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Rachel Mann 4

An agent with Jo Unwin Literary Agency (JULA) (see other agents at this agency).

About

I’ve been a secondary-school English teacher, bookseller, theatre usher and fish-and-chip server (not in that order) but finding and shaping stories is where I’ve settled and what I love. I spent nine years commissioning and editing books for young people at a few of the major houses, and was most recently global publishing director for the Roald Dahl Story Company. I quickly realised that I’m much more interested in helping people tell new stories, so am now actively growing a list of writers in fiction and non-fiction, with a particular focus on children’s and YA. I have a tendency towards both the darkly funny and the formally inventive – Shirley Jackson, Ottessa Moshfegh, Akwaeke Emezi, Angela Carter, Toni Morrison and Ocean Vuong are great examples of the kinds of adult writers I love. Tove Jansson, Benjamin Zephaniah, David Almond and Jason Reynolds are just some of my heroes in children’s. Other books I’ve enjoyed recently are Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters, Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, Earthlings by Sayaka Murata and Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez. In YA, I loved Dean Atta’s Black Flamingo and Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X. I’ll never stop raving about Sharna Jackson’s High-Rise Mystery series for middle grade readers. In all cases I want compelling voices, unpatronizing writing and vivid, complex characters. International settings and traditions, unconventional narratives, and progressive and/or radical social commentary will always get my attention. I’m particularly interested in writers from underrepresented backgrounds, especially if those stories are genre fiction, lifestyle or comic non-fiction, for both adults and children.

Country & Professional Associations

United Kingdom Member of AAA

Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:
Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults, Children, Middle grades, Young adults.
Genres:
General General
Styles:
Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Literary, Mainstream.
Topics:
Open to all/most Topics.
Types/Lengths:
Novel Novel
Submissions:
ElectronicPostalSimultaneous
OK No OK
Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:
Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults, Children, Middle grades, Young adults.
Styles:
Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Literary, Mainstream.
Topics:
Open to all/most Topics, including: Society/Culture (Current events, Social issues, See guidelines).
Types/Lengths:
Book Book
Submissions:
ElectronicPostalSimultaneous
OK No OK
Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Rachel Mann Submission Statistics

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Dates

Last Updated: 07 Mar 2024
Last Audited: 20 Feb 2024 We audit each active listing twice a year.
Date Added: 07 Mar 2019

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