Submissions

We only accept submissions by email to submissions@watsonlittle.com, and any submissions sent in the post will not be read. Direct your submission to one of our agents; you can find more information about what each agent is looking for on our Agents page. Please do not submit to more than one of us at once. We do share submissions, so if we feel your work would be a better fit for another Watson, Little agent, we will pass it on.

Please note that Hannah Weatherill and Gabrielle Demblon are closed to submissions. Any submissions addressed to Hannah and Gabrielle will not be considered at this time.

Megan Carroll is closed to submissions from October 1st.

What to Send

Please send a cover letter in the body of the email, with a synopsis and writing sample attached as Word documents for fiction or a proposal for non-fiction. If your work is a graphic novel or children’s book you’ve illustrated yourself, please send it as a PDF.

Cover Letter

In your email, tell us briefly about your novel or proposal – it’s often useful to start with information such as the genre, word count and a one-line pitch, followed by a longer paragraph or two about the plot. We’d also like to know a little about you, including if you have any writing experience or previous publications. It’s also useful if you mention a couple of recently published titles that are similar to yours in terms of tone or plot, so we can get a sense of where your work sits in the marketplace.

Material

For fiction, please send approximately 10,000 words (or to the end of the nearest chapter) taken from the beginning of your book as a single attached document. For children’s fiction where the word count is under 20,000 words in total, please send the full manuscript. As a separate document, please also send a synopsis. This should outline the plot or structure of your novel from beginning to end, including spoilers. Think of it as a factual summary rather than a marketing blurb.

For non-fiction, please send a proposal as a single document attached to the email. It should address the following:

• The subject of the book you propose and why it needs to be written and published now
• Your background and credentials for writing the book
• Where you envision the book would sit on the shelves, including similar previously published books
• A chapter of sample text
• A list of potential chapters and chapter summaries

What Not to Submit

We do not represent poetry or screenplays for film, television, radio or theatre. However, if we agree to work with you on a book, we will represent all rights, including dramatic, for that book.

Please note that we do not accept any material that has been wholly or partially originated, written or edited by AI.

Our Response

Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to acknowledge receipt.

We read every submission made to us as quickly as we can, but must give priority to the authors we already represent. We endeavour to read and respond within four to six weeks.

To give your work the best chance, feel free to submit to multiple agencies at once, but please let us know if you receive any full manuscript requests or offers from other agents.

Please keep a copy of anything you submit to us, and don’t send original artwork. We cannot be held responsible for the loss of or damage to any manuscripts, artwork or electronic media submitted to us.

Remember to include your contact details, especially your email address and phone number.

For details of how we handle your personal data (names, addresses, and the like), please see our Privacy Notice (as per GDPR legislation which came into force May 2018).