Emma Paterson
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission route
- Response time
- Assume no reply = no after 12 weeks
- Last checked
- 4 days ago
About
Emma represents writers of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, among them a number of bestselling and prize-winning authors.
She joined Aitken Alexander Associates in 2018, having previously spent five years at Rogers, Coleridge & White and worked before that at The Wylie Agency. She is a Director of the agency and, since 2020, a member of the Booker Prize Foundation Advisory Committee, and in 2023 she was elected an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Genres
Looking for
- story-led and character-driven novels that make us feel deeply, think critically, and contend with complex moral and social questions
- rich, careful worldbuilding, whether realist or speculative, contemporary or historical
- academics, journalists and critics
- history, politics, philosophy, psychology, true crime, narrative sports writing, and literary biography
Not looking for
- poets who have not yet published a first collection
Agency submission guidelines
Submissions accepted only via the general submissions email (submissions@aitkenalexander.co.uk), marked in the subject line for the attention of one literary agent; agent profiles should be checked before choosing whom to approach. Submit to only one agent; if unable to decide, the submission will be reviewed by readers and passed to whomever they feel most appropriate. Do not submit unsolicited work directly to agents' assistants. Postal submissions are no longer accepted. For fiction (novels and short stories): send the first three chapters or fifty pages together with a short synopsis (ideally as Microsoft Word compatible attachments); only submit once a full manuscript is ready. For narrative non-fiction: send a short overview and up to 10,000 words of sample writing (ideally as Microsoft Word compatible attachments). For subject-led non-fiction: send a proposal of approximately 5,000 words outlining the book and the writer's suitability to write it, along with no less than 5,000 words of sample writing (ideally as Microsoft Word compatible attachments). All fiction and non-fiction submissions should include a short cover letter with a short description of the book, details of previous writing credits or qualifications if applicable, and a brief biographical note. Writers submitting simultaneously to other agencies or with interest from other agents should mention this, and should keep the agency informed of any interest received while on submission. For screenwriting submissions: Lesley Thorne is interested in screenwriters of comparable calibre to the agency's novelists and non-fiction writers; send a cover letter and best sample script introducing the writer, their work, and any credits, screenwriting prizes, or relevant experience.
Clients include
- Bernardine Evaristo
- Mona Chalabi
- Martin MacInnes
- Natasha Brown
- Shon Faye
- Claire Kilroy
- Ash Sarkar
- Elaine Castillo
- Sanam Mahloudji
- Sam Knight
- Susanna Moore
- Emma Dabiri
- Anna Russell
- Megan Hunter
- Victoria Adukwei Bulley
Other agents at Aitken Alexander Associates
Chris Wellbelove
Chris represents writers of fiction and nonfiction from across the literary spectrum, as well as a handful of poets. He works with bestselling and prize-winning authors, and with writers ranging from journalists and memoirists to thought leaders, academics and cultural figures. Across fiction and nonfiction, he is drawn to originality, imagination and personality.
Genres:Business · Contemporary Fiction · Historical (Non-Fiction) · Historical Fiction · Memoir +2 more
OpenLast checked 4 days ago
Clare Alexander
Clare is a literary agent at Aitken Alexander Associates, representing both fiction and non-fiction. She spent more than 20 years in publishing before becoming an agent, working in rights at Hamish Hamilton and later as Fiction Editor at Penguin, Publishing Director at Viking and Editor-in-Chief at Macmillan. She is a founding member and patron of the Women's Prize for Fiction and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Genres:Biography · Contemporary Fiction · Historical (Non-Fiction) · Literary Fiction · Memoir
Solicited onlyLast checked 13 days ago
Harriet Moore
Harriet represents literary fiction, narrative non-fiction, and poetry at Aitken Alexander Associates. She joined the agency in 2024 after more than a decade at David Higham Associates.
Genres:Literary Fiction · Narrative Non-Fiction
Solicited onlyLast checked 13 days ago
Lesley Thorne
Lesley is Managing Director of Aitken Alexander Associates and runs the Film and TV Department, which she founded in 2004. She began her career in publishing, working for Fourth Estate, Viking and Hamish Hamilton, before joining Aitken Alexander in 1999. She represents novelists, non-fiction writers and screenwriters, with a particular focus on guiding authors to write for screen.
Genres:Literary Fiction · Memoir · Narrative Non-Fiction
OpenLast checked 13 days ago
Lisa Baker
Lisa runs the Foreign Rights department at Aitken Alexander Associates and represents a select list of literary fiction and non-fiction. She joined the agency in 2016 and became a Director in 2017. Previously, she was Rights Director at Faber & Faber.
Genres:Literary Fiction · Narrative Non-Fiction
Solicited onlyLast checked 13 days ago
Monica MacSwan
Monica is an Associate Agent at Aitken Alexander, actively building a list of authors and looking for new projects to work on collaboratively with writers. Monica began a career in publishing at Felicity Bryan Associates and Profile Books, then worked in translation rights at United Agents. Since 2020, Monica has worked in the books department at Aitken Alexander.
Genres:Current Affairs · Food & Drink · Literary Fiction · Memoir · Narrative Non-Fiction +1 more
OpenLast checked 13 days ago