I joined LBA in 2018 and represent a broad list of commercial and book club fiction, and select non-fiction. My authors have been Sunday Times, USA Today and Kindle bestsellers; Book of the Month, Richard & Judy and Aardvark book club picks; and have been shortlisted for the Val McDermid Debut Award, the YA Book Prize, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Books Are My Bag Readers Award, the Victor Crime Award in Germany, and several categories of the Romantic Novelists Association Awards.

I previously worked for a literary scout and in translation rights, 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.

I have previously served on the Bridge Committee for early-career agents at the Association of Authors' Agents as a Careers and Development officer. Two years running, in 2022 and 2023, I was thrilled to win the Romantic Novelists Association Agent of the Year Award. I was also a winner of the Trailblazer Award 2023, which celebrates publishing professionals under 30 who are 'taking the industry by storm'.

What I’m looking for:

Across all the below genres, I particularly welcome submissions from writers from communities that have been underrepresented in mainstream publishing, including LGBTQ+ authors, disabled and neurodivergent authors, and authors of colour.

Please note that I’m not the right agent for children’s books, sci-fi or grisly horror, or a book without speechmarks.

I’m eager to work with authors who, like me, are writing craft nerds – who create page-turning stories, but are also intrigued by the how behind that strange alchemy of words on a page. I’d also love to hear from fast, slick writers who are excited about commercial fiction opportunities in the digital space.

Fiction:

In fiction, my taste runs more commercial than literary, though some of my favourite novels sit in the sweet spot between the two, like Transcendent Kingdom, Fundamentally or anything by Curtis Sittenfeld. I gravitate towards books that are shot through with humour – if you’re pitching a romcom, I want there to be laughs; and I enjoy books with a dark or offbeat sense of humour too, like Margo’s Got Money Troubles.

Top of my wishlist at the moment is something fresh and unexpected in the thriller/mystery/suspense space – especially if the protagonist and target audience is under 30 (though note I’m a hard sell on influencer-related plotlines!). I’d be excited about something soapy or serious, but I don’t tend to connect with projects that are either very cosy or extremely graphic/violent – though I’d be eager to read a novel that’s equally sexy and suspenseful like Jessica Knoll’s Helpless. Or please think of me if your book could be pitched as ‘Strangers but make it a revenge mission’! I’m also interested in where thriller meets horror or a speculative take on a domestic suspense, and I’m drawn to antiheroines (with a righteous cause?!) like in Best Offer Wins. Across subgenres, I’m looking for clear hooks, a strong sense of place, and a fast-paced read.

I’m looking for juicy page-turners and highbrow beach reads, where low-stakes interpersonal drama – perhaps in a family, friend group, workplace or local community – feels incredibly high-stakes, and the voice has a lot of bite. Think: I Hope This Finds You Well or Bad Summer People; I’d love a campus novel in this area. I’m also hankering after a sister story like Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty, or a high-concept love story with genuinely surprising twists, a la Rebecca Serle or Tia Williams, with elevated writing and a bittersweet ending that’s going to make me laugh, cry, and swoon.

As I am lucky enough to have lots of clients writing in this space I’d need to be utterly swept away by a new contemporary romance or romcom, but please send me queer romance of all types, and romance projects that cross into other genres, whether that’s women’s fiction, horror(-lite), or romantic suspense. I like a sharp, humorous voice, as in Annie Knows Everything or Last Tang Standing, and I want to see inventive storytelling beyond just a great hook or the main trope (though of course both are key!).

I am very picky about romantasy, but when I find something I love I am all in (A Forbidden Alchemy, looking at you)! Here I’m looking for fresh worlds/set-ups and perspectives, and an equal balance of worldbuilding, political intrigue, and romance/spice. I’d particularly be interested to read a romantic fantasy where the narrative engine is a murder mystery. I’m also keen to find some genuinely different-feeling historical fiction or historical fantasy, especially if the setting is neither Britain nor America in the vein of The Familiar and The Warm Hands of Ghosts with incredibly immersive settings and rich evocation of the past.

YA was my first love in publishing, and forms a small and passionate part of my list. I’d love to see new voices from from the UK and Ireland, writing for teenagers rather than the crossover adult audience, and I enjoy summer romances, pacy thrillers, and anything which has the leap-off-the-page voice of Nina Kenwood’s It Sounded Better In My Head.

Non-fiction:

I’m very selective in this area, but please think of me for popular history, particularly areas that have been under-taught in western education or women’s/domestic/family/social history – I would always be delighted to hear from experts in those fields.

I love deep dive explorations of niche areas of culture, in the vein of Alice Robb’s personal and sociological examination of ballet in Don’t Think, Dear. Got this for gymnastics, musical theatre, or another performing art? Please send my way!

In narrative non-fiction, I wanted to be hooked by a story so outlandish it could be fiction, and am a big fan of non-murder-y true crime, especially with a strong character or cast to anchor the plot, like in the shows Dopesick and The Dropout.

If you think we could be a good match, please submit to me via the button below. Thank you to all authors who choose to do so – I’m looking forward to hearing from you!