Hannah Ferguson

Submission status: Open
Submission route: Email
Response time: Assume no reply = no after 8 weeks
Last checked: 15 days ago

About

Hannah is a literary agent at Hardman & Swainson, representing fiction and non-fiction.

She grew up above her family's bookshop in the Midlands and later studied Creative Writing at Goldsmiths. She began her career as an intern at The Marsh Agency, staying for seven years before becoming an agent and selling her first author, Ali McNamara. She joined Hardman & Swainson in 2014.

What they represent

Looking for

stories that will whisk Hannah away to another place, be it in time, geographically, or just into another life that's different from Hannah's own
women's fiction, from the more literary to the very commercial
great crime and thrillers
thoughtful narrative non-fiction that tells a story and helps us to understand who we are and the world that we live in

Clients include

James Bailey
Elle Blair
Lorraine Brown
Lucy Dickens
Lisa Dickenson
Miranda Dickinson
Jasmine Elmer
Carrie Hope Fletcher
Giovanna Fletcher
Isla Gordon
Kris Hallenga
Sharon Hartley
Ali McNamara
Susy McPhee
Siobhan Miller

Agency submission guidelines

The agency represents a range of fiction and non-fiction, but does not represent TV/film scripts or poetry. Submit to one agent only. Fiction: send a short covering email, a one-page synopsis, and the full manuscript. Name the chosen agent in the cover email. Non-fiction: send a covering email outlining the book, why it has a place on the bookshelf, and why the writer is qualified to write it, along with a proposal and a sample chapter or the whole work if completed. All sample material should be included as an attachment along with the query in one submission. Where to send: submissions@hardmanswainson.com, not individual agents' email addresses. Nina Leon: uses QueryTracker only, submissions should go via https://QueryTracker.net/query/NinaLeon

Other agents at Hardman & Swainson

Caroline Hardman
Hardman & Swainson
Caroline co-founded Hardman & Swainson and represents a growing list of critically-praised, up-and-coming and bestselling authors. Caroline was previously an agent at the Christopher Little Literary Agency and The Marsh Agency, specialising in translation rights. Caroline has a strong understanding of global trade publishing. Caroline studied English Literature at the University of Leeds, gaining a first class BA and an MA with distinction.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Crime · Current Affairs · Health & Wellness · Historical Fiction +6 more
Open (conditions apply)
Last checked 15 days ago
Joanna Swainson
Hardman & Swainson
Joanna is a co-founder of Hardman & Swainson and represents both fiction and non-fiction. She trained as a reader and in-house editor for Christopher Little, where she met Caroline. Before that she ran a copywriting and editing business after studying French.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Crime · Fantasy · Historical Fiction +7 more
Open
Last checked 15 days ago
Nina Leon
Hardman & Swainson
Nina is an agent at Hardman & Swainson, representing authors across a broad range of genres, with a particular focus on romantasy, young adult, upmarket and contemporary romance.
Genres:Contemporary Fiction · Romance · Romantic Fantasy · Young Adult
Open
Last checked 15 days ago

Also open to women's fiction right now

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Laura Bennett
The Liverpool Literary Agency
Laura is an associate literary agent at the Liverpool Literary Agency. She studied Writing at Liverpool John Moores University, gaining a BA and later an MA, after an early career in teaching that included working with young adults with special needs and in further education. She moved into editing after her teaching career and also works as a freelance writer, having written for a video game and several roleplaying games.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Cosy Mystery · Crime · Fantasy +12 more
Open
Last checked today
Clare Coombes
The Liverpool Literary Agency
Clare heads the Liverpool Literary Agency, which she set up in 2020 to address inequality and underrepresentation in publishing. She has more than 20 years' experience of writing and editing professionally, and has published two novels. She has a background in PR and marketing, and has taught on creative writing programmes, giving her experience in pitching and promoting writers.
Genres:Crime · Historical Fiction · Psychological Suspense · Thriller · Women's Fiction
Open
Last checked today
Sarah Harvey
CAA Publishing
Sarah is a literary agent at CAA who builds a list of commercial to reading-group fiction and commercial non-fiction for the UK market. Sarah joined CAA in 2022, having previously worked at HarperCollins, Hachette, Pan Macmillan, The Curtis Brown Agency, and David Higham Associates. Their background is in translation rights, and they also represent US and translated authors in the UK.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Fantasy · Historical Fiction · Historical Non-Fiction +11 more
Open
Last checked today
Laurie Robertson
Peters Fraser + Dunlop
Laurie is a Literary Agent at Peters Fraser + Dunlop, representing books and journalism and actively building a list of adult fiction and non-fiction. She completed a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, worked in the sales team at Dorling Kindersley, and joined the agency in 2017, beginning her own list in 2020. On the fiction side she represents a range of genres alongside a smaller non-fiction list, and represents several Sunday Times bestselling authors whose work has been shortlisted for and won prizes including the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, the Jhalak Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award, the Dublin Literary Award, the Edge Hill Prize, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, and cookery awards from Fortnum & Mason and the Guild of Food Writers. She also looks after serialisation rights and journalism across the agency.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Food & Drink · Historical Fiction · Literary Fiction · Narrative Non-Fiction +3 more
Open
Last checked yesterday
Sarah Hornsley
Peters Fraser + Dunlop
Sarah is a literary agent, actively building a list of adult fiction and non-fiction. After graduating from Durham University, she worked at the Orion publishing house and then briefly in script development before becoming an agent in 2015. She has since built an award-winning list that includes Sunday Times bestselling authors, and in 2019 was named a Rising Star by the Bookseller.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Historical Fiction · Psychological Suspense · Romance +2 more
Open
Last checked yesterday
Hannah Schofield
LBA Books
Hannah is a literary agent at LBA Books, representing commercial and book club fiction, and select non-fiction. She joined LBA in 2018. She previously worked for a literary scout and in translation rights. Hannah grew up in Luxembourg, giving her an international perspective on the publishing market.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Fantasy · Historical Fiction · Historical Non-Fiction +10 more
Open
Last checked yesterday