Peter founded The Ampersand Agency in 2003, representing fiction and non-fiction writers and several literary estates.
He was the youngest member of the editorial board of Penguin Books before moving to New York as a commissioning editor with the New American Library. He later worked as a full-time writer, producing books, films, plays, journalism and scripts for television and radio. He loves a good story, whether fiction or non-fiction, peopled by credible characters and told in a distinctive voice.
The agency welcomes fiction and non-fiction submissions in specific genres and asks writers to check the About page to find the most appropriate agent. Genres: Fiction covers contemporary and historical novels, literary, crime, thrillers, fantasy and science fiction. Non-fiction covers current affairs, history and popular science. Poetry, self-help books and stories for young children are not handled. Scripts for TV and film are not handled, other than for existing book clients. Material by unpublished American authors based in the USA is not considered. What to send: the first three chapters or approximately 50 pages of the book, together with a brief synopsis and some biographical details about the author. Illustrations or sample cover designs should not be included. Format: digital submissions are preferred. If emailing, chapters and synopsis should be attached as Word documents, not as PDFs, rather than pasted into the email body, since pasted text of excessive length may cause the submission to be rejected by the server. Submissions should not be sent via WeTransfer, Dropbox or similar services, as such file transfer requests are automatically deleted without being read. Printed submissions: printed material can be sent to the Registered Address, but a response will only be given if a stamped addressed envelope (using UK stamps) is included. Where to send: if unsure which agent to approach, submissions can be sent to submissions@theampersandagency.co.uk. The agency does not normally offer feedback on rejected material.
Anne-Marie is a literary agent at The Ampersand Agency, with particular interests in literary fiction, narrative non-fiction and thrillers and mysteries. She has been an agent for over ten years and is based in London. Before joining Ampersand, she worked as a commissioning editor for general publishers and as a literary scout.
Genres:Current Affairs · Literary Fiction · Mystery · Narrative Non-Fiction · Thriller
Jamie is a literary agent at The Ampersand Agency, representing commercial fiction and sport-related non-fiction. He has worked in publishing for 20 years. Before joining Ampersand in 2013 he was a commissioning editor at HarperCollins, and prior to that he worked in legal and contracts departments at HarperCollins and the Hachette Group.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Crime · Fantasy · Horror · Science Fiction +2 more
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
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
Karolina is known for launching successful debuts in literary and upmarket commercial fiction, as well as shepherding long-term literary careers. She works across literary fiction, crime and psychological suspense, historical fiction, serious non-fiction and memoir, and remains open to new voices, including traditional storytellers and those challenging form and convention. She has worked with many admired novelists, journalists, academics and public figures, including winners of the Booker Prize, the Nobel Peace Prize and the Baillie Gifford Prize. In 2020, she was named Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Crime · Historical Fiction · Literary Fiction +3 more
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
Adam heads the books division at PFD and represents a wide range of prize-winning and bestselling authors, among them Sunday Times and New York Times names. He joined the company in 2010, after completing a Masters in English Literature at King's College London. The Bookseller named him its Shooting Star in 2017.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Crime · Historical Fiction · Historical Non-Fiction · Memoir +5 more
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
