alterean.

The UK’s literary agent directory.

And the publishers you can approach without one.
See who’s open, what they represent and when we last checked.

AgentsPublishers

404

Agents listed

299

Currently open

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Upcoming

    • Caroline HardmanHardman & SwainsonSubmissions open 1st September to 16th October. Closed to submissions from 17th October.
    • Martha Perotto-WillsDavid Higham AssociatesIntends to reopen to submissions in the autumn, no date given.
    • Hannah SheppardHannah Sheppard Literary Agency LtdSubmissions are open from the 1st to the 7th of each month for October and November only. They will then close until February 2027.
    • Julie GourinchasBell Lomax MoretonSubmissions are open from the 1st to the 7th of each month.
    • Alice LutyensCurtis Brown LtdNot open to submissions until the end of 2026.
    • Viola HaydenCurtis Brown LtdSubmissions reopen January 2027.
    • Louise BuckleyHannah Sheppard Literary Agency LtdClosed to submissions until February 2027.

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How querying works

  1. How to get a literary agent in the UK

    What a literary agent actually does, whether you need one, and how to go about finding one in the UK.

    Read guide

  2. What goes in a submission package

    A submission package is what an agency asks you to send: usually a covering letter, a synopsis, and your sample chapters.

    Read guide

  3. How to write a synopsis

    You spent years building a story, and now an agent wants it flattened onto a single page, ending and all. It feels impossible. It isn't. Here we explain what a synopsis is for, how long it should be, and how to write one step by step.

    Read guide

  4. How to write a covering letter

    The covering letter is the first thing an agent reads, and it has one job: to make them want to read your sample pages.

    Read guide

  5. How to choose comparison titles

    Comparison titles, or comps, are published books you name to show an agent where yours would sit.

    Read guide