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Clare Alexander

An agent with Aitken Alexander Associates (see other agents at this agency).

About

Clare Alexander became a literary agent in 1998 after more than 20 years as a publisher, having edited winners of the Booker, the Orange and Whitbread prizes. As an editor, amongst other debuts, Clare published first novels by Helen Dunmore, Alex Garland, Amitav Ghosh, Stephen Knight, Haruki Murakami and Donna Tartt. As an agent, in 2019 she represented half the short list of The Women’s Prize, of which she had been a founder member. She remains a Founding Patron. She was Literary Agent of the Year in 2007, was awarded the 2008 Kim Scott Walwyn Prize, and is a previous President of the Association of Authors’ Agents. She has served on the board of New Writing North and is currently on the board of the Charlotte Aitken Trust. Clare was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2021. She is chair of Aitken Alexander Associates.

Limited Demographic: Submissions are restricted to writers in the UK.
This agent may not respond to all queries. After waiting 90 days, assume your submission will not be accepted.

Country & Year Established

United Kingdom
Agent since 1998

Professional Associations

Member of AAA

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Collapse section Fiction Open

Clare has a large client list, so she only takes on two or three new writers a year. She is always interested in fiction that surprises, delights or moves her to laughter or to tears – preferably both at once. She does not represent genre fiction but is interested in fiction that elevates genre into something new and original.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Novel

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

In non-fiction she prefers narrative-driven works, including biography, history and memoir. She has no interest in Wellness, how-to or anything remotely ‘inspirational’.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Book

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Personal.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
History: General, Biographies.
Memoir.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Agent Impersonation Scams are becoming commonplace.
A legitimate agent will not contact you and request money to represent you. Never pay an agent an up-front fee. That is not how literary agent representation works. Agents earn a commission only after they've landed a publishing deal for you. Also, agents scarcely ever contact writers. If an agent that you haven't queried contacts you about representation, be suspicious. Look up the agent and check if the email address is correct for that agent/agency.

Clare Alexander Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the agency or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

We have not received any submission reports for this listing in the past 12 months.

Your Submissions

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the agent or agency being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the agent/agency meets your standards.

  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the agency/agent.
  • Unless the agency's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • For agency submissions, it is standard to submit a query letter and sample instead of the full manuscript. Do this unless otherwise instructed.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 16 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.

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