Joanna Swainson
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission route
- Response time
- Assume no reply = no after 8 weeks
- Last checked
- 8 days ago
About
Joanna co-founded Hardman & Swainson with Caroline.
She previously worked as a reader and in-house editor for Christopher Little, where the two met, having earlier freelanced for several London literary agencies after a degree in French. She enjoys the editorial side of agenting and has a lifelong love of reading, from Agatha Christie to Charles Dickens.
Genres
Looking for
- complex, larger-than-life characters, characters they can root for and who can give them insights into worlds and situations unfamiliar to them
- atmosphere and novels where the setting is almost a character in itself
- earthy stories
- crime and thrillers at both ends of the commercial / literary spectrum
- a big thriller like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- a good ghost story and accessible speculative fiction
- a bit of horror, especially folk horror
- originality and distinctive voices
- fiction threaded with humour
- narrative non-fiction, especially history (and prehistory)
- a memoir
- nature writing, writing which evokes the landscape
- folklore
Agency submission guidelines
Writers are asked to pick and submit to one agent only. For Fiction: Send a short covering email, and attach a one-page synopsis as well as the full manuscript. Please name your chosen agent in your cover email and send to submissions@hardmanswainson.com and not to individual email addresses. NB: Nina Leon uses QueryTracker only, so please submit to her via QueryTracker.net/query/NinaLeon. For Non-Fiction: Send a covering email outlining your book, why it has a place on the bookshelf and why you are qualified to write it, along with a proposal and a sample chapter or the whole work, if it is completed. Include the sample material along with the query as an attachment. Please name your chosen agent in your cover email and send to submissions@hardmanswainson.com and not to individual email addresses. Please note that the agency does not represent TV/film scripts or poetry. Please note Caroline Hardman is currently closed to submissions; she will reopen from the 1st September to 16th October.
Other agents at Hardman & Swainson
Caroline Hardman
Caroline co-founded Hardman & Swainson. She was previously an agent at the Christopher Little Literary Agency and The Marsh Agency, where she specialised in translation rights. She has an excellent understanding of global trade publishing and has sold rights on behalf of many renowned writers.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Crime · Current Affairs · Health & Wellness · Historical Fiction +6 more
Closed (conditions apply)Last checked 4 days ago
Hannah Ferguson
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 seven years before becoming an agent and selling her first author. She joined Hardman & Swainson in 2014.
Genres:Crime · Narrative Non-Fiction · Thriller · Women's Fiction
OpenLast checked 8 days ago
Nina Leon
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
OpenLast checked 8 days ago