Ciara McEllin

Watson, Little Ltd

Submission status
Open
Submission route
Email
Response time
Aims to reply within 6 weeks
Last checked
8 days ago

About

Ciara is an Associate Agent at Watson, Little, building her list with writers of fiction and non-fiction.

She reads widely across literary, upmarket and book club fiction, and enjoys narrative, memoir and essay collections in non-fiction. She looks for voices that remain underrepresented in the publishing industry.

Looking for

  • literary, upmarket and book club fiction
  • novels that examine family and relationship dynamics, sexuality, identity, and vulnerability
  • beautifully written novels with a strong sense of place, tangible characters and an essence that stays with you, living deep in your bones, long after you've finished reading
  • narrative, memoir and essay collections
  • experts, academics, critics and journalists writing about society and culture
  • writers seeking to revise, reshape or revolutionise the conversation in their area of expertise
  • cookbook and food writing, particularly for someone who can work across both these forms
  • stories that explore polyamory, ethical non-monogamy and other sexual boundaries not often represented in literature, especially if the approach is compassionate, thrillingly original or deeply funny such as Detransition Baby by Torrey Peters, Mrs S. by K. Patrick and Bellies by Nicola Dinan
  • epic storytelling that breaks you and then makes you whole again in the vein of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
  • an intelligent and enthralling romantic-comedy that you want to place into the hands of everyone you know, think The Wedding People by Alison Espach, Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld or When Harry Met Sally
  • relationship drama, whether it be warm and wise, like the fiction of Laurie Colwin, or tender and vulnerable like, Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson or The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride
  • an intoxicating coming-of-age tale that captures the aliveness, intelligence and wildness of girlhood like Brutes by Dizz Tate, The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides and The Girls by Emma Cline
  • books that are intimate and bruising, similar to Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel, Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Not looking for

  • children's
  • young adult
  • fantasy

Clients include

  • Stephen Doyle
  • Gary Finnegan
  • Kelly Frost
  • Sarah Jones
  • Jennifer Mullen
  • Lishani Ramanayake
  • Lana St. James-Kautny

Agency submission guidelines

Submissions are accepted by email only, to submissions@watsonlittle.com. Submissions sent by post will not be read. Submissions should be directed to one agent only, not sent to more than one agent at the agency at once. The agency shares submissions internally and may pass work to a better-suited agent. Cover letter: include a synopsis and writing sample attached as Word documents for fiction, or a proposal for non-fiction, with the cover letter in the body of the email. For a graphic novel or a self-illustrated children's book, send the material as a PDF. The cover letter should briefly describe the novel or proposal, including genre, word count and a one-line pitch, followed by a paragraph or two about the plot. It should also cover the writer's background, any writing experience or previous publications, and mention a couple of recently published comparable titles. Fiction: send approximately 10,000 words (or to the end of the nearest chapter) from the beginning of the book as a single attached document, plus a separate synopsis outlining the plot or structure from beginning to end, including spoilers, written as a factual summary rather than a marketing blurb. Children's fiction: where the total word count is under 20,000 words, send the full manuscript. Non-fiction: send a proposal as a single attached document addressing the subject of the book and why it needs to be published now, the writer's background and credentials, comparable previously published books, a sample chapter, and a list of potential chapters with summaries. What not to submit: poetry or screenplays for film, television, radio or theatre are not represented. Material wholly or partially originated, written or edited by AI is not accepted. Writers may submit to multiple agencies at once, but should inform the agency of any full manuscript requests or offers from other agents. Keep a copy of anything submitted, and do not send original artwork.

Agency AI policy

Does not accept any material that has been wholly or partially originated, written or edited by AI.

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