Donald Winchester

About

Donald is a literary agent at Watson, Little, representing non-fiction and fiction for adults.

He studied English Literature and History at Queen Mary, University of London and University College London. He began his publishing career at Penguin Press before moving to A P Watt, where he worked for five years and began building a list of non-fiction and fiction. He joined Watson, Little as an agent in 2013.

Genres

Commercial FictionHistorical (Non-Fiction)Literary FictionMemoirOther Non-FictionSelf-HelpSportsTrue Crime

Looking for

non-fiction
history
popular science
social issues
nature
money and life management
music
sport
film and technology
well-written memoir
literary fiction which maintains a high level of prose, pushes boundaries of style, while retaining emotional heart and a sense of plot
well-written commercial fiction, particularly debut authors
upmarket fiction which builds a fully-formed plot with a satisfying emotional arc, whether historical or contemporary
mixing of tropes from genre fiction

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.