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Agents Specialising in Current Affairs

36 Great Smith Street

London, SW1P 3BU
United Kingdom

Director

  • Andrew Lownie

Full-length MSS. Biography, history, reference, current affairs, and packaging journalists and celebrities for the book market (worldwide 15%).

Submission Guidelines:

  • 1 page mini-synopsis highlighting with bullet points what makes the book new and special
  • 1 page cv
  • 1 page with a few lines on the five most recent competing and comparable books giving author, title, publisher and date of publication together with a note on how the books relate to the author's own book
  • 1 page on sources used
  • 1 page on any specialist marketing outlets such as websites, organisations or magazines
  • 1 page synopsis per chapter
  • A sample chapter and, if appropriate, some photographs

No reading fee; will suggest a revision.

Authors include Juliet Barker, the Joyce Cary Estate, Tom Devine, Duncan Falconer, Jonathan Fryer, Laurence Gardner, Cathy Glass, Timothy Good, David Hasselhoff, Lawrence James, Damien Lewis, Julian Maclaren-Ross Estate, Norma Major, Nick Pope, Martin Pugh, Desmond Seward, David Stafford, Daniel Tammet; The Oxford Classical Dictionary , The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English .

Founded 1988.

Association of Authors' AgentsThe association of UK agents. Their website (http://www.agentsassoc.co.uk/index.html) gives a Directory of Members and a code of practice, but no information about the agencies other than their names. The association refers visitors to the UK agent listings from The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook on the WritersServices site.

lownie@globalnet.co.uk
020-7222 7574
020-7222 7576

3 Askew Road

London, W12 9AA
United Kingdom

Contact

  • Lisa Moylett

Commercial and literary fiction and non-fiction (home 15%, overseas 15%, film/TV 15%). Fiction: thrillers, crime/mystery; women's literary and contemporary. Non-fiction: biography; history and current affairs.

Send synopsis, first 3 chapters and sae (essential). No disk or email submissions. No reading fee.

Works with foreign agents.

Coombs Moylett Literary Agency website
020-8740 0454
020-8354 3065

London,
United Kingdom

Contact

  • Diane Banks

Commercial literary agency based in central London representing commercial fiction and personality-led, media or current affairs based non-fiction in the UK, US and foreign language markets.

Handles rights in the majority of territories directly rather than via sub-agents, ensuring career development with publishers worldwide including film and TV rights.

Founded in 2006

No poetry, children's, academic books, plays, scripts or short stories. Initial approach by email only.

Send brief CV, synopsis and sample chapters as Word or PDF attachments. Aim to give initial response within 2 weeks.

No reading fee.

submissions@dianebanks.co.uk
info@dianebanks.co.uk

15 Penn House
Mallory Street
London, NW8 8SX
United Kingdom

Specialises in fiction (no science fiction, horror or fantasy), biography, autobiography, show business, personality books, law, crime, politics, world affairs. Full-length MSS (home from 10%, overseas from 15%).

Will suggest revision. No reading fee, but preliminary letter essential.

Jeffrey Simmons website
jasimmons@btconnect.com
020-7224 8917

Clerkenwell House
45-47 Clerkenwell Green
London, EC1R 0HT
United Kingdom

Contacts

  • Michael Alcock
  • Andrew Hewson
  • Anna Power
  • Merel Reinink

Main Contact

  • Anna Power

Literary and commercial fiction, children's fiction; general non-fiction including current affairs, biography and memoirs, history, lifestyle, health and personal development; film and music, graphic novels.

Children's fiction and non-fiction; ages 9-12, teenage fiction, young adult, series fiction.

Also accept adult fiction and non-fiction.

No short stories, poetry or picturebooks.

If you would like the agency to consider representing you for your work, contact them in the first instance by post at the address above. There is no need to phone the office in advance. Please note they do not accept or respond to email submissions.

For works of fiction they ask for a synopsis and three chapters, or approximately the first 50 pages of the novel. For non-fiction please supply a full outline and chapter breakdown along with at least 30 pages of the text. All submissions should be double spaced and on A4 paper.

Remember to include a covering letter with your biographical details and relevant experience, and a stamped addressed envelope either for the return of the manuscript or for a reply.

info@johnsonandalcock.co.uk
020-7251 0125

47 East 19th Street

New York, NY 10003
United States

Contact

  • Robert Lescher

No unsolicited MSS; query first with sase.

No reading fee. Founded 1966.

Fiction Genres

  • Commercial
  • Juvenile
  • Literary
  • Mystery/Suspense
  • Thriller

Nonfiction Genres

  • Autobiography/Biography
  • Cookbooks
  • Current Affairs
  • Food/Nutrition/Lifestyle
  • History
  • Memoirs
  • Politics
  • Popular Culture
  • Psychology

No unsolicited MSS; query first with sase, or email. No reading fee.

Lescher Lescher Ltd website
212-529-1790

50 Rannoch Road

London, SW6 9SR
United Kingdom

Proprietor

  • Robert Dudley

Specialises in history, biography, sport, management, politics, militaria, current affairs

No reading fee. Will suggest revision. All material sent at owner's risk. No MSS returned without sae.

Founded 2000.

info@robertdudleyagency.co.uk
+44 0 7879 426574

Ryman's Cottages

Little Tew, Oxfordshire OX7 4JJ
United Kingdom

Contact

  • Peter Buckman
  • Anne-Marie Doulton

Literary and commercial fiction and non-fiction. Contemporary and historical novels, crime, thrillers, women's fiction, memoirs, history and biography. No reading fee. Will suggest revision.

Submission Guidelines:

  • Send a covering email or letter and the first three chapters, plus a brief outline and biographical details.
  • Email submissions preferred. Send as Word file attachments. Please do not paste sample material into the body of your email. All pages should be numbered.
  • Postal submissions should be printed on one side of the paper, with a minimum font size of 11 point and 1.5 line spacing. All pages should be numbered.
  • Does not normally acknowledge receipt or offer advice on rejected material, nor will they respond unless you include an email address or an envelope with stamps that can be used in the UK.

Commission:

  • home 15%,
  • USA 15%-20%,
  • translation 20%

Enquiries by email to amd@theampersandagency.co.uk

Founded 2003.

amd@theampersandagency.co.uk
info@theampersandagency.co.uk
(01608) 683677
(01608) 683449

548 Broadway
Suite 5E
New York, NY 10012
United States

President Agent

  • Ethan Ellenberg

Fiction and non-fiction (home 15%, overseas 20%). Commercial fiction: thrillers, mysteries, children's, romance, women's, ethnic, science fiction, fantasy and general fiction; also literary fiction with a strong narrative. Non-fiction: current affairs, health, science, psychology, cookbooks, new age, spirituality, pop-culture, adventure, true crime, biography and memoir.

No scholarly works, poetry, short stories or screenplays.

Association of Authors' Representatives

The website of the American agents’ association (http://www.aar-online.org) offers a list of members, suggested points to raise with an agent who offers to represent you, and some further guidance on the author/agent relationship.

agent@ethanellenberg.com
212-431-4554

1 Petersfield

Cambridge, CB1 1BB
United Kingdom

Proprietor and Agent

  • Rachel Calder

Fiction: general, literary and crime. Non-fiction: current affairs, social issues, travel, biographies, history.

No plays, poetry, textbooks, children's, technical, legal or medical books.

Submitted work must be double-spaced, single-sided, numbered, typed or word processed with clear contact details. Do not send an SAE as all rejected material is recycled.

Translation rights handled by the Marsh Agency Ltd.

Film and TV rights handled by Sayle Screen Ltd.

Overseas associates Dunow & Carlson Agency, Darhansoff, Verrill and Feldman, Anne Edelstein Literary Agency, New England Publishing Associates, USA.

(01223) 303035
(01223) 301638

2 Twyford Place

Tiverton, Devon EX16 6AP
United Kingdom

Director

  • Peter Tallack

Serious popular non-fiction, particularly science, history and current affairs, by academics and journalists; also novels of ideas (home 15%, overseas 20%).

No reading fee. Will suggest revision.

Prefers submission via email. Send a message briefly describing your project specifying what your book is about, what's new, topical or unusual about it, why you decided to write the book, what's special about you as the author, and why your book will stand out once published. Include anything else about yourself or your project that will allow them to make a better decision about your project's publication prospects.

You may also email a proposal and sample chapter if you think these will give a better feel for your work – But please do not submit a completed manuscript or original artwork at this stage.

Email your initial query to info@sciencefactory.co.uk. In the subject line please include the word 'query' and the name of your project or your name. If you are attaching a file, please name the file with your name.

If you can't send by email, then please post the material to the address given on their Contact page. There's no need to phone first.

Authors include Anil Ananthaswamy, Jim Baggott, David Bainbridge, Piers Bizony, Dennis Bray, Ken Bray, Michael Brooks, Warwick Cairns, Rita Carter, Stuart Clark, Matthew Cobb, Donna Dickenson, Kevin Dutton, Christine Garwood, Simon Ings, Manjit Kumar, J.D. Marchant, Arthur I. Miller, Paul Parsons, Nicholas J. Saunders, P.D. Smith, Ian Stewart, Steve Taylor, Adam Zeman.

Established 2008.

info@sciencefactory.co.uk
020-7193 7296