How to Hook an Agent - May 2025

Rachel Neely began her publishing career in 2016 at HarperCollins, before moving to Hachette where she worked as an editor for the next six years, most recently as a Commissioning Editor, specialising in crime and thrillers along with reading group novels.

Rachel joined Mushens Entertainment in early 2022 as an Associate Agent, assisting Juliet Mushens with her client list, which contains multiple Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling authors. Simultaneously, Rachel started building her own list of authors.

In August 2023 she was promoted to Literary Agent after securing a series of six-figure deals for her clients, and after covering Juliet’s maternity leave. In 2024 Rachel was named one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars.

Rachel is actively growing her list.

Rachel is looking for: Crime, thrillers, fantasy, dark academia, horror, book club fiction, tragic love stories and anything high-concept regardless of genre.

Rachel is not looking for: Children’s, YA, women’s fiction, rom-coms, uplit, romantic suspense or science fiction.

Her favourite novels include: The Girls, The Hunting Party, Nightbitch, The Talented Mr Ripley, The Secret History, How to Kill Your Family, The Lovely Bones, The List, Other People’s Clothes, The It Girl, The Girl Before, Notes on an Execution, Fourth Wing, City of Brass, My Dark Vanessa, and My Sister the Serial Killer.

Rachel would love to see: novels about cults, novels about cannibalism in the vein of The Lamb, horror with shades of Yellowjackets, a commercial locked-room thriller in the vein of The Hunting Party or with shades of Succession, compelling dark academia to rival Donna Tartt, anything that could be compared to Sharp Objects, a tragic love story that will make me ugly cry, and anything that has an outsider trying to break into the world of the privileged and morally bankrupt.

Rachel says . . . ‘Whether commercial or literary, or something in between, I want authors who can match a distinctive voice with an equally compelling plot. I generally prefer darker stories; my favourite books often centre characters with tragic fates, dark pasts or buried trauma. I would also particularly like to find authors from underrepresented groups, who bring a fresh perspective to well-worn story arcs or reflect experiences that are shared by many but, as of yet, under-explored in fiction.’

I started at Greene & Heaton as an agent in 2018, having worked at PFD from 2011 after studying Classics at Oxford. I have a broad list across different genres of fiction, alongside a smaller non-fiction and children’s book list, and I’m always looking for new and exciting projects.

Laura's Manuscript Wishlist

I love working on literary fiction and upmarket commercial fiction, of all different kinds, and I'm always on the lookout for meditative or moving novels about modern life. I prefer warmth and heart to coldness or ennui, although I love novels with a bit of bite and sharpness to them. Recently I loved WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS by Katherine Newman and SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan - both desperately sad stories, but with love and the importance of caring for each other shining through. One of my favourite novels of last year was THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach, which tackles big and difficult themes but is one of the most genuinely life-affirming books I've read. I love stories about female friendships or conversely groups of women who don't get on, such as the hugely fun BAD SUMMER PEOPLE by Emma Rosenblum. I am always looking for historical and period fiction which sheds light on untold stories, like the fantastic IN MEMORIAM by Alice Winn, or historical mysteries or ambitious cross-centuries narratives, like RED AT THE BONE by Jacqueline Woodson or NORTH WOODS by Daniel Mason, both brilliantly ambitious in scope and structure.

I'm also always on the lookout for a high concept love story that will sweep me away and make me cry happy or sad tears - recently I have adored TALKING AT NIGHT by Claire Daverley, ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld, and of course THE PAPER PALACE by Miranda Cowley Heller. At the more commercial end of fiction, I love funny novels with warmth and romantic comedies with a bit of depth. I think I’ve probably read every book by the masterful Marian Keyes. I love feeling feelings - give me your well-worn beloved romantic tropes with a fresh angle and gorgeous writing, like SLOW DANCE by Rainbow Rowell.

I’m keen on darkness and a claustrophobic feel in novels, from gothic to horror to murder mysteries to ghost stories to psychological thrillers to speculative/magical realist fiction to novels that feel like true crime, or intense and emotional narratives about dark things, and I think being truly scared by a story is one of the most difficult things a writer can achieve. I love weird and wonderful stories with unexpected twists, I love being amazed by an author’s imagination, but I also love brilliantly plotted conventional murder mysteries or procedurals, as long as there’s something fresh and exciting about it. Recent favourites with a dark bent include HOW TO KILL YOUR FAMILY by Bella Mackie, MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite, THE WARM HANDS OF GHOSTS by Katherine Arden, and everything by Catriona Ward and Tom Hindle.

Most of all I’m looking for novels I haven’t read before – something unusual structurally or thematically, something that shines a light on a subject the author is passionate about, something that’ll break my heart or raise my blood in an entirely new way. I don’t want protagonists in novels to hold a mirror up to my own life, I want them to show me an open door into theirs. I’m always looking to promote diverse voices from across the globe, and I’m particularly keen on LGBTQI+ stories.

Some of my other favourite novelists, the ones whose new books I’ve always got on pre-order, are Lauren Groff, Ned Beauman, Patrick deWitt, Sarah Winman, Sjon, Attica Locke, Elizabeth Strout, Megan Abbott, Leila Slimani, Rene Denfeld, Sarah Moss, and Colson Whitehead.

I also have a very small list of young adult and middle grade fiction, which I love working on. I’m looking for something that feels current and contemporary, with a real conversation at its core. I’m not currently looking for fantasy, or anything younger than middle grade.

On the non-fiction side, I love working on memoirs of extraordinary people, or narrative non-fiction about something the author feels passionately about. I’ve worked on many books about mental health, and I’m interested in untold stories across popular science, history and popular culture. I’d also really like to find a brilliant true crime book. Cookery, wellness and lifestyle would be a better fit for one of my brilliant colleagues.

Laura Heathfield studied law at university and spent over 20 years with Virgin Atlantic which allowed her to indulge her passion for reading whilst travelling.

On deciding to pursue a career in publishing, Laura joined the Darley Anderson Agency where she worked across the Women’s Fiction list, reading submissions, handling contracts and supporting authors on their path to publication and beyond.

She co-founded Greenstone Literary with Tanera Simons in 2024 and is excited to build a list of authors.

Laura says, "I am looking for commercial crime, thriller, suspense, bookclub, historical and romance fiction as well as select non-fiction.

Above everything I want to be entertained. I’m looking for a book you can’t wait to talk to someone about, in the same way as a new film or the latest release on Netflix. A book that engrosses me from the first page to the last, desperate for someone I know to read so we can discuss as soon as possible.

It will always be an original hook that draws me in, a whole concept that can be summed up in one line that immediately stops me in my tracks and makes me think.

Character and voice is also crucial. I’m a huge fan of Mick Herron’s Jackson Lamb, Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club cast and Lynda La Plante’s Jane Tennison. I’d really love to see more strong, memorable women in crime. In bookclub fiction, voices that have stayed with me are Adduni in The Girl With The Louding Voice, Cyril in The Heart’s Invisible Furies and Molly in The Maid. Recently, Kitty in How To Kill Men and Get Away With It had me secretly rooting for her serial killer antics.

I love to be engrossed by a pacy, twisty, surprising plot. It doesn’t need to be overly complex – sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. I want to be thrown curveballs I never saw coming and be kept guessing until the last page. Books I have devoured are Nightwatching, The Housemaid, The Last Mrs Parrish, Fourth Wing, None of This is True and American Dirt.

Books that play with genre also capture me. Novels such as Wrong Place, Wrong Time which combined a crime mystery and the story of a mother’s love with a speculative element and The Time Traveller’s Wife, a high-concept love story which crossed time and age.

I am a huge fan of true crime and would love to read a fiction version of podcasts I’ve been gripped by. I really enjoy cold cases being reopened as a result of new evidence or technology which exposes past injustices such as on Bone Valley, In The Dark or Who Killed Emma? I’m particularly drawn to stories of deep deception or ‘scams’ such as those by Anna Delvey or Coco Berthmann, Tinder Swindler or Fyre Festival. I’m always intrigued by anything involving investigation into cults, such as in BBC Sound’s World of Secrets.

I also love nothing more than sobbing my heart out over a book and being left emotionally wrung-out! Whether it be a devastating historical tragedy or star-crossed lovers torn apart by destiny. Books that have broken my heart include The Bridges of Madison County, The Kite Runner, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Birdsong, My Sister’s Keeper, Cilka’s Journey and Four Winds.

In non-fiction, I’m looking for an untold story or perspective or an unexplored area where you have expertise or real-life experience. As a reader of non-fiction I want to be  engaged in a relatable, accessible way. I loved the evocative settings and personal journeys in The Salt Path and The Wild Other. The laugh-out-loud More Than A Woman had me ordering this for many friends. Three Women and Educated are brilliant examples of non-fiction books that read like fiction. The awe-inspiring Do No Harm stayed with me long after reading. 

I am not looking for poetry, novellas, short story collections, screenplays, children’s or middle-grade books."

Sarah Such founded Sarah Such Literary Agency in 2007. Her previous roles have included Publicity and Marketing Manager at Chatto & Windus, Publicity Director at Penguin Books UK, Commissioning Editor at 4th Estate, Senior Editor at Hodder & Stoughton and Editorial Director at Duckworth. She has been shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards three times. Sarah was a judge for Mslexia’s 2017 first novel competition and the London Short Story competition 2018. She was a panellist on the Royal Society of Literature’s 2023 Careers in Literature event with King’s College London. She is author of What A Literary Agent Can Do For you in the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2025. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @sarahsuch, @sarahsuch.bsky.social, Instagram: sarahsuch1 and at https://sarahsuchliteraryagency.tumblr.com

Sarah says, "I specifically look for outstanding writers with distinct and original voices, with a strong focus on debut novels, biography, memoir, popular culture, and non-fiction writers who are outstanding in their field. Original crime fiction that plays with form is of particular interest currently including thrillers and modern cosy which dazzle, as well as high quality romance, romantasy, speculative fiction and sweeping literary extravaganzas. I’ve long been looking for a big novel or series set in the North or Northeast. I’d also love to find a novel that really made me laugh. My list of authors is wide-ranging and varied across literary and commercial fiction and non-fiction, Y/A and children’s. It includes award-winners and bestsellers, such as Jeffrey Boakye, Anne Charnock, Antony Johnston, Vina Jackson, Liliane Lijn, Vesna Maric, Caroline Sanderson, Nikhil Singh, Mike Wendling, Tony White, as well as debut writers such as Hazell Ward and Sabrina Pace-Humphreys. They are representative of my own very broad reading tastes and publishing experience in both literary and commercial publishing. I work by recommendation but am always looking for projects that excite me as a reader, whether because of its difference and the quality of the writing or telling, or a subject matter that has not been written about. I also specialise in working with debut authors at the start of their career as well as authors who wish to write across both fiction and non-fiction or adult and children’s books, helping shape and build their careers long term."