How to find a literary agent in the UK

If you’re a writer from the UK hoping to get published, you may be wondering how to find a literary agent! For newer writers who aren’t familiar with how publishing works, this process can sometimes seem shrouded in mystery – or it may seem like you need connections just to bust down the door.

But I promise you, plenty of writers sign with literary agents without connections – I’d say it’s probably more common! In this post, I’ll walk you through several ways you can find a literary agent in the UK, even if you don’t know anybody who can help you get your foot in the door.

Note: You don’t necessarily need a literary agent who is based in the same country as you, though it’s the more common approach and can be helpful as they’ll be familiar with your home market. There are many UK-based authors who have literary agents based in the United States instead of the UK.

Finding a literary agent in the UK – the best resources

Resources for finding literary agents are often specific to the country you live in (though not always). I’ll break down the best options for you to begin your search if you’re a UK-based author.

I’d also recommend looking at my other posts on literary agents if you have any uncertainties about things like how to submit, what you need to submit, and how to give yourself the best possible chance on submission.

The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook

This is *the* gold standard in the UK when it comes to finding a literary agent. It’s a yearbook published by the major publishing house Bloomsbury. As the name suggests, they release a new version each year, and it contains a list of all the literary agents in the UK. The book also helpfully sets out what each agency represents (in terms of genre and so on) and how to submit to them.

This book is always recommended to writers by people working in the industry – for a good reason!

The yearbook doesn’t just contain literary agents, either! It also lists publishing houses, so you may be able to find some that are open to unagented submissions (these are usually few and far between, though). The book also publishes advice and helpful articles and essays on writing and publishing.

Bloomsbury also have an excellent online platform giving you access to the same listings if you prefer digital. Their platform has forums and other useful resources too.

QueryTracker

QueryTracker is a website designed for writers who are looking for literary agents. It has a huge database of agents around the world, including in the UK, and is completely free to use.

You can subscribe to get extra features, but the free version is absolutely enough to search for literary agents. You can also use it to track submissions and responses.

I would keep in mind, though, that the site does skew more to the US side. There are lots of UK agents listed, but some UK literary agents are missing from the database. This doesn’t mean these agents aren’t legitimate, just that QueryTracker doesn’t know they exist or hasn’t added them yet. I would always recommend doing your research outside of the site too!

When is the best time to query literary agents? »

The Bookseller

The Bookseller is the UK’s main book trade magazine – it has a paper version and an online version. It’s something of a hub for UK publishing, and it’s where all the major news gets announced.

So how do you use this to find a literary agent? Well, browsing the rights section means you can see which literary agents are making deals and selling books in your genre. You can use that information to go ahead and submit to them if you have a similar book, or write in that genre.

You can view a limited number of articles for free – after that, a subscription is required. A digital subscription is £18 per month at the time of writing.

BookBrunch

BookBrunch is another publishing news magazine in the UK. It’s not as widely known as The Bookseller but is still an excellent source of information on the industry.

Just like The Bookseller, this magazine has a rights section where the latest book deals are announced. The articles usually state which literary agent was responsible for the deal, so you can get a solid idea of professional agents working in your genre.

BookBrunch does require a subscription to view these articles. At the time of writing, you can buy a brief 24-hour subscription for £3 (which may be useful if you just want to do some quick research), three months for £38, 6 months for £69, or 12 months for £120.

Writing conferences and organisations

The UK holds a lot of writing conferences – and we have plenty of useful organisations for writers as well. Most writing conferences will incorporate pitching events with agents and publishers that you can sign up to, and organisations may host agent-led events or webinars. These can be useful for finding agents who work in your genre and age category.

Here are some of the ones you might like to consider:

• SCBWI for YA and children’s fiction: They host yearly conferences, as well as regional events online. The conferences have visiting agents and editors who run workshops and give lectures.
• WriteMentor for YA and children’s fiction: They run awards for unagented/unpublished writers, in partnership with a popular UK literary agency. Three literary agents select the winners, who receive a cash prize and virtual consultation with the agent.
• Curtis Brown: Curtis Brown is a literary agency in the UK who have a Breakthrough Writers’ Program to support writers. They also run an annual competition for unpublished and unagented women writers to submit their work and make connections with agents.
• New Writing North: An organisation with a focus on writers in the North of England. They often hold competitions where you can submit your work to literary agents and publishers.
• Cymera Festival: Focused on science-fiction, fantasy, and horror, this yearly festival usually includes the opportunity for writers to take part in agent one-to-ones.

Bonus tip: books in your genre

Reading books in your genre is also a brilliant way to find literary agents! Make sure the author is from the UK, and writes in your genre, then check the acknowledgements section.

Odds are, the author has mentioned their agent in these acknowledgements. It’s a win-win – you get to enjoy a new book and research literary agents at the same time!

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Hopefully, after reading this post, you’re now armed with some useful resources to help you in your literary agent search in the UK!