the agency’s story

With over ninety years of experience in the publishing business, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates is at the forefront of cutting-edge fiction, thought-provoking nonfiction, and art for all ages.

Founded in 1932 by Sanford J. Greenburger, the agency originally focused on representing European writers and publishers in the United States and internationally. Since then, we have built our reputation representing world-renowned authors, becoming one of the preeminent boutique literary agencies in New York.

Sanford Greenburger, together with his wife, Ingrid, pioneered editorial scouting, creating their business of advising a distinguished group of European publishers about the best American writers to translate and publish. Among the agency’s earliest clients were Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Franz Kafka, and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

“All that I know about my life, it seems, I have learned in books.” —Jean-Paul Sartre

A new era for Greenburger Associates began in 1972, when Francis Greenburger assumed management of the business that his parents founded. Under Francis’s vision, the agency was converted into an agents’ collaborative, which today comprises nine full-time agents, five associate agents, and an international rights department. Among the scores of authors who got their start at Greenburger Associates are James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, Jamaica Kincaid, Dave Eggers, Nelson DeMille, Daniel Amen, M.D., Robin Preiss Glasser, Mary Kubica, and Emily Winfield Martin. 

“We place our clients’ needs first, and we help our clients capitalize on their talent—in print, digitally, on the big screen, internationally—wherever their talent can be marketed.” —Francis Greenburger

Today, Greenburger Associates is a full-service agency that prides itself on each agent’s commitment to managing clients with warmth, professionalism, and enterprise. Our agents are hands-on in their approach, working closely with authors to edit and refine proposals, ensuring the best work reaches editors. Our agents have also successfully brought several books to Hollywood and beyond, through movie, TV, and stage adaptations.

Among our global bestselling authors and artists are Dan Brown, Brad Thor, The Guerilla Girls, Keri Smith, Patrick Rothfuss, and Tad Williams, as well as exciting new voices including Dana Schwartz, Katy Hays, Frederick Joseph, Laura Huang, and P. W. Singer.

We invite you to find out more about our Agency team.