Romance

Looking for a literary agent to represent a romance manuscript? Romance is one of the best-selling fiction genres in the English-language market, driven by an enormously active reader community, strong backlist sales, and publishers that release new titles at high volume. Despite that demand, agents who specialize specifically in romance are a defined and identifiable group rather than a majority of the market, and competition for their attention is real.

Romance covers very different registers: contemporary, historical, dark romance, new adult, romantasy, cozy romance, and these don't appeal to the same agents or imprints. Before submitting, identify your subgenre precisely, including its narrative conventions, heat level, and target readership, so you can target agents whose list actually matches your project.

In romance, familiarity with genre conventions matters as much as prose quality. An agent already representing romance authors knows what editors are currently acquiring and how to position your manuscript. Check that an agent has a real track record in the genre before submitting: a generalist unfamiliar with romance will be less effective than a smaller agent genuinely rooted in it.