2024

Confidence. The more I read, the more I realise that the thing that keeps me turning the pages is confident writing. Every reader knows that there is no better feeling than being in safe hands with an author and that’s what I’m always looking for in submissions and in my reading outside work.

I am really on the hunt for some great historical fiction. It has been a long time since I’ve read anything that really reallyblew me away in that space, there’s a lot of good stuff out there but I’m looking for outstanding.

Go for it! You have nothing to lose. Don’t worry about every comma and every speech mark, make sure your action and your characters are on point, the rest follows.

I love a strong concept, a one-line pitch that makes me stop and catch my breath, an idea that feels new and exciting whilst having a clear audience and pitch, a book that feels like it’s doing something different within a familiar genre. Then it’s all about the execution – the character, the voice, the writing - and the novel delivering on that brilliant initial hook.

I’d love to find a fantastic thriller – be that a wicked high concept, or a deliciously dark psychological novel. On the other end of the scale entirely, I’d love a sweeping love story, a novel like One Day or Me Before You that becomes a staple in the genre. But I’m always happy to be surprised, and love reading in every genre!

Don’t submit too early – take your time, polish your submission, and good luck!

I always know I’ve come across something special when I find myself suddenly at the end of a sample without having noticed the time or pages going by. That ability to wholly capture a readers’ attention is rare. What makes a book enthralling in that way can differ from novel to novel, sometimes it’s the voice, sometimes it is a protagonist who immediately captures your heart or sometimes it’s an expertly crafted plot that unravels in the most unexpected yet satisfying way.

I would love to add more crime and thrillers to my list! I cut my teeth as an editor on thrillers and, whether upmarket or commercial, it remains my favourite genre to read for pleasure. Some of my favourite writers in this area are Lucy Foley, Oyinkan Braithwaite and Ruth Ware. Other than crime and thriller, I’m always looking to add to my stable of very talented historical writers and am perpetually on the hunt for a reading group book that feels pressingly urgent and well crafted. My taste veers towards the darker end of the spectrum.

Write what you feel passionate about! Genuine passion always shines through. Lots of writers try to write into trends, and while it is fantastic to find something that feels very zeitgeisty in the agency’s submissions inbox, it is so hard to hit the market at exactly the right moment. So I would recommend writing what genuinely interests and excites you rather than worrying too much about what is trendy.

It's always about character for me! I'm drawn to novels that explore human nature in a complex and nuanced way — stories that envelop you in the thoughts and emotions of their characters and compel you to empathise with their journey.

Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh

Remember Remember - Elle Machray

Blue Sisters - Coco Mellors

Trust in your authorial voice and embrace the creative journey - setbacks and all. As cheesy as it sounds, your unique perspective is a gift to your storytelling.

For me, everything comes back to voice. If a writer can absolutely nail that narrative voice, those idiosyncrasies of thought and speech, and harness it to create a distinct feeling for a character, then I will trust them to lead me through a story. There are other things too, of course: does the story feel fresh, is the plot exciting, am I invested in the characters, do the words on the page have finesse (or lack of finesse) as intended? Is there a driving question which will make me consider the world differently when I’ve finished reading? But those are all much harder to pinpoint. And usually, if the voice is there, those other things are there too.

When I speak to editors, I almost always tell them that the fiction I work on will foreground two things: craft and emotional impetus. I love novels in which every word matters. Form, placement, structure, tense, theme; not to sound like a GCSE syllabus here, but I want all of it to be intentional. I don’t mind if something is very traditional or very experimental. I simply want to find stories in which everything is on the page for a reason.

And, in 2024, I want to find beautiful books in which the characters care. Apathetic and directionless protagonists will never speak to me in the same way as a character who really wants things. Internal obstacles, external obstacles, however it manifests: give me high stakes and intense emotions—even when someone is trying desperately to pretend they don’t care at all. Perhaps especially then.

Your opening paragraph—your opening sentence—is crucial. From Jane Austen to Douglas Adams, the opening sentence is what people remember. It’s what gets agents sitting up straight and editors clearing their desks. It’s what gets someone in a bookshop to take something to the till. So ask yourself: am I starting with tension? Is this opening forgettable? Does it or does it not get the reader invested immediately? The world is busy and there’s lots to do, which means that you need to make sure whoever picks up your work is unable to put it down from the get go. Ask anyone and everyone to read your first page, and get them to tell you what they think.