alterean.

Ciara McEllin

Watson, Little Ltd

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

About

Ciara is an Associate Agent at Watson, Little, working across fiction and non-fiction.

She is building her list with writers she can work closely and considerately with to build a career. In fiction she reads widely across literary, upmarket and book club fiction, and in non-fiction she enjoys narrative, memoir and essay collections.

Genres

Literary FictionMemoirNarrative Non-FictionOther Non-FictionThriller

Looking for

  • 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
  • narrative, memoir and essay collections.

Not looking for

  • children's
  • young adult
  • fantasy

Agency submission guidelines

Submissions are accepted by email only, to submissions@watsonlittle.com; anything sent by post will not be read. Direct the submission to one agent only; do not submit to more than one agent at the agency at once (submissions may be shared internally if felt to be a better fit for another agent). The agency does not represent poetry or screenplays for film, television, radio or theatre, though if it takes on a book it represents all rights including dramatic rights for that book. No material that has been wholly or partially originated, written or edited by AI is accepted. For fiction: send a cover letter in the body of the email (covering genre, word count, one-line pitch, plot, background/experience, and comparable recent titles), plus a synopsis and a writing sample attached as Word documents. The sample should be approximately 10,000 words (or to the end of the nearest chapter) from the beginning of the book, as a single document. The synopsis should be a separate document outlining the plot or structure from beginning to end, including spoilers, written as a factual summary rather than a marketing blurb. For children's fiction under 20,000 words in total, send the full manuscript. For non-fiction: send a cover letter in the body of the email plus a proposal attached as a single Word 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 chapter of sample text, and a list of potential chapters with summaries. For graphic novels or self-illustrated children's books: send the material as a PDF. Include contact details, especially email address and phone number, and keep a copy of anything submitted, as the agency cannot be held responsible for loss of or damage to manuscripts, artwork or electronic media submitted. Simultaneous submission to multiple agencies is permitted, but the agency should be informed of any full manuscript requests or offers from other agents.

Links

Clients include

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

Other agents at Watson, Little Ltd