on Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity:

Here are four established agents open to queries right now. All work with reputable agencies with good track records.

Caitlin Mahony represents romance, genre, and commercial fiction. She loves a hard-won, epic love story (historical and contemporary), a transporting fantasy or sci-fi novel that helps parse earthly questions, a delightful beach read, or a pulse-pounding thriller.

Jenny Savill is looking for literary fiction, literary and commercial women’s fiction, psychological suspense, gothic thrillers and stories with a touch of creeping horror, ghost stories, historical fiction (the whole gamut – including alternate histories), and memoir as well as children’s and young adult literature.

Ingrid Beck is seeking compelling nonfiction proposals in the following categories: practical self-help, mindfulness, mental health and wellbeing, religion and spirituality, social and cultural issues, and lifestyle.

Marin Takikawa is looking for literary fiction, YA, and memoirs.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.

NOTE: Don’t submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that “a no from one is a no from all.”)