Hannah Schofield

I joined LBA in 2018 and represent a broad list of commercial and reading-group fiction, and select non-fiction. 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 am on the Bridge Committee for early-career agents at the Association of Authors' Agents as a Careers and Development officer. In 2022 I was thrilled to win the RNA 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 horror, or a book without speechmarks.
Fiction:
In fiction I’m looking for those brilliant book club novels that live in your brain long after the final page. I’m a very character-driven reader – but I don’t have to like them, just be compelled! I read voraciously and eclectically; my taste runs more commercial than literary, though some of my favourite novels sit in the sweet spot between the two, like Kiley Reid’s Such A Fun Age, Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom, or anything by Curtis Sittenfeld. I’d particularly like to see book club novels that speak to a Gen Z and millennial concerns, like Louise O’Neill’s Idol, Frances Cha's If I Had Your Face, or Celia Laskey’s So Happy For You. Thematically, I’m always interested in projects that tackle immigration, identity, or diaspora; and I love evocative historical novels, especially if they’re set somewhere other than Britain or America.
I love love, so I’m always keeping an eye out for my next OTP – though I currently have a brilliant roster of clients writing romcoms so would want to find something that’s putting a new spin on the genre, for example like Love In The Time Of Serial Killers did. Recently, I adored Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola – if you’ve got a love interest that charming and banter that strong please come my way! I also like a healthy dose of ‘com’: Last Tang Standing and Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? do this brilliantly and I’m keen to find something similar. I'd love to be surprised by a lush, romantic fantasy novel as well: in this area, I look for high stakes and high swoon!
In the thriller/suspense genre I generally want my reads to be female-led, and I’m often drawn to settings-as-character in this genre e.g. the insular communities in Jane Harper’s and Megan Miranda’s novels. I’m also drawn to antiheroines (with a righteous cause?!) like in Blood Sugar or The Lies I Tell – and I adored My Sister, The Serial Killer, but that’s probably my limit on something that’s on the zany side. I also can’t get enough of novels set on campus, and/or with the backdrop of a performing art (I am a chorister myself) – If We Were Villains my gold standard here.
I’m also looking for meaty YA or crossover projects like The Miseducation of Cameron Post, The Black Kids, or Sadie – especially something that plays with formats like Sadie does. Vibe is key for YA – I’d be excited to find something that feels like a Taylor Swift song!
Non-fiction:
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.
In narrative non-fiction or memoir, I’m interested in projects that speak to our current moment and often have a thread of humour, like Are You There God? It’s Me, Ellen. I’d be especially keen to see proposals in this area from British and Irish authors in underrepresented communities. I'm also interested in seeing proposals on self-development for women in their twenties and thirties, be that in personal or professional spheres, with the accessible style of authors such as Laura Whateley, Candice Braithwaite, and Cate Sevilla.
Non-murdery true crime is another fave of mine, whether it’s serious, like Empire of Pain, or ridiculous (My Friend Anna). I want to be hooked by a story so outlandish it could be fiction.
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!
Authors represented by Hannah Schofield
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Amanda Brooke
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Amy Lavelle
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Anam Iqbal
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Ande Pliego
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Bea Fitzgerald
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Catherine Chang
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Catherine Walsh
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Celia Silvani
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Charlotte Butterfield
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Chris Bridges
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Dr Chloe Duckworth
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Elizabeth Drummond
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Ellie Pilcher
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Emad Ahmed
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Erin Connor
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Heather Mottershead
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Heidi Shertok
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Isabella Harcourt
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Jenni Keer
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Kim Donovan
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Lucy Goacher
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Marina McCarron
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Moyette Gibbons
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Nicole Louie
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Professor David Turner
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Sam Caporn
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Tania Tay