Elly James

Elly would love to find more quality commercial / popular literary fiction and is looking for writers who tell powerful stories that grip, haunt, elicit laughter or tears. She wants to be deeply moved, immersed in a world and taken by surprise by believable, flawed characters. She is after books with original voices and broad appeal. Debuts that she has recently loved have tended to have emotional heft – Alice Winn’s IN MEMORIAM, Louise Kennedy’s TRESPASSES or Joanna Quinn’s THE WHALEBONE THEATRE. She would love to find some more twisty thrillers / crime or ghost stories that feel fresh and different.

For non-fiction, Elly is particularly looking for experts in their fields and writers of: memoir, history, nature, science, self-development, original thinking, lifestyle and food. She is after books that give an insight into worlds we don’t know much about – that educate, illuminate and transport. This might be a groundbreaking ‘professional confessional’ exposé like THE SECRET BARRISTER or Adam Kay’s THIS IS GOING TO HURT or intimate personal stories such as Amy Liptrot’s THE OUTRUN or Tara Westover’s EDUCATED or books that open up important conversations such as Hannah Barnes’s TIME TO THINK or Katy Hessel’s THE STORY OF ART WITHOUT MEN. Within this territory, it is often the case of finding the ‘only person who can write this book’. She is especially eager to have some more strong women’s voices to champion.

Our food writers showcase the broad scope and diversity of this area of publishing territory and Elly is always keen to hear from new voices or established brands who have created a community around them with a clear concept, fresh perspectives on healthy eating, interesting angles on a particular food culture or expert knowledge.