As a children’s book author, you are one of the most influential writers out there.
Not only do you entertain, you bring joy, sadness, laughter, magic, imagination, fantastic worlds, and crucial life lessons to your young readers. Some children’s books are so memorable, once the kids grow up and become parents, they will warmly remember the books they loved and re-read them to their kids.

Finding quality literary representation is key to getting your work published and the first step to becoming a little one’s favorite.

Here is a list of 25 top literary agents who represent famous bestselling and award-winning children’s books.

Tina Wexel

Tina Wexel is a literary agent at ICM, one of the largest talent management firms in the world. ICM represents famous authors, screenwriters, actors, models, musicians/singers, directors, and filmmakers.
Tina Wexel represents MG (middle-grade) books, Juvenile fiction, and YA (young adult) books.

Send your query to: [email protected]
Include the first five pages of your manuscript pasted into the body of your email or clipped to your paper query.
Do not send attachments with your initial e-query.

Rick Chillot

Rick is a writer and editor at Quirk Books, an agency owned by Penguin Random House.
In case you don’t already know, Penguin is one of the biggest publishers in the world. Quirk only publishes 25 books per year. Their books include bestselling YA series and award-winning children’s books.

Rick is interested in fiction and non-fiction, for adults or kids, that intersects with pop culture, sci-fi, comics and superheroes, comedy, and/or parody. He would love to bring a graphic novel to the Quirk list.

Send your query to: [email protected]

Stephanie Thwaites

Stephanie Thwaites is a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. This agency is one of the most distinguished children’s book literary agencies in the world with a roster of famous authors.
Thwaites represents children’s books and YA fiction featuring magical elements such as fairies, superheroes, witches, and princesses.

To submit your query, visit: http://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/submissions/submit/

Joseph Veltre

Joseph Veltre is a partner and the head of the books department at Gersh Agency.
He works with a prominent and diverse group of companies and individuals in the film, television, digital content and publishing arenas, helping them create TV shows, films, and books. His clients include media companies, writers, filmmakers, best-selling and prize-winning novelists, filmmakers, TV personalities, celebrities, and business and military leaders.

Amongst many other genres, Joseph Veltre also represents children’s books.

Send your query to: [email protected]

Clare Wallace

Clare Wallace is a children’s book agent at Darley Anderson agency.
She is actively building her children’s list and scouting for new authors and illustrators of picture books, middle grade, teen, and YA books.
Darley Anderson is a full-service agency dealing with TV and film rights as well as books.
Many of the fiction writers, talent-spotted and represented by Darley Anderson himself, are amongst the highest-paid, bestselling authors in the world.

Submit your query to: [email protected]

Hilary Delamere

Hilary joined Lemon Unna & Durbridge in the early 90s to look after the Paddington Bear titles and to build her own book list. She worked for several different publishing houses including Rights Director at Penguin Children’s Books before becoming an agent. She is now a partner at the Agency and continues to represent Michael Bond’s Paddington Bear alongside a wide range of children’s book authors and illustrators from pre-school books to YA novels – handling their publishing deals alongside their film, TV and stage rights.

Hilary is interested in fiction across all ranges of ages, from picture books through middle grade, to teen and young adult.

The Agency represents some of the most famous writers and directors across film, TV, and theatre, alongside book rights and children’s literature. Books represented by the agency have been turned into famous, Emmy-winning films and TV series.

Send your query to: [email protected]
Visit TheAgency.co.uk for full submission instructions.

Silvia Molteni

Silvia Molteni is the dedicated children’s books Agent at PFD (Peter Fraser and Dunlop). She is looking for children’s fiction – from picture books to middle-grade, young adult and crossover fiction (literary/commercial, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, psychological thrillers) and non-fiction. Silvia also handles all audio rights for the agency and sells foreign rights worldwide as well as backlist titles to Italy.
Peters Fraser and Dunlop is one of the longest-established literary and talent agencies in London.

Email your query to: [email protected] 
Instructions: Send the first three chapters (or around fifty pages) of your novel, as well as a full synopsis and a covering letter, with a brief CV of your writing career.

Brianne Johnson

As a literary agent at Writer’s House, Brianne represents picture books and middle-grade books. She especially likes books with humorous elements.
Writer’s House is one of the most famous literary agencies representing children’s books.

Send your query letter to: [email protected]
Include the first ten pages of your book pasted below a query letter. No attachments.

Jennifer Rofe

Rofe is an agent at Andrea Brown Lit Agency. This children’s book agency is famous for getting great publishing contracts for their children’s authors, many of which are in the 5, 6, and 7 figures!
Jennifer represents projects ranging from picture books to YA. Middle grade is her soft spot and she’s open to all genres in this category, especially the tender, hilarious, or zany.

Send your query to: [email protected]

Alyssa Reuben

Alyssa is an agent at Paradigm. Since its founding in 1992, Paradigm has established itself as a leading entertainment talent agency, guiding the careers of an elite roster of actors, musical artists, directors, writers, and producers.
Alyssa Reuben accepts books for middle-graders and young adults. No picture books.

Send your query to: [email protected]

John Rudolph

John is an agent for Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. This agency represents a wide variety of works, from serious non-fiction, literary fiction, and commercial fiction to children’s picture books and young adult books.

Send your query to: [email protected]
John will not open attachments if they come with a blank e-mail.

Emily Van Beek

Emily is an agent for Folio Literary Management, an agency which represents the best of the best for non-fiction, fiction, and various other genres. This agency also has a whole division solely devoted to children’s books.

How to query: Email your query to [email protected]

Mark Gottlieb

Gottlieb is a renown agent working at Trident Media Group. He’s a Ranked by Publisher’s Marketplace as the #1 agent in numerous categories including Children’s books. Mark Gottlieb began his career with the Vice President of Berkley Books (Penguin), working with leading editors. He deals with foreign rights, audiobooks, and books.

Send your query to: [email protected]

Charles Walker

Charles is a literary agent at United Artists talent agency.
Charles Walker represents a list of award-winning writers, directors, composers, and presenters and is always looking for new opportunities. He represents Children’s books, poetry, and fiction.

Send your query to: [email protected]
Instructions: When sending a book, please send a synopsis and the first three chapters of the work along with a covering letter.

Molly O’Neill

Molly is a children’s book agent at Waxman Leavell literary agency.
She’s actively seeking middle grade and YA fiction, as well as a select number of children’s illustrators (illustrators who also write are very welcome), and authors of picture book/MG/YA nonfiction, early readers/chapter books, or children’s/MG/YA graphic novels.

Send your query to: [email protected]
Instructions: Include in your query your CV, the book’s summary, and the first 10 pages, NO attachments, no picture books unless you’re also an illustrator.

Inkwell Literary Agency

InkWell is one of the world’s leading literary agencies, proudly representing major literary prize winners as well as many of the world’s bestselling and best-loved authors. The agency accepts children’s books targeting readers aged 12-18.

Send your queries to: [email protected]

David Higham Associates

Established in 1935, DHA is one of the world’s leading literary agencies representing a range of writers across all genres, in all media and languages. David Higham Associates represents children’s authors and illustrators. They also represent screenwriters and sell TV & film rights as well as foreign rights.

Send your query to: [email protected]
Instructions: Attach your book as a Word doc. Do not include links in your query.

Victoria Selvaggio

Victoria is an agent for the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency. This full-service agency is based in NYC. Founded in 2001, the agency has been named one of the top 25 literary agencies in the country by Writer’s Digest.

Send your query to: [email protected]
Instructions:  Write “Query” in the subject line of your email. Include the entire picture book text in your email after the query letter.

Mary Cummings

Mary Cummings is a children’s book agent for Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises. This full-service agency handles publishing rights and all ancillary rights (such as film, TV, audio, electronic, and foreign rights) for the authors they represent. They are located in Los Angeles, California and work with both established and new, emerging children’s authors.

Send your query to: [email protected]

Wendi Gu

Wendi Gu is a children’s book agent for Greenburger Associates. One of the prominent players in the industry, the literary agency was founded in 1932 by Sanford J. Greenburger.
“We embrace all media and we execute state-of-the-art publishing strategies for our authors,” says Francis Greenburger.

How to submit: E-mail dummies as PDFs to [email protected]

Jennifer Flannery

Founded by Jennifer Flannery in New York in 1992, Flannery Literary is in search of unpublished, talented authors of children’s books. They are highly selective and intend to represent only the best writers.

How to submit: Send your query to [email protected]
Jennifer only accepts e-mail queries with the entire picture book embedded in the e-mail.

Laura Biagi

Laura Biagi is a children’s book agent for Jean Naggar Literary Agency. This agency was founded in 1978 by Jean Naggar and boasts never identifying with the ordinary.

To submit your query, fill in the online submission form on the agency’s website.

Natalie Lakosil

Natalie is a literary agent for Bradford Literary Agency. This is an editorial-focused agency which puts an emphasis on working closely with authors to help build strong, sustainable careers.

How to submit: E-mail your query to [email protected]. To avoid falling into spam, the subject line must begin as follows: “Query for Natalie: (The title of the manuscript and any SHORT message you would like her to see should follow).

Jill Corcoran

Founded by Jill herself, Jill Cocoran Literary Agency is the perfect agency for established children’s authors seeking representation for their children’s books.

Send your queries to: [email protected]
Illustrators should query with a link to their portfolio and the entire PB (Picture Book) manuscript in the e-mail body.

Adriana Dominguez

Adriana is a children’s book agent for Full Circle Literary Agency, which is a full-service literary agency. The team is comprised of literary agents with a diverse experience in book publishing as well as editorial, marketing, publicity, legal affairs, and foreign rights.

Visit the online submission form to submit your query: http://www.fullcircleliterary.com/submissions/

Happy querying! We wish you all the best success.

 

 

This article was written by Alicia Jackson and Amanda Graham.