top of page

James McGowan

[object Object]

James McGowan (he/him) is a senior literary agent at BookEnds Literary Agency, representing award-winning authors and illustrators.


Over the past decade, James has worked in every department at the agency–from social media to subsidiary rights and finance–all of which inform his holistic approach to representing clients. In addition, he is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents where he's worked on multiple committees and is the co-chair of the membership committee. In 2025, he was awarded the inaugural AALA Impact Award for committee service and was named a Publisher’s Weekly Star Watch Honoree.


James currently lives in Staten Island, where he graduated with a Master’s in literature from the College of Staten Island. He is the author of the picture book GOOD NIGHT, OPPY!


To learn more about him, visit the BookEnds website, his website, or follow him on Instagram. To send a query, please only use QueryManager.

  1. What genre(s) do you represent, and where can we find a list of your clients?


I represent a little bit of everything; books for the youngest readers (board and picture books) to adult fiction. I have a very active list of children’s authors and illustrators, but lately am focusing on building my list in adult suspense, fantasy, and book club fiction. My entire client list is on my website www.jmcgowanbooks.com.


  1. What is your favourite part of being an agent?


Probably the fact that I can chase after any project I love, evident by my varied list. I love that I can try new things (like the time I was signing some nonfiction books) and chase my interests. Or that my list is mine to build and I get to work on a variety of projects every day.


  1. If you sit down to read a novel, which genre do you gravitate to first?


Usually thriller or suspense. Bonus points if it’s an upmarket/book club one. I love staying on top of new releases in those genres and am reading them most actively. Second would be political fantasy.


  1. We know it’s hard to pinpoint what drew you to a book or a character, but besides “wanting clients to love the books they write and make money writing them”, what are you looking for when reading that query letter/synopsis/novel?


I’m usually looking for the formatting of a query – usually this signals to me that a writer has done a little bit of research about the industry and knows how to pitch their book. That is not to say if a query deviates from the standard format that it’s a pass for me, but I see a lot of queries that vary in length or information included, so seeing something hit all the beats in 5 paragraphs is always welcome to me!


  1. Are there any other social media links, websites, or other places to learn about you that we should add?


I’m on Instagram @jmcgowanbks and my websites are: www.bookendsliterary.com & www.jmcgowanbooks.com


  1. If you could give any advice to a new writer/author, what would it be?


READ. I know everyone says it but there is a lot to learn in the pages of other writers’ books. Read your genre and every other genre.

bottom of page