What Literary Agents Are Looking for Now

Snow-covered Siguniang Mountain peak under clear blue sky, symbolizing the daunting querying, submission, and publishing journey

For writers hoping to break into traditional publishing, few moments feel more loaded than trying to figure out what literary agents are looking for — and then sending a query letter into the void. But navigating how to pitch it, who to pitch it to, and when – that’s when it gets real ugly.

The whole process is opaque and overwhelming. A lot of this is due to the fact that we are not writers – not copywriters, not marketers, not salesmen. And those are usually the people in charge of writing sales materials – or in our case query submission packages. So today, we’re pulling back the curtain on what emerging literary agents are actually looking for – and how you can rise above the noise.

Genres That Turn Heads

If you want to know what literary agents are looking for right now, it’s fresh, bold fiction that blends *cringe*commercial*ahem* appeal with strong emotional cores. That includes:

Psychological thrillers that lean dark and atmospheric – think: Ling Ma

Witty romantic comedies with sharp dialogue and strong voice

Historical fiction that balances immersive worldbuilding with raw human drama – think: Gentlemen in Moscow
Women’s fiction with book club potential — layered, character-driven, and emotionally resonant
Speculative stories that stay grounded — think literary fantasy or sci-fi with surreal or feminist twists – think: Ling Ma

Agents are tired of formulas. They want stories that transcend, characters that feel true lived-in, and settings that don’t just house the story but shape it. Remember, just like authors who want to make money so that they can keep writing, agents want to make money so they can keep reading, and keep writer’s writing. We all need to pay the bills.

This list is a living, ever-evolving organism though – agents with certain established tastes can post their latest impulse craving under the #MSWL (ManuScript WishList) tag on any social platform. It’s valuable to pay attention to these because this info often doesn’t make it into the agent’s profile on their own website, or the other agent database platforms. Catching this moment could be a life-changing connection.

The Unwritten, Unteachable Intangibles Agents Crave

Yes, craft matters. But what literary agents are looking for isn’t always about technical perfection — it’s voice, confidence, and market instinct. Let’s be honest, how many books have been published this year which make it obvious that craft isn’t always the top priority. What separates the good from the slush often comes down to three things:

Assured Voice aka Confidence: The writing doesn’t tiptoe. It knows what it is and owns it.
Marketability: There are many business factors outside of you and your work that determine if your work is worthy of the mass’s attention at this particular moment in history.
Novelty: Agents and readers are exposed to absolutely everything, all the time. Break the rules, push the envelope, or make up your own rules. Be bold, edgy. Be truly authentic and original. Think Dylan Thomas. Be weird.

But How Do You Even Find Agents Open to Queries?

Ugh. This part. Tons of writers get stuck here. They stalk Manuscript Wish List or QueryTracker. They scour social media. They fall down internet rabbit holes. And still – it feels like a mountainous obstacle.

The tedious monotony of:

Scanning agent lists
Setting filters
Reading agent genres, sales, ‘don’t send me…’, requirements, open to submissions
Pasting contact info into spreadsheets

has haunted, poked, harassed any author attempting to query in the last 15 years.

There are thousands upon thousands of capable agents out there. You may end up with a handful or dozens of choices.

But many published authors were rejected by 80 or 100 or more agents before landing one. So, how many hours or weeks do you have to compile a list of 100 or more?

Submission Basics (That Too Many Writers Still Miss)

When you do find someone who seems like a fit, here’s what you need to remember:

Write a query letter that encapsulates you, your story’s hook, genre, comps, and stakes – make it enchanting or surprising.
Include your manuscript’s first ten pages – polished, proofed, and punchy – like the best thing you’ve ever done in your life – a little trick I picked up is to read the first ten pages of comparable titles for free on google books. And when I say read – i mean close read, like a real author.
Follow submission guidelines exactly, even if they feel annoyingly specific, then triple check before hitting ‘Send’. There are few worse feelings than a premature ‘Send’.

Submitting is largely about showing respect for the agent’s time and attention by showing you’re a seasoned pro. If the writing delivers, the rest is just removing friction. The query is really just your ticket in the door.

What Writers Really Need: Tools + Insight + Timing

Writing a good book is only part of the equation. To stand out, you need to deeply understand what literary agents are looking for — and when. You also need:

Intel: Who is actually open to what you write – right now
Marketing: How to pitch your story in a way that makes it irresistible
Timing: Catching agents when they are hungry

Enter Write Query Hook. Remember the parts about tracking social media for opportunities and compiling that god-awful mountain of potential agents? Well, unsurprisingly, there weren’t any truly effective options for querying authors.

Industry newsletters are too broad, or too slow, or just not enough. The agent databases and interfaces to access them are outdated, incompleted, and unpleasant to use.

When I was querying and hit this wall of resistance (queue Steven Pressfield’s voice) I took a step back and built two tools to solve this problem, because I think art is hard enough.

Don’t Waste Anymore Time or Money

I’ve wasted weeks and plenty of money on books, courses, databases, newsletters and platforms (you name it) just to end up feeling like I still came up short and still had even farther to climb. I built Write Query Hook to be the One resource writers need to give themselves the best shot at getting published, and give themselves back time and money that is better invested in what matters – craft.

It started with SlushWire – our daily industry monitoring service that brings industry discussions, agent activity, and query tips to your inbox.

In May we will be launching the smart agent matchmaker database – a comprehensive (the largest on the internet) literary agent database which matches agents to your work.

Subscribe to SlushWire Pro to get ahead in the Query Game and lock in your early access slot for our industry leading agent database launch in May!