James McGowan is a Senior Literary Agent and Director of BookEnds Jr. at BookEnds Literary Agency who champions diverse, plot-driven adult fiction — particularly fantasy and thriller — alongside children's content across all age ranges.
In brief
McGowan is currently CLOSED to queries as of May 2026, with a stated re-opening window of Summer 2026 — confirm before submitting.
His adult wishlist is sharply focused on fantasy, speculative fiction, thrillers/suspense, and book club fiction, with a strong preference for diverse and underrepresented voices across all categories.
His fantasy taste runs distinctly dark and political — think NK Jemisin, R.F. Kuang's Babel, and Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House — rather than light or cozy fare; writers pitching him a bright, cheerful fantasy are likely misaligned.
Beyond his adult list, he directs BookEnds Jr. and represents authors and illustrators across all children's age categories, making him unusually broad in scope for a single agent.
He is himself a published picture book author (Good Night, Oppy!), which signals genuine, first-hand investment in children's publishing rather than a sideline interest.
Lately
His agency page confirms he is closed to new queries as of spring 2026 and plans to reopen to submissions during the summer of that year.
What James is looking for
McGowan wants fantasy that grabs him from page one and never lets go. His ideal submission features original magical systems, world-building that doesn't overwhelm, and a fresh angle on familiar tropes. He gravitates toward politically charged, darker-toned work — the kind that doubles as social commentary — and is drawn to an upmarket or dark-academia sensibility. He will also consider projects with a science-fictional approach if the execution feels closer to the fantasy end of the spectrum. Diverse and underrepresented voices are a stated priority across this entire category.
McGowan is a self-described avid thriller and suspense reader hunting for something that feels genuinely fresh. He loves vivid, specific settings — elite academic environments, isolated snowbound locations, and similarly charged backdrops. He's especially drawn to messed-up family and friend dynamics, courtroom drama, cold cases, and missing-person narratives. He appreciates both fast commercial reads and slower upmarket slow burns. Shocking, well-constructed twists are a plus. Diverse voices are again a stated priority.
McGowan wants the novel that spreads through reading groups by word of mouth — a commercial hook paired with strong characters, and at least one sentence that stays with you. Works from diverse, marginalized, and/or underrepresented voices are a priority here as in all his adult categories.
As Director of BookEnds Jr., McGowan represents children's content across all age ranges, including picture books, middle grade, and beyond, for both authors and illustrators. His own authorship of a picture book signals that this is a serious part of his list, not a token addition. Note: he represents picture book illustrators and author-illustrators; writers should confirm whether he accepts picture book text submissions from authors who do not illustrate.
Not the right fit
On James's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query James
Do not query by email under any circumstances — his agency page explicitly states that emailed queries will not be accepted.
He is closed as of late May 2026 and expects to reopen in Summer 2026; check the live submission form status before preparing your materials.
Lead your query letter with the thing that makes your book feel new: a striking setting, a subversive twist on a familiar trope, or a political dimension that gives the story weight — these are the elements he calls out repeatedly.
If you are writing fantasy, make clear within the first lines of your pitch that the book has momentum and doesn't let up; he explicitly wants a story that hooks immediately and refuses to be put down.
Diversity of authorial voice is a stated priority, not an afterthought — if you are a writer from a marginalized or underrepresented background, it is appropriate and welcome to mention this in your query.
For thrillers, anchor your pitch in the setting and the specific dynamic at the heart of the book (a fractured family, a cold case, an isolated location) rather than leading with plot summary alone.
Avoid querying him with nonfiction for adult readers, hard SF, or light/cozy fantasy — these do not appear on his current wishlist and his taste signals run in the opposite direction.