James is Managing Director at Watson, Little and looks after a dynamic and wide-ranging list of writers.
He has a BA in English and Italian and an MA in 20th Century Literature from the University of Leeds. He is a former Secretary of the Association of Authors' Agents. James is passionate about reading and good writing.
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.
Does not accept any material that has been wholly or partially originated, written or edited by AI.
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.
Genres:Contemporary Fiction · Food & Drink · Literary Fiction · Memoir · Narrative Non-Fiction +1 more
Donald is a literary agent at Watson, Little, representing non-fiction and fiction for adults. He began his career at Penguin Press before working for five years at A P Watt, building a list of non-fiction and fiction authors. He joined Watson, Little as an agent in 2013. Donald now splits his time between Scotland and London.
Genres:Business · Commercial Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Crime · Current Affairs +8 more
Gabrielle is a literary agent and Foreign Rights Manager at Watson, Little. Gabrielle joined the agency in 2024, after six years working as a literary scout. Gabrielle heads up the foreign rights department, helping Watson, Little authors find publishers around the world, and is building their own list of authors focused on literary and upmarket fiction, select thrillers and nonfiction.
Genres:Business · Food & Drink · Historical Fiction · Historical Non-Fiction · Horror +7 more
Hannah is a literary and book-to-screen agent at Watson, Little. She joined the agency in 2024 after four years as an agent at Northbank Talent Management and a year at Penguin Random House UK. She is building a varied list of quality commercial and upmarket fiction and non-fiction, and authors she has represented have been listed for prizes including the Women's Prize and the British Book Awards. She also represents book-to-screen rights for the agency and stays closely connected with the international film and TV industry.
Genres:Contemporary Fiction · Crime · Food & Drink · Health & Wellness · Historical Fiction +7 more
Laetitia is a literary agent at Watson, Little, representing literary and upmarket fiction and non-fiction, including lifestyle and wellbeing. She has worked as an agent for fifteen years, representing award-winning writers such as Chris Cleave, Rana Dasgupta, Xiaolu Guo and Evie Wyld. Over her decade at Watson, Little, she has built a successful crime fiction list including Jenny Blackhurst, Alex Marwood and Ajay Chowdhury.
Genres:Health & Wellness · Historical Fiction · Literary Fiction · Self-Help
Megan is a literary agent at Watson, Little. She graduated from Goldsmiths with a BA in English and American Literature in 2013. She has worked at the agency since 2014, first as an assistant and now as a Literary Agent.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Fantasy · Horror · Middle Grade +4 more
Rachel is a literary agent at Mushens Entertainment, representing both literary and commercial fiction with a preference for darker stories. She began her publishing career at HarperCollins before working as an editor at Hachette for six years, most recently as a Commissioning Editor at Orion. She joined Mushens Entertainment in 2022 and became a Literary Agent in 2023 after covering Juliet Mushens' maternity leave.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Crime · Fantasy · Horror +7 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
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
Alice is a Literary Agent at Peters Fraser + Dunlop, working primarily on the children's list. After an MA in Publishing from UAL she spent five years as a scout at London Literary Scouting, specialising in children's, young adult and science fiction and fantasy across all ages and working with publishers and media companies around the world. She joined the agency in 2026 from Felicity Bryan Associates, where she was a literary agent. Alongside building her own list she sells foreign rights in the agency's children's and young adult titles across many territories.
Genres:Children's Books · Fantasy · Horror · Middle Grade · Mystery +5 more
John is a genre-fiction Literary Agent at Peters Fraser + Dunlop, specialising in fantasy, science fiction, horror, and commercial crime and thriller for adult and young adult readers. His authors have won the Future Worlds Prize and the Imagined Futures Prize and been shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize, the British Science Fiction Association and British Fantasy awards, the Shirley Jackson Awards and the Bram Stoker Awards, with titles on the Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller charts and work adapted for global cinema by Oscar-winning collaborators.
Genres:Crime · Fantasy · Horror · Science Fiction · Thriller +1 more
Kieron joined PFD in 2021 as assistant to chief executive Caroline Michel, and is now an associate agent. He took a BA and MA in English literature at Northumbria University, followed by a PhD from the same university in 2020, with a thesis on psychogeography, mapping and the city in the work of Jean Rhys and Djuna Barnes.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Historical Non-Fiction · Horror · Literary Fiction · Narrative Non-Fiction +3 more
