Authors

sussie anie

Sussie Anie is a British-Ghanaian writer, based in south London. Her first novel, To Fill a Yellow House, will be published by Orion in July 2022.

Sussie holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she was a recipient of the 2018-19 Kowitz Scholarship. Her writing has been published in Lolwe, and shortlisted for the White Review Short Story Prize 2020.

One to one mentoring and feedback have been invaluable for Sussie on her journey so far. As well as being keen to support with general motivation, Sussie is excited to work with writers who are exploring and developing their ideas, preparing manuscripts for submission, and navigating the publishing process. Sussie reads widely but is particularly interested in literary fiction and magical realism. She is also interested in working with writers of short fiction.

JESSIE BURTON

I’m the author of three novels, the Sunday Times #1 and New York Times bestsellers The Miniaturist (2014), The Muse (2016), published in 38 languages, and The Confession, which published in September 2019 and became an immediate Sunday Times bestseller. The Miniaturist went on to sell over a million copies in its year of publication, it was the UK’s Christmas no.1, National Book Awards Book of the Year, Debut of the Year, and Waterstones Book of the Year. As a non-fiction writer, I’ve written essays and reviews for The New York Times, Harpers Bazaar UK, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, Vogue, Elle, Red, Grazia, Lonely Planet Traveller and The Spectator. Harpers Bazaar US and Stylist have published my short stories. I also love to write for children, and my first children’s book, The Restless Girls, was published in September 2018, with Medusa to follow in 2021.

The personal bit: I was born in south London in 1982, and I still live there. Throughout my twenties, in between trying to make it as an actor, I worked as a PA, writing my first novel on my lunchbreaks and the commuter train home. I didn’t know anyone in the publishing industry, and my agent found my manuscript on her slush pile after I spent a year being rejected by other agents. I am keen to meet a writer working on their first novel, preferably an historical or literary novel, as that’s where I feel my own strengths lie. I’m happy to meet you online once a month for four months, and to be there to answer your questions on everything from your particular writing craft issues, motivation techniques, general confidence-boosting chats, how to hone and submit your novel to agents, to how the publishing industry in general works.

Jessie is currently closed for new submissions.

SAARA EL-ARIFI

Saara El-Arifi's debut The Final Strife, the first novel in an African-inspired epic fantasy trilogy, was sold in a six-figure auction in the UK and in a six-figure pre-empt in the US. The Final Strife is due for publication in Summer 2022 from Del Ray (US) and Harper Voyager (UK).

Saara's heritage has always been intrinsically linked to the themes of her stories. She was raised by a Ghanaian/British mother and a Sudanese/Arab father. When she was reaching her formative years her family moved from the Middle East to a village outside of Sheffield, Yorkshire. This change of climate had a significant impact on her growth—not physically, she’s nearly 6ft—and she learned what it was to be Black in a white world.

Saara specialises in SFF, but can give guidance within other genres. See what her previous mentee had to say about the experience with Black Girl Writers here.
Website: www.saaraelarifi.com
Twitter: @saaraelarifi
Instagram: @saaraelarifi

Saara’s mentoring slots are now full, so she is currently closed for new submissions.

KIRSTY GREENWOOD

I'm the author of three romantic comedy books both indie and traditionally published in multiple languages. Previously the founding editor of Novelicious.com and a commercial fiction commissioning editor at Bookouture, I was named as a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016 and have sold over 200,000 books.

I specialise in romantic comedy and would be excited to work with a writer in that genre, answering questions about writing and the publishing industry, how to query agents and editors, the pros and cons of indie and traditional publishing or even just giving pep talks and general help with motivation. I would prefer to work with someone who has a completed first draft, however messy it is! I look forward to hearing from you.

CESCA MAJOR

Cesca writes commercial fiction under different names. She writes thrillers as C.D.Major and uplifting, feel-good reads as Rosie Blake. Her books have been reviewed by The Times, The Sun, Woman and Home, Heat Magazine and more. She teaches creative writing at the Henley School of Art and her website (www.cdmajor.com) contains plenty of vlogs on the writing process. She is an avid reader and is always keen to chat book recommendations and writing. She is excited to work with an up-and-coming writer who wants help with their work in progress and all their questions about publishing answered. She looks forward to hearing from you!

BUKI PAPILLON

I was born in Nigeria, lived in the UK where I studied law at University of Hull, and currently live in the US, where I received my MFA in Creative Writing at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. My pronouns are she/her.

My debut novel, An Ordinary Wonder, is forthcoming from Dialogue Books (Little, Brown) in March 2021. My work has been published in Post Road Magazine and The Del Sol Review. I have received fellowships to The Key West Literary Seminars and Vermont Studio Center, been awarded an Archie D. And Bertha. H. Walker Foundation Scholarship by the Fine Arts Work Center, and I am an alumna of the VONA Workshops.

I got my amazing agent by submitting to the slushpile in the usual way, and not because I knew anyone in publishing. After many rejections, I actually ended up choosing from several offers! This was because I kept at it and got better and didn’t quit. You can do it, too!

I have been there in the ‘trenches’ and will lend a listening ear as well as my experience with writing, craft, submitting, rejection (including how to pull yourself back up, re-engage with renewed vigour and then put your very best foot forward) and publishing. Together we will tackle those aspects of your writing journey that need attention, from honing your drafts to sending your query letter (even the dreaded synopsis!)

I read very widely, (literary novels, fantasy, children’s literature, YA, graphic novels, Sci-Fi, romance, historical novels, classics, the occasional thriller, and so on) but my special interest is literary fiction, particularly genre-bending literary fiction, including YA and coming-of-age. Genre-bending or hybrid literary novels mix features, themes and elements of other genres, e.g. SFF, romance, etc, with the fundamental undergirding of literary techniques and styles. If you are unsure where your novel lies along that continuum, I’ll be happy to chat!

I’m open to any hybrids except straight up horror, but only because I don’t read it. I am also very keen on stories influenced by the culture, practices and traditions of the writer's heritage. My main ask is that it is your first novel and that you have a finished draft. It can be anywhere between a first or final draft, as long as it is complete with a beginning, middle and end!

So if you have questions about advancing your novel, or you are at a stage where your first novel has been met with rejections and you can’t seem to figure out where to go from there and have questions about rewrites and queries, I look forward to meeting with you! We will meet once a month online for four months.  

A bit about me: I love taking long rambles in nature, making jewellery, photography, cooking up a storm and, of course, epic levels of reading.

Twitter  @bukipapillon.
Website  http://bukipapillon.com.

Buki’s mentoring slots are now full, so she is currently closed for new submissions.

Amita Parikh

Amita Parikh was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. After earning a BSc (Hons), she moved to London to work in the technology start-up industry. While there, she began writing what would eventually become her debut novel. She is an alumna of the six month Curtis Brown Creative Novel Writing Course and the Royal Court Theatre's Writer's Programme, among other merit-based schemes. Her debut historical fiction novel was sold in 2020 and will be published in multiple countries in 2022.

Amita reads widely, but her favourite genres include historical fiction, fantasy, YA/MG, romantic comedies and thrillers. She can offer insights on everything from editing your own manuscript, tips for querying agents, balancing writing with a full-time job, and more.

Twitter: @amitaparikh

Website: www.amitaparikh.com

Amita’s mentoring slots are now full, so she is currently closed for new submissions.

Literary Agents & Publishing Directors

SAM EADES

Sam Eades is the Publishing Director for Fiction at Trapeze Books, an imprint with a mission to publish books that start conversations. She was previously a publicist at Transworld Publishers, Headline and Macmillan. She publishes and edits a range of fiction from crime and thrillers, to reading group and poetry. She is available for monthly mentoring, working with an author on a finished or close-to-finished draft as well as offer guidance on the submissions process.

Sam is currently closed for new submissions

GILLIAN GREEN

Gillian is a very experienced commercial fiction editor having run the fiction lists at Piatkus Books for nine years and then running fiction at Ebury Press and Del Rey at Penguin for twelve years. She has published authors across a wide range of commercial fiction including crime and thriller, rom coms, historical fiction and science fiction and fantasy. The only genre she doesn't really get is horror though she loves a Gothic Novel. Authors she commissioned at Penguin include Andy Weir, Rowan Coleman, Shappi Khorsandi and John Marrs. She is currently working at Pan Macmillan as a publishing director covering for the crime and thriller editor as well as commissioning more widely. She has recently acquired novels by Antonio Iturbe, Lola Jaye and Elizabeth Morton.

She can often be found wasting time on twitter: @gilliangreened

Gillian’s mentoring slots are now full, so she is currently closed for new submissions.

Hannah Schofield, literary agent

Hannah Schofield is a literary agent at LBA, who is actively building her list of commercial and reading-group fiction and non-fiction. She is fairly ‘genre agnostic’, but would be particularly keen to see projects in women’s fiction, thriller, historical fiction, romcom and contemporary YA. She is drawn to pacy writing, characters that you want to become your best friends (or that you maybe fear a little bit), and novels that illuminate different experiences – and is happy to read things that are light-hearted and voice-driven, or dark and compelling. Hannah would love to work with authors who’ve got a brilliant idea but want to work on their craft more, as well as authors who have a full manuscript ready for editing or querying.

Editors/Commissioning Editors

SARA NISHA ADAMS

Sara Nisha Adams is a fiction editor at Hodder Studio, an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton, and a writer. She was previously a commissioning editor at Harvill Secker, Vintage and Headline Publishing Group, as well as working as a freelance fiction editor. She publishes and edits a range of fiction from commercial reading group, to female-led fiction, and crime and thriller, and her debut novel THE READING LIST will be published in 2021 by HarperCollins.

Twitter: @saranishaadams

MERCEDEZ CLEWIS

Mercedez Clewis is a Queer, Black, Non-Binary Woman (she/they) working as a Japanese to English Translator, a freelance transcriptionist, and an Editor for Anime Feminist, a website dedicated to viewing Japanese pop culture media through an inclusive, feminist lens. Additionally, she has previous experience as a freelance video game news reporter covering Japanese gaming, both mainstream and niche. When she’s not working hard, you can find her weaving, embroidering, cross stitching, reading, or learning yet another new instrument. 

Mercedez’s specialises in fandom media, fantasy, science-fiction, and LGBTQAI+/Queer content, but she is also open to wider genres.

Twitter: @pixelatedlenses 
Instagram: @gaijinnomonogatar

Mercedez is currently closed for new submissions.

NELLE ANDREW, LITERARY AGENT

Nelle Andrew is a literary agent at Rachel Mills Literary. She was shortlisted for Agent of the Year 2018, and Bookseller Rising Star 2016. She is keen to help aspiring writers on their writing and submission journey, and is available for manuscript assessments. You can also find her on twitter: @Nelle_Andrew

Nelle is currently closed for new submissions.

NANCY ADIMORA, PUBLISHING MANAGER

Nancy Adimora is the Talent & Audience Development Manager at HarperCollins Publishers, and the Founding Editor of AFREADA, an African literary magazine. Originally from Nigeria, her interest in African stories and innovation led her to join the TEDxEuston organising team, where she spent five years managing strategic partnerships. Nancy has also worked as an independent consultant, working on a range of projects with companies including Twitter and the Royal African Society. Prior to working in publishing, Nancy started her career with the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. She holds an MSc in Leadership and International Development with the African Leadership Centre at King's College London, and a Bachelor in Laws from Queen Mary, University of London.

Twitter: @NancAdimora

CIARA MCELLIN, AGENT ASSISTANT

Ciara McEllin is an agent assistant at Watson, Little. She is available for manuscript assessments and standalone 1:1s. You can find her on twitter: @ciaramcellin.

HANNAH SHEPPARD, LITERARY AGENT

Hannah Sheppard studied English Literature at the University of Liverpool. She spent over a decade working in trade publishing: first at Macmillan Children’s Books and more recently running Headline Publishing Group’s YA and crossover list.

In 2013 she joined the D H H Literary Agency because she realised that being an agent gave her more time to do what she loves most – using her editorial experience to help writers develop their ideas for commercial success. Her authors include Abi Elphinstone, Keris Stainton, Darren Charlton, Amy Beashel, Adam Hamdy, Chris McGeorge and Olivia Lara amongst others. 

Hannah represents authors across middle grade, teen and YA fiction as well as commercial adult fiction (mostly women’s romance/psychological and more traditional thrillers). She loves vivid voices, original, hooky concepts and humour. And she’s a sucker for lost, found or misdirected letters. She’s actively looking for diverse voices and characters and thinks we’re all going to need some happy and uplifting stories over the coming months.

Follow her on twitter @YA_Books 

rachel faturoti, author

Rachel Faturoti is a YA and children’s fiction writer, editor, and poet with a passion for broadening the scope of authentic Black representation in YA and children’s fiction. She believes it’s important for readers to see themselves represented well in stories.

Follow Rachel on Twitter: @RachelWithAn_E

phoebe morgan, editorial director

Phoebe Morgan is an editorial director at HarperCollins. She works with a range of Sunday Times and Kindle bestselling authors, including Abigail Dean (Girl A), Catherine Cooper (The Chalet and The Chateau), and Stacey Abrams (While Justice Sleeps). She is also a thriller author herself and has had four published novels, with a fifth on the way. Phoebe blogs about publishing and writing at www.phoebemorganauthor.com and you can find her on Twitter @Phoebe_A_Morgan. In 2021 she won The Bookseller Shooting Star Award and in 2018 she was awarded a Trailblazer Award for services to the publishing industry. She is available for monthly mentoring, working with an author on a finished or close-to-finished draft as well as offer guidance on the submissions process and discussing ways to hone your commercial fiction pitch.

sile edwards, literary agent

After graduating from Goldsmiths University, Silé began her career in publishing at the Publishers Association, supporting their campaigns and communication functions. She then moved to Curtis Brown as an assistant in the Book Department, where she supported deals for an extensive and eclectic list of clients. She now represents a dynamic list, with an emphasis on non-fiction. Her clients include Love Island’s Yewande Biala, Kuchenga, writer-activists Natalie and Naomi Evans, the co-founders of EverydayRacism, architect and TV presenter Laura Jane Clark, birthing coach Illiyin Morrison and viral poet Della Hicks-Wilson. She was named a Trailblazer by London Book Fair in 2020 and is also a trustee for award-winning mentoring charity Arts Emergency.

ELISE DILLSWORTH, LITERARY AGENT

Elise Dillsworth is the director of Elise Dillsworth Agency in England, a role she has occupied since 2012. Prior, she was a commissioning editor at Virago Press, and she co-founded the Diversity in Publishing Network, which received the New Venture Award from Women in Publishing in 2005. You can find her on twitter: @EliseDillsworth

Elise is currently closed for new submissions.

EMMA HERDMAN, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

Before becoming an editor, Emma worked on the shop floor at Waterstones, at Waterstones head office on the fiction buying team, as a reviewer for Psychologies and The Bookseller, and at Curtis Brown Literary Agency. She was then an editor at Hodder & Stoughton, and its literary imprint Sceptre, for four and a half years, where her authors included Anne Griffin, whose debut When All is Said was a Waterstones Book of the Month, Abi Daré, author of Bath Novel Award-winning and Desmond Elliott shortlisted The Girl with the Louding Voice, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, author of Fleabag: The Scriptures. She's now a publishing director at Bloomsbury and can be found on Twitter @emduddingstone.

LIZA DEBLOCK, AGENT ASSISTANT

Liza DeBlock is an agent assistant at Mushens Entertainment, an agency that represents New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling authors. She has helped submit books that have gone on to sell to the big five publishers. She is available for pitch, cover letter, and synopsis assessment. You can find her on twitter as @lizadeblock.

SARA-JADE VIRTUE

Sara-Jade Virtue was a voracious reader as a child, but failed miserably at school and left at 15 with just two qualifications (in really fast typing and Drama), missing out on the college course in journalism she’d set her heart on. After a string of unfulfilling jobs from cocktail waitress to estate agent and everything in between, she arrived at Waterstones Head Office 18 years ago to start work as Office Services Manager in charge of ordering the toilet paper and sorting out the post. This year marks her 18th in an industry that, if she’s honest, she didn’t even know existed before that first day at Waterstones, and she still pinches herself that, with no qualifications, she’s been able to make a career out of her love and passion for reading. She’s worked at Simon & Schuster, one of the UK’s largest publishing houses, for 13 years - twelve as Special Sales Director, and more recently as Brand Development Director in the Fiction Editorial team. She can mostly found talking about books, her cat, gin and cake, on twitter @BookMinxSJV. Her core responsibility at S&S is to help shape the commercial fiction list and develop strategies for growth for approximately 50 authors writing in the women’s fiction genre. She also runs the commercial women’s fiction community www.booksandthecity.co.uk which will celebrate it’s 10th anniversary in 2021, the #DigitalOriginals eBook publishing programme and the S&S Fiction LibraryLink project. She is a member of the S&S Diversity and Inclusion Council, volunteers at Hanwell Community Library and curates the Popular Fiction titles for subscription box service My Book Moment.

Sara-Jade is available immediately for standalone 1:1 sessions, for 2 authors looking to learn more about the wider publishing industry, writing in the commercial women’s fiction genre. She is not open for manuscript assessments.

tom bonnick, editor

Tom Bonnick is a Senior Commissioning Editor for fiction at children’s publisher Nosy Crow, where he’s worked since 2011. He commissions from young illustrated fiction to middle grade for the Nosy Crow list, and across every genre - and is particularly looking to discover new voices. In 2015 he was named Young Independent Publisher of the Year at the IPG Independent Publishing Awards and one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars, was a Digital Book World Fellow in 2016, and was selected as an Arts Council England/ Bologna Children’s Book Fair Fellow in 2019. He is the Chair of the IPG Children’s Special Interest Group, sits on the steering group for the Pathways programme, and has previously mentored writers and young publishers for the IPG, SYP, and Creative Access.

gyamfia osei, literary agent

Gyamfia began her career in publishing working as a Bookseller at Waterstones, before joining Caskie Mushens as Literary Assistant to Juliet Mushens and Robert Caskie. She returned to the U.K. after living in Amsterdam for two years, where she managed international sales for The Pepin Press and held the role of Editor for Plural Magazine. Gyamfia is now an agent at The Good Literary Agency. She acquires across all genres and markets but is currently particularly interested in commercial and upmarket fiction, namely diverse romance, psychological thrillers, and representative middle-grade and YA.

EMMA PATERSON, LITERARY AGENT

Emma Paterson is a literary agent at Aitken Alexander. She previously worked at Rogers, Coleridge & White and The Wylie Agency. In 2018, she was selected as a Bookseller Rising Star. Her clients include Bernardine Evaristo, Ash Sarkar, and Otegha Uwagba. Emma is available for manuscript assessments, and you can find her on twitter: @emma_a_paterson

Emma is available from January 2021

MEGAN CARROLL, LITERARY AGENT

Megan Carroll is a literary agent at Watson, Little Ltd, where she has been working since 2014 and growing a client list since 2018. She represents authors writing in a variety of genres from children’s to adult fiction and non-fiction, as well as illustrators. Megan is available for manuscript assessments and standalone 1:1s. You can find her on twitter: @MeganACarroll

ARIELLA FEINER, LITERARY AGENT

Ariella Feiner is a literary agent at United Agents. She was selected as a Bookseller Rising Star in 2017. She represents non-fiction and commercial fiction across the spectrum of reading group, women’s fiction and crime and thrillers. Her clients include Jane Casey, Laura Dockrill, Robert Bryndza, Mike Gayle, Louisa Young and Kate Williams. You can find her on Twitter: @AriellaFeiner.

FRANKIE GREY, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

Frankie is Publishing Director at Transworld Publishers, part of Penguin Random House. She publishes commercial fiction: crime, thrillers, women’s fiction and book-club fiction. An intriguing premise, a page-turning read and characters that stay with you long after the final page and she's sold. She was selected as a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016 and nominated for Editor of the Year at the Bookseller Industry Awards in 2018. You can find her on Twitter: @graybookworm.

kate burke, literary agent

Kate Burke is a senior literary agent at the Blake Friedmann Literary agency. Before becoming an agent, Kate was an editor at Headline and HarperCollins, and an editorial director at Penguin Random House. After ten years of publishing fiction, she moved to the agency side to pursue her passion for discovering new writers and voices. She still loves to edit and works very closely with her clients on all aspects of their writing and publishing. She represents many crime and thriller writers – including Scarlett Brade, Allie Reynolds, Will Dean, Lia Middleton, Will Carver and Paul Finch – and writers of contemporary and historical women’s fiction such as Dani Atkins, Kate Thompson, Fiona Ford and Caroline Khoury.

Kate particularly looking for literary and commercial fiction of all genres (except science fiction and fantasy, and young adult. She likes dark, twisted stories as well as uplifting, romantic tales, but, most of all, wants to find more novels with characters from diverse backgrounds, more millennial voices and novels with foreign settings.

Kate is available for manuscript assessments and can be found on Twitter @KBBooks

meera shah, author

Meera Shah was born and raised in London to Indo-Persian parents from Kenya. She is a non-practising lawyer and currently works as an editor in the legal sphere.

Her debut psychological suspense novel, the first book she has ever written, came together in three caffeine-fuelled months during the first UK lockdown (alongside a full time job and looking after energetic three dogs). It is due to be published by Hodder & Stoughton in Spring 2023. She is currently editing her second novel, a locked room family drama set on a remote hilltop town in rural Italy.

Key themes in Meera’s writing include identity, race and class, as well grief. Her USP is authentic, character-driven novels, which break away from the stereotypes that sadly still exist in fiction today.

Meera’s favourite genres are thriller, crime, psychological suspense, literary, YA and women’s fiction.

Website: https://meerashahauthor.com/

Twitter: @ElbayMeera

Instagram: @meerashahauthor

JULIET MUSHENS, LITERARY AGENT

Juliet Mushens started her publishing career in 2008 at HarperCollins, and became an agent in 2011. She has been shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year four times. She represents a bestselling and critically acclaimed list, including million-copy no. 1 bestseller Jessie Burton, multi-million copy NY Times bestseller Taran Matharu and Pointless presenter Richard Osman. Her guide to YA creative writing was published by Hodder in 2015. You can find her on twitter as @mushenska and email her at juliet@mushens-entertainment.com

Juliet will be hosting quarterly group sessions over zoom.

Amita Parikh, author

Query Letter Writing Workshops: I found my agent the way most people do - through the slushpile. I had a nearly 85% full manuscript request rate on my query and soon after signed with a dream agent. In this workshop, we'll cover different (mostly free) ways to find the right agents for your book, the ideal query letter structure, advice for writing your synopsis, things you should never do when querying, and tips for staying sane during the process. There will be time for a Q and A after.

bookouture team

Bookouture is a leading publishing house, home of bestselling authors Helen Phifer and Angela Marsons. Bookouture collaborates with Black Girl Writers to host pitching events and writing workshops over zoom.