SPOTLIGHT FEATURE: Anne C. Perry from the Ki Agency

Good morning, everyone!

Today I’m excited to share a wonderful interview with Anne C. Perry!

Anne is a literary agent at Ki Agency. Prior to this she spent 10 years as an editor, and founded a small press and a literary prize. She works with both fiction and non-fiction and will consider any genre within these. At the moment she is especially interested in action-romance, popular science, natural history, and nature/memoir writing by women and writers from underrepresented backgrounds.

Anne is active on Twitter and always sharing what she’s looking for in submissions or in pitches. She’s looking for action, adventure, explosions, emotionally honest love stories, and fun. She also loves a happy ending.

Anne does Agent One-to-One sessions at Jericho Writers and has sessions in June. If you think Anne would be interested in your work, or you’d love to get an agent’s feedback on your submission pack, then be sure to book in for your one-to-one here.

Check out some highlights from our interview with Anne below.

“Please don’t give up, and if you find that a book isn’t working with agents, don’t take it to heart. Move on to the next project and keep at it!”

Good morning Anne, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. We can’t wait to find out more about what you’re looking for in submissions and about your role as an agent!

Q. What brought you to agenting?

I was an editor for about a decade before I became an agent. I wanted to be able to spend more time working directly with authors and helping to bring their worlds to life.

Q. What’s at the top of your fiction wish-list?

I’m looking for rom-coms, and more romance (in any genre!), especially with an action element. I love humour and am always on the look-out for witty banter.

Q. What’s at the top of your non-fiction wish-list?

Nature writing from underrepresented voices! I want to be swept away by the author’s deep love for their subject.

Q. Is there any genre you’d rather not receive?

I’m not the right agent for military science fiction! Super intense literary fiction is also not right for me; I’m very commercial.

Q: What is a day in the life of an agent like for you?

I start answering email between 8 and 9 am; I spend my day alternating between email, reading submissions, following up with clients and publishers, and reading/editing drafts of works in progress for my current clients. I also do quite a lot of “outside” reading, as well — gotta keep up with the trends! — and bookstore browsing, pandemics permitting.

Q. What do you want to see in a query letter? And what do you hate?

I love that extra bit of time an energy a querying author uses to personalise their letter to me. It doesn’t have to be much, even just a line like “I love the 1999 Mansfield Park too!” — but it makes a difference. I work hard to introduce myself online; I’ve got full profiles in two different places on my agency website, and a long profile on Manuscript Wish List, as well as a Twitter account. So it’s not hard to learn about me.

I don’t love having my name misspelled, and every so often I receive query letters addressed to different agents, which: yikes. Please double-check before hitting send!

Q. What interests or passions do you have beyond the world of books? What do you love?

I’m an amateur fossil-hunter. I also love cinema and really, really miss going to the movies — the last film I saw on the big screen was The Meg. (I regret nothing.)

Q. Any final words of advice for authors in the querying process?

It’s a long, slow and agonising process. Please don’t give up, and if you find that a book isn’t working with agents, don’t take it to heart. Move on to the next project and keep at it!

The full interview can be found on Anne’s AgentMatch profile.

In the meantime, if you’re struggling with your query letter and synopsis, do check out our free resources on our website. We have lots of info to help you on your way. Or, better still, if you’re a Premium Member with us, our lovely Writers Support team will be happy to offer you a free query letter review!