Gemma Cooper
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission route
- Response time
- Assume no reply = no after 8 weeks
- Last checked
- 3 days ago
About
Gemma is the founder of Gemma Cooper Literary, representing children's books, young adult books and certain adult genres.
She has been a literary agent since 2011, including as a director at The Bent Agency. Her list is typified by big-concept, commercial series fiction. She has lived and worked in New York, Chicago and London, giving her a global approach to representation.
Genres
Looking for
- children's fiction that can be described in one line or an 'X meets Y' elevator pitch
- books with obvious potential for dramatic adaptation, whether a funny pre-school TV series or a big-budget feature film
- submissions from writers from underrepresented communities, particularly those who write chapter books and middle-grade fiction
- middle-grade fiction of any kind, from mystery to fantasy, historical to funny, adventure stories to serious topics, verse, illustrated, animal perspectives and everything in between
- young adult contemporary novels, including a rom-com with a hook, or something high-concept with strong friendships or sibling relationships, or a mystery or thriller
- historical young adult novels if they have action or a good murder
- light speculative fiction with a twist
- high-concept funny chapter books with series potential aimed at ages 7+
- graphic novels across all ages of children's and young adult
- cosy crime
- smart contemporary crime with humour like Everyone On this Train is a Suspect
- crime with a fantasy twist like Rivers of London or Thursday Next series
- crime with a sci-fi spin like murder on a spaceship
- a lighthearted, clever story with an unusual or interesting hook
Not looking for
- picture books
- young adult fantasy
- dark thrillers
- anything gritty
- child death
- gratuitous violence
- contemporary adult fiction
- adult non-fiction
- literary novels
- romance
- poetry
Agency submission guidelines
Submissions are sent to gemmaqueries@gemmacooperliterary.com. Picture books are not represented. What to send: a query letter including the title of the book, a short pitch, a short author bio, and the first ten pages of the book pasted into the body of the email (not as an attachment). Graphic novels or non-fiction with illustrations: link to a website or social media where work is shared, or attach up to five low-res images. Format: postal submissions are not accepted; any mail sent will be recycled. Writers should check the relevant agent's page for what they are currently looking for before submitting, and queries outside those genres, or work written or illustrated using AI, will be deleted. A query letter template is available on the site for those who wish to use it, though it is optional.
Agency AI policy
They will delete queries written or illustrated using AI, and do not use AI to check submissions.