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Gemma Cooper

Gemma Cooper Literary

Submission status
Open
Submission route
Email
Response time
Aims to reply within 8 weeks
Last checked
13 days ago

About

Gemma is a literary agent and founder of Gemma Cooper Literary.

She has worked as a literary agent since 2011, including as a director at The Bent Agency, before setting up her own agency in 2024. Her list is typified by big-concept, commercial series fiction for children and young adults. She has lived and worked in New York, Chicago and London, giving her a global approach to representation.

What they represent

Children's BooksCommercial FictionContemporary FictionCosy MysteryCrimeFantasyGraphic NovelsHistorical FictionMiddle GradeMysteryScience FictionThrillerYoung Adult

Looking for

  • children's fiction that can be described in one line, or in an 'X meets Y' elevator pitch
  • books that have obvious potential for dramatic adaptation, whether that be 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: anything from mystery to fantasy, historical to funny, adventure stories to serious topics, verse, illustrated, animal perspectives and everything in between
  • any middle-grade novel with a strong voice and/or a big hook
  • contemporary young adult novels, ideally a rom-com with a hook, or something high-concept with strong friendships or sibling relationships, or a mystery or thriller
  • historical 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
  • something on the lighthearted side, a 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

Links

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 do not accept queries written or illustrated using generative AI, and they do not use any form of AI to check submissions.

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