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Kerry-Ann Bentley

KAB Literary

What they represent

Commercial Fiction, Crime, Current Affairs, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Middle Grade, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Submission status
Closed
Submission route
Email
Response time
Assume no reply = no after 20 weeks
Last checked

About

Kerry-Ann is a literary agent at KAB Literary, which she founded in 2025, representing commercial and book club fiction, non-fiction and a select children's list.

She began as an intern at Janklow & Nesbit, joining full time in 2020 across its New York and London offices, and became an agent at The Good Literary Agency in 2023, where she built a list of writers from under-represented backgrounds. KAB Literary was named a Bookseller Rising Star in 2025.

What they represent

Commercial Fiction, Crime, Current Affairs, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Middle Grade, Romance, Thriller, Women's Fiction, Young Adult

Looking for

  • commercial, general and book club fiction with strong hooks, high stakes, lovable characters and humour
  • books that tackle contemporary issues from unexpected angles
  • commercial and literary fiction with a distinctive voice, exploring race, class, gender, queerness, family dynamics, love, sex, culture and nation
  • sweeping romantic epics spanning decades and continents
  • multi-generational family sagas from global perspectives
  • high-concept crime and thrillers with strong narrative structure
  • contemporary settings with magical realism, science fiction, fantasy or supernatural elements
  • stories that play with time, such as time slips, sliding doors and multiverses
  • women's fiction with dark, complex and sometimes dangerous protagonists
  • literary confessions exploring the pitfalls of modern womanhood
  • adventure, magic, mystery and big-hearted stories about adolescence for readers aged 7 to young adult
  • memoir and non-fiction by journalists, critics and academics on modern issues and pop culture
  • sex and relationships, mental health, neuroscience, art, lifestyle, history and current affairs
  • accessible, fun books on astrology and tarot

Not looking for

  • high fantasy
  • hard science fiction

Links

Clients include

Alex Wheatle, Dominique Palmer

Agency submission guidelines

KAB Literary is currently closed to submissions. When open: email submissions@kabliterary.com with "KABL Submission", your name and the book title in the subject line. What to send: a covering letter, a one-page synopsis, and the first chapter of a novel or children's book, or the full proposal for non-fiction, as a Word document in 12pt, double-spaced and paginated. Worth knowing: the agency represents adult fiction and non-fiction and a select list of children's authors, and specialises in undiscovered debut writers. If you have not heard within 20 weeks, it is not taking your manuscript forward.

Also open to women's fiction right now

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