Which literary agent represented J.K. Rowling when Harry Potter was first submitted for publication?

Christopher Little represented J.K. Rowling when Harry Potter was first submitted for publication. Rowling’s manuscript was sent to literary agents after she completed the first book, and the Christopher Little Literary Agency took her on as a client.

The agency helped submit Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to publishers. Bloomsbury acquired the British publishing rights, and the novel appeared in 1997 with a cover aimed at children and a relatively modest first print run.

The agency’s role is often compressed into the story that Rowling was simply “rejected many times.” The publishing history is more specific: several agents declined or did not respond before Christopher Little agreed to represent her, and the manuscript was then submitted to publishers.

Christopher Little remained associated with Rowling’s representation during the early Harry Potter years. The story is also distinct from her later crime-fiction career, when the Cormoran Strike books were published under the Robert Galbraith name.