle-grade markets.

Her clients include Eliza Clark, Caleb Femi, Jade LB and Aisling Rawle, and have won and been listed for major prizes, including the Granta Best Young British Novelist, the Forward Prize for Poetry, the Rathbones Folio Prize, the Jhalak Prize, the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, the YA Book Prize, The Bookseller Discover Prize, and the Carnegie Medal.

She spent ten years editing and commissioning fiction for young people at houses including Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, and was global publishing director at the Roald Dahl Story Company. She became an agent in 2018 and joined CAA in 2023.

She gravitates towards darkly comic and formally inventive works. She seeks compelling voices, unpatronizing writing, and vivid, complex characters. International settings and traditions and radical social commentary will always capture her attention. To submit, please send a cover email, one-page synopsis and the first three chapters of your work, or the rough equivalent.

Submit through her profile page here.

Margaret Atwood and Karolina Sutton
at the Alhambra in Granada

Karolina Sutton (also based in the London office) is known for launching successful debuts in literary and upmarket commercial fiction, as well as shepherding long-term literary careers. Sutton is always keen to hear from new voices in both fiction and non-fiction, including traditional storytellers and writers introducing new ideas or challenging form and convention.

Sutton does not limit her interests to specific genres; her work spans literary fiction, crime and psychological suspense, historical fiction, serious non-fiction, and memoir. She enjoys works that are ambitious, innovative, intellectually curious, immersive, and psychologically astute.

She has worked with some of the most loved and admired novelists, journalists, academics, politicians, artists, and public figures, including winners of the Booker Prize, the Nobel Peace Prize, the Costa First Novel Award, and the UK's premier non-fiction awards, from the Orwell Prize to the Baillie Gifford Prize. Sutton represents writers from around the world. Her clients include Margaret Atwood, Oliver Bullough, Philippa Perry, and Amia Srinivasan, among others.

In 2020, Sutton was named Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards.

She is looking for literary and upmarket commercial fiction, as well as narrative and ideas-based non-fiction. Please send a query letter and the manuscript to: ukbooksubmissions@caa.com

Or submit through her profile page here.

See profiles of all of CAA’s Uk-based agents here.

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, afternoon workshops, and wonderful writing retreats here.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post: here.

There's a brand new Canadian literary agency: The READ Agency

The Read Agency

Toronto, Canada

https://thereadagency.com/

Olga Filina recently left 5 Otter Literary to create her own agency: The READ Agency. How new is this agency? Well, when I started preparing this post, her website wasn’t up yet and I had to get the scoop on how to submit straight from Olga. If you’re looking for representation, this strikes me as good opportunity to get in on the ground floor. ~Brian

Olga’s worked at every level of the publishing industry for over twenty-five years: bookselling, buying, directing literary festivals, editing, consulting, and agenting, and she’s a founding member and former executive treasurer of PACLA, the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents.

“Understanding how books are sold and discovered allows me to position the clients I represent in both English language and translation markets,” says Olga. “I'm drawn to work that's intellectually stimulating, ambitious, or written from a perspective that hasn't yet been heard. As an immigrant, I have a particular affinity for stories of belonging, displacement, and international experience. If your book could be banned in the current political climate, I want to read it.”

If you have a project ready to share, here’s what you need to know to submit:

Currently, Olga is looking for literary and upmarket fiction, narrative nonfiction, cultural criticism, and projects from experts in their subject matter.

Plus, children's literature across all ages.  

She also has particular focus on underrepresented voices, international stories, and the global diaspora.

Query Olga at: submissions@thereadagency.com

Submit your query and the first ten pages of your manuscript pasted into the body of your email.

Full submission guidelines here.

Note: If you’re interested in getting published and meeting an agent, check out upcoming “How to Get Published” workshops here. We always have a literary agent as a guest speaker at these workshops.

See all our upcoming weekly writing classes, afternoon workshops, and glorious writing retreats here.

 

5 Otter Literary

Casandra, Olga, and Ali

5 Otter Literary

Toronto, Canada

https://fiveotterliterary.com/

5 Otter Literary is a full-service, international literary agency founded by long-time friends and publishing industry colleagues, Olga Filina, Casandra Rodgers, and Ali McDonald, who all previously worked together at The Rights Factory. Though Olaga have since left the agency.

5 Otter represents literature across all audiences, categories, genres, and formats, for traditional publishing as well as audio, translation, and film/TV. 

Ali McDonald – literary agent and partner

Ali has been an internati0nal literary agent for 15 years and has represented many award-winning and bestselling authors and illustrators. Specializing in children’s and young adult literature, she works on projects ranging from concept and novelty books, board books, picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade, young adult, and new adult fiction and nonfiction, to graphic novels for all ages.

Her clients include international bestselling author Laura Nowlin (If He Had Been With Me, If Only I Had Told Her, and This Song is (Not) For You), and critically-acclaimed author Matteo L. Cerilli (Lockjaw, Something’s Up With Arlo, Bad in the Blood, and Fathom Fall), among select others.

Cassandra Rodgers – literary agent and partner 

Cassie has worked with a diverse group of clients on both adult fiction and nonfiction projects. Her clients’ books have been featured in publications such as Oprah, New York Times, and USA Today.

Focused exclusively on adult work, Cassandra is looking for upmarket commercial fiction, historical fiction, and suspense. On the non-fiction side, she is looking for fresh views on topics such as politics, history, science, finance, and sports. Inspiring and meaningful memoirs are always on her wish list.

Cassandra will open for submissions this summer.

See the 5 Otter submissions page here.

Note: For information about our upcoming “How to Get Published” workshop, where you’ll have a chance to meet a literary agent, see here. 

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post: here.

5½ literary agents at Transatlantic are looking for manuscripts

Blue to the Sky by Sylvia McNicoll
represented by Transatlantic

Transatlantic Agency

68 Claremont Street
Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario, Canada 

https://transatlanticagency.com/

Note: You can now get new postings on Quick Brown Fox delivered straight to your Inbox as I publish them. Subscribe to the new Quick Brown Fox page on Substack here:  https://brian999.substack.com/

Transatlantic Agency is a leading literary management company with a team of 22 experienced agents based in cities across North America. They offer a full spectrum of career representation to authors (Adult, Children’s & YA, and illustrators) and storytellers (Speakers, Industry leaders & Influencers) across all genres and formats for book, content development, speaking and TV & Film.

Transatlantic represents more than 700 American, Canadian and internationally bestselling and award-winning clients, writing commercial and literary fiction and nonfiction, graphic novels, and picture books.

Books by Transatlantic’s clients regularly appear on notable bestseller lists across North America and have won major awards such as the Newbery Medal (U.S.), the Giller Prize (Canada), Michael L. Printz Honor Book (U.S.), and the Governor General’s Award for both adult and children’s literature (Canada).

Four of their agents are currently open to queries (and one more will open to queries in the fall, hence the ½ in the headline :-)

Jane Chun joined Transatlantic in 2023 after four years at Janklow & Nesbit Associates. Prior to her time at J&N, she worked on a freelance project for HG Literary and interned at Writers House and Maximum Films & Management.

Before entering the publishing world, Jane attended NYU where she majored in History and minored in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology; Creative Writing; and Spanish. She returned to NYU shortly after graduation and a brief stint at Asian CineVision and the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) to receive her M.S. in Publishing with distinction. She is a native New Yorker.

Jane is particularly interested in stories that center marginalized communities and prose that is cinematic and atmospheric with good rhythm. In both fiction and nonfiction, she is drawn towards compelling, fresh voices that make her feel as though the writer is in the room with her, telling her their story with intimacy as if they were already acquainted. Regardless of how plot-driven a story is, characters with rich inner worlds and emotional depth are a must for her.

For fiction, Jane is open to contemporary, historical, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative, and horror.

For nonfiction, Jane is looking for memoirs, narrative nonfiction, history, investigative journalism, books about nature, climate, and science, and books about food, travel, pop culture, and cultural criticism.

In addition to traditional prose, she is very interested in graphic novels and graphic nonfiction.

Be sure to check out Jane’s more detailed likes and dislikes here.

Query Jane through her Query Manager here.

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Note: If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in getting published, check out our upcoming “How to Get Published” workshop here.

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Laura Cameron is a literary agent and the in-house film and television agent at the Transatlantic Agency. She joined the Transatlantic Agency after six years at Penguin Random House Canada. Before her career in publishing, Laura did a Master’s in Journalism at Columbia University and interned at the Economist.

Laura represents a diverse mix of books. While her focus is adult upmarket and literary fiction and elevated horror and suspense, she is particularly drawn to work that blends and subverts genres. Above all, she seeks to represent novels that combine an ingenious plot with an unforgettable voice. Whether it’s a story that provides a new way into a familiar world or one that’s rooted in lesser-known mythology, she loves to be surprised by characters and craves books that show her something new.

Laura is specifically interested in the psychology of memory, complicated female friendships, sibling relationships, family mysteries, books about art, doppelgängers and mistaken identity, deeply flawed protagonists, crime and uniquely gifted criminals, a genuinely shocking twist, dark stories with redemption, and funny novels that start urgent conversations.

Laura also represents select picture books, middle grade, and young adult but currently, she’s open only to adult fiction and nonfiction.

In her role as Film and TV agent, Laura works with a boutique list of author-turned-screenwriters in addition to representing books for screen adaptation. Along with Samantha Haywood, Laura is the lead on Transatlantic Agency’s joint venture with Blink49 Studios and Fifth Season.

For inquires, please email: lcameron@transatlanticagency.com

Samantha Haywood is owner and President of the Transatlantic Agency. She has extensive experience selling authors in North America for publication and TV/film representation. She launched her client list with Transatlantic Agency in 2004 after working in the international rights departments of Random House of Canada and Westwood Creative Artists. 

Samantha represents a diverse and vibrant client list of novelists, memoirists, investigative journalists, graphic novelists, cookbook authors and thought leaders. Samantha represents international rights for the renowned publisher, Drawn & Quarterly. She is also a founding member and former President of PACLA, the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents.

Samantha encourages submissions from a plurality of voices, stories and authors of all backgrounds. For her client list, her objective is originality and diversity.

In fiction, Samantha is looking for literary fiction and upmarket commercial fiction of all types. Getting more specific, yes to: smart contemporary fiction, upmarket women’s fiction, upmarket escapist fiction, crossover/hybrid style novels, and sophisticated novels with speculative or horror elements with a genre slant.

Yes to literary thrillers and upmarket mystery. Witty, sharp, biting or satirical elements are also welcome, especially when it comes to socio-political issues including class and late-stage capitalism. Yes also to fiction which examines identity, gender/sexuality and/or racism through a unique lens. 

In nonfiction, Samantha prefers narrative nonfiction and big idea nonfiction, especially on culturally relevant topics such as feminism, environmentalism, Indigenous issues, societal inequities with forecasts for progress.

She represents some prescriptive, inspirational and motivational nonfiction, matched with expertise and a platform, and preferably with a personal story woven throughout. Yes also to investigative reportage; historical narratives handled in refreshing ways, true crime with societal implications and occasionally an outstanding memoir (must be truly original or well-known subjects).

Essentially, she’s looking for a strong narrative drive and distinctive voice at all times.

Samantha also wants graphic novels and nonfiction): Preferably full-length graphic novels with author and illustrator as one creator or already teamed-up. Graphic novel memoirs, biographies, travel narratives and other nonfiction graphica also welcome.

Query Samantha at: querysamantha@transatlanticagency.com

Authors are encouraged to email a cover letter with a sample/excerpt of the book in question. Please submit a maximum of 20 pages. Embed the sample/excerpt into the email after the cover letter. Graphic novel submissions may include an attachment. Please submit an author bio/publishing history and a synopsis. 

Rob Firing has been working as a promoter and publicist for more than 20 years, 15 of those at HarperCollins as their Senior Director of Publicity, Communications and Speakers’ Bureau. Rob has worked closely with everyone from JK Rowling to Tom Wolfe, from Margaret Trudeau to Margaret Drabble — literally hundreds of writers across many genres. 

He is also the co-author of The Everyday Squash Cook (HarperCollins, 2014), and the author of STEAK REVOLUTION (HarperCollins, 2018), which was a Gourmand World Cookbook Award finalist. 

Rob is seeking nonfiction only:

– Social and cultural history or other fun history
– History that connects to today, history that asks questions
– Investigative reporting and narrative journalism
– Popular science when it’s careful and Insightful
– Narrative nonfiction that engages with food, the natural world,
travel, or everyday objects
– Cookbooks with something extra
– Highly applicable prescriptive nonfiction

Please note that due to the sometimes very high volume of inquiries, not all inquiries regarding manuscript submissions will be answered.

If you are submitting a proposal, please submit a synopsis and 20 pages of the manuscript via email to: rob@transatlanticagency.com

Attachments will not be opened.

Noelle Falcis Math has garnered a breadth of experience as a writer and editor before transitioning into agenting. She holds a BA and MFA in English and Creative Writing, and has received fellowships or residencies from VONA (Voices of Our Nations), Tinhouse, The Seventh Wave, and Lemontree House. 

In 2021, she completed the Los Angeles Review of Books’ Publishing Workshop and Transatlantic Agency’s BIPOC mentorship program. In 2023, she transitioned into an Associate Agent and began building her list of authors. Just recently, in 2025, she was promoted to agent.

Noelle is currently accepting submissions for the month of August.

Noelle is looking for projects that uplift essential voices from the margins and teaches how to better be human. She is eager to work with and prioritize authors of marginalized identities, and is particularly looking for narratives from Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander and Oceanic, and Indigenous perspectives.

This said, she welcomes all stories with compelling writing that explores the mythic and mundane, the sacred and profane, and the strange and fabulous beside the everyday. She likes to see characters evolve and change, teaching us further about ourselves and the resilience of the human condition.

For Fiction, she is keen on: reimagined folklore and mythology; dark, sad girl narratives; folks in the margins of their own communities; immigrant mothers and their daughters; coming-of-age stories and sisterhood; the softness of siblinghood; atmospheric, existential campus novels from BIPOC perspectives; the unique intricacies and messiness of romance; monstrous women (why are they monsters?); and anything brimming with ancestral ghosts.

She likes speculative work with surreal elements that flirt with the absurd. Last, any narrative in which the ocean holds weight will have an automatic layer of charm.

For Nonfiction, she’s looking for projects that explore the intersections of the personal, the political, and the cultural. She is specifically looking for narratives from the margins or from emerging artists, cultural practitioners, and academics that know their niche deeply.

She would love to see strong essay collections, narrative nonfiction, archival works, and experimental blendings exploring (or connecting) culture, the diaspora, decolonization, systemic inequalities, land relationships, climate change, and our striving toward wellness.

For Fall 2025, in Fiction, she is prioritizing literary, speculative, upmarket, and commercial narratives in the adult category. In Nonfiction, she is prioritizing cultural and narrative nonfiction. Across both categories, she maintains her perennial ask for experimental, form breaking and blending prose.

Some Key Themes she’s looking (Across Fiction and Nonfiction) for in 2025: 

·         Climate Futurism

·         Island Narratives

·         Dark Side of Beauty & Wellness Industries

·         Motherhood

·         Literary/Upmarket RomCom

·         Literary/Upmarket Narratives centered on Dance or Athletics

·         Dark Comedy on Influencer Culture and/or Millennial Life

·         Cozy + Anything! – Mystery, Fantasy, Grounded, Food

To query Noelle, please send a query letter, author bio, and 25-page sample (for fiction) or proposal (nonfiction) to: querynoelle@transatlanticagency.com

Include “Query” in the subject line along with the title and genre of your project, paste your sample into the body of the email, and notify her if another offer of representation is received.

Carolyn Forde is currently closed to queries, but will re-open to queries in the fall. Before joining Transatlantic, Carolyn was a literary agent and International Rights Director at Westwood Creative Artists for 14 years.

Carolyn would love to see literary fiction (especially speculative and horror), commercial fiction, narrative nonfiction by experts in the field and is open minded to a broad range of topics and styles – as long as it engages her.

There are a few things she’s not keen on: medical/disease related memoirs, police procedurals, climate thrillers, military or CIA fiction, cozy mysteries, books about film and tv behind the scenes, and fantasy. Don’t send her any of these.

Come the fall, check out Carolyn’s submissions page here.

Andrea Cascardi represents manuscripts for young readers. Unfortunately, she’s only open to submissions by professional referral or by participants in contests or conferences Andrea personally attends. So, I’ll have to see about getting her as a guest speaker! ~Brian 

Andrea Cascardi has held senior editorial positions at Random House, Disney/Hyperion, and Egmont USA. As an editor she acquired and edited Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King winner Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold, the Raffi Songs to Read series, and Pura Belpre winner Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez among many other award-winning books.

As an agent she has represented many bestselling and award-winning titles including Clare Vanderpool’s Newbery winner Moon Over Manifest and Printz Honor winner Navigating Early, e.E. Charlton-Truillo’s Stonewall winner Fat Angie, New York Times Bestseller: Nubs: A Mutt, A Marine, and a Miracle, and Texas Bluebonnet winner Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want to Survive the School Bus.

See Transatlantic’s submissions page here.

For information about other literary agents looking for authors, see here (and scroll down).

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.  

Literary agent Anna Olswanger seeks picture books and graphic novels

Beth and Cloud Won't Change by Ciara Gavin,
represented by Olswanger Literary 

Olswanger Literary 

New York, New York

https://www.olswanger.com/

Anna Olswanger has been a literary agent since 2005. She started her career at Liza Dawson Associates in Manhattan and in 2014 launched her own literary agency, Olswanger Literary LLC. Olswanger Literary currently has eight agents, represents everything from children’s picture books to adult fiction and nonfiction. Currently, though, only Anna is accepting submissions.

Anna represents a wide variety of genres, but is currently focused on illustrated books (picture books and graphic novels) and is looking to represent author-illustrators. She is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents. She’s also an author herself.  Her most recent book is the graphic novel, A Visit to Moscow (see here).

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Note: If you’re interested in getting published or getting a literary agent, check out our upcoming “How to Get Published” workshop, where we’ll have a literary agent as a guest speaker. See here.

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Anna has sold to major publishers, including Bloomsbury, Chronicle, HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster. And her clients’ books have won numerous prestigious awards and topped bestsellers lists.

Anna Olswanger

Through her work as an agent of children's books, Anna has developed a special interest in animal advocacy. She is the agent for Jill Robinson and Marc Bekoff's Jasper's Story: Saving Moonbears, the story of a moon bear held captive in a cage by bear farmers in rural China until rescued by Animals Asia, the organization that Jill founded, and Alan Rabinowitz's A Boy and a Jaguar, the story of a boy who fulfills his promise to speak for animals who cannot speak for themselves.

Anna is also interested in finding unusual books with a Judaic or Israel theme. She is the agent for Ruchama Feuerman’s novel In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist, about the friendship between a rabbi’s assistant and a devout Muslim janitor, and Santiago Cohen’s picture book The Yiddish Fish, about a fish who speaks Yiddish.

Anna would like to represent more author-illustrators of color.

Anna works hard with authors to get their manuscripts into shape for submission. She finds that most manuscripts need work on plot, so if you're a potential author-illustrator client, be ready to go through many revisions before Anna agrees to send out your manuscript. Her job is to get the story to the point where an editor will make an offer. (And then be prepared to make more revisions for the editor.)

Postscript: 

Brian, Thanks for the profile. A bit more information is available at the Association of American Literary Agents site here.

I'm happy to hear from author-illustrators of picture books and graphic novels.

Anna

Query Anna at: anna@olswangerliterary.com

Include a few details about your book and the opening pages in a Word or PDF attachment. If Anna likes what she sees, she'll ask to see the full manuscript. For author-illustrators, send a PDF attachment with your text and art.

See all upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here. 

Navigation tips: For more literary agents looking for authors see here (and scroll down). If you’re looking specifically for Canadian agents, see here (and scroll down). And if you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.