5 UK Literary Agents Seeking Fiction, Rom-coms, YA, Thriller/Suspense, Nonfiction, SF/F and more
Here are five UK literary agents expanding their client lists. Hannah Schofield is seeking commercial fiction, rom-coms, YA/crossovers, thriller/suspense, themes of motherhood or sisterhood, dark academia, voice-driven narratives for a millennial or Gen Z audience, and novels from traditionally underrepresented writers.
Amy St. Johnston accepts fiction for all ages, from children to adults. Ian Drury wants fantasy/SF, historical fiction and action/adventure; and on the non-fiction side for history, biography and music. Abi Fellows is looking for fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Liza DeBlock represents adult and YA fiction and nonfiction.
Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.
You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.
_____________________
Ms. Amy St. Johnston of Aitken Alexander Associates
Amy St. Johnston joined Aitken Alexander Associates in 2018 and works with Clare Alexander and her clients. She is also building a list of her own. She has a background in children’s publishing.
What she is seeking: Amy accepts fiction for all ages, from children to adults.
How to submit: Please send your query to submissions@aitkenalexander.co.uk. Also send a short synopsis and the first 30 pages of your work as an attachment. Include Amy’s name in the subject line of your email.
_____________________
Ms. Hannah Schofield of Luigi Bonomi Associates Ltd
“I joined LBA in 2018 and am currently building a list of commercial and reading-group fiction. I previously worked for a literary scout and as a translation rights assistant, and I grew up in Luxembourg, so I have a strong working knowledge of the global publishing market and always bring an international eye to my reading.”
What she is seeking: Commercial fiction, rom-coms, YA/crossovers, thriller/suspense, themes of motherhood or sisterhood, dark academia à la If We Were Villains, voice-driven narratives for a millennial or Gen Z audience, and novels from traditionally underrepresented writers in any of the above genres.
How to submit: Follow their guidelines HERE.
_____________________
Mr. Ian Drury of Sheil Land Associates Ltd
“I read modern history at New College, Oxford before going into publishing: editing partworks and magazines before joining HarperCollins in 1994. I became Publishing Director at Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2003. I published the Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers REAL BRAVO TWO ZERO (Michael Asher), BLENHEIM (Charles Spencer) and LAST POST (Max Arthur) as well as the landmark history of France in IndoChina, THE LAST VALLEY (Martin Windrow).”
What he is seeking: Fantasy/SF, historical fiction and action/adventure; and on the non-fiction side for history, biography and music.
How to submit: Please email proposals to idrury@sheilland.co.uk with
a) your whole manuscript attached as a Word doc (or .docx)
b) a few lines about you and a one line summary of why someone would pay their own money to read your book.
_____________________
Ms. Abi Fellows of The Good Literary Agency
Abi joined TGLA in March 2019. Before joining TGLA, Abi worked as a literary scout at Rosalind Ramsay Ltd for seven years. She has incredibly broad experience in the industry having been a literary agent at Georgina Capel Associates prior to becoming a scout and having also worked as a bookseller at Blackwell’s and on the sales team at Faber and Faber. Abi has a BA in English Literature from Bristol University and an MA in English Literature: Issues in Modern Culture from University College London.
What she is seeking: Fiction and non-fiction for adults and children.
How to submit: Please read their submission guidelines HERE. Note: Abi only accepts submissions from UK residents.
_____________________
Ms. Liza DeBlock of Mushens Entertainment
Originally from New York, Liza DeBlock got her start in publishing while working at Eccles Fisher Associates after interning for various scouts and agencies on both sides of the Atlantic. She is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course at Oxford, 2016, which she attended between her two postgraduate degrees in Modern History of Publishing at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Some of her favourite authors include Antonia Fraser, JK Rowling, Tamora Pierce and she loves the work of Erin Morgenstern, Deborah Harkness, Matt Haig, Lara Prescott, Tracey Chevalier, Sue Monk Kidd and Maggie O’Farrell. You can follow her on twitter as @lizadeblock.
What she is seeking: Liza is looking for both fiction and non fiction. For fiction, Liza is interested in adult and YA only. She is looking for historical fiction, commercial fantasy, romcom, saga, uplit, and thriller. On the non fiction side, she is looking for books that teach her something new or reframe a topic from an alternative point of view. This can include cookery, pop science, social history, and current events.
How to submit: Please email ldbsubmissions@mushens-entertainment.com with your cover letter in the body of the email; An attachment of your synopsis; A PDF or Word document containing the first three chapters or approximately the first 50pp of your book.
FOR NON-FICTION: Your cover letter in the body of the email; A pdf or word document of your proposal; Sample Chapters (if applicable)
Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity.
