SPOTLIGHT FEATURE: Eli Keren from United Agents, UK

Hi everyone!

Today I’m introducing you to the lovely Eli from United Agents.

Eli is an Associate Literary Agent and is actively building his own client list.

Before he began his career in publishing, Eli was a research scientist designing and synthesising novel drugs! While science books remain a particular passion of his, Eli is primarily looking for non-fiction that strives to change the world for the better, as well as crime fiction, thrillers, and some literary fiction.

Think Eli would be the perfect fit for your book? Well, fortunately for you, he is one of many agents who are currently offering 121s. This is our bespoke service offering both valuable and personal feedback on your work from leading literary agencies in the UK and the US.

Eli also kindly took some time to provide us with an excellent and in-depth interview.

Read below for some highlights—including what Eli is looking for, his advice for querying writers, and more. Or head over to AgentMatch, for the full interview here.

“I don’t need you to worry that if you have phrased something slightly wrong or if your submission isn’t formatted exactly the way that I’ve asked for it to be that I’m going to throw it out of the window. If your writing is excellent, and your cover letter is clear and lets me know exactly what it is I’m getting into, then I’m going to be interested in what you’re doing.”

Hi Eli! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today. We can’t wait to learn more about your wish list and what you’re looking for in a synopsis.

Q. What genres are you looking for in fiction?

In fiction, I’m interested in crime and thrillers, and I love a whodunit. I’m looking for some literary fiction, but most of the time when I take on literary fiction, I’ll need it to have a hook or a decent amount of plot as opposed to the very high literary end of the spectrum; I’ve got colleagues who are much better placed for that than myself. I don’t work with science fiction or fantasy, and I think there are normally other agents who are better positioned to take on women’s fiction than I am, for obvious reasons. I work with some historical fiction, but I prefer contemporary novels. I like novels that challenge norms and ideals. Novels that talk about mental health, masculinity, the LGBT community, and the struggles of marginalised communities written by people who really understand those struggles. Ideally, those issues are dressed up in a compelling plot that delivers them smoothly and in an engaging way.

Q. What do you like when it comes to non-fiction?

I’m mostly looking for non-fiction. I used to be a Research Scientist, and a lot of what I’m looking for comes from that. I love to work with scientists, and experts in their own fields; I always say I love to work with people who are completely obsessed with a niche subject but good enough communicators to make the rest of the world fall in love with that subject too, whatever it might be; in the sciences, or more broadly speaking. I like working on books which do good and change the world for the better, whether that’s activism, or something about LGBT history or the future of our rights or about little-known medical conditions which deserve more attention; I don’t know if that’s a weirdly specific example, but I literally received one of those in my submissions today and loved it!

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

In a query letter, I like to have the important information upfront. So, I like to know very quickly whether your book’s fiction or non-fiction, and what the core of your book is. If it’s fiction, tell me its genre and what you’re doing with it, and tell me very briefly what I can expect going into even just the rest of your cover letter. In non-fiction, the first thing I want to know, is what your book’s central argument is. Tell me it’s a book about something, and then tell me what you’re arguing, what you’re trying to change, what perceptions you want to challenge with what you’re doing. For me, that’s the most important part of the book. After that, I also want to know more context. I like to know if there’s any particular reason why you’re the person to be writing this book, be that fiction or non-fiction, and if there’s any success you’ve had with your writing in the past. But I’m completely open to writers who haven’t had success with their writing in the past, who haven’t published stories or written novels before. One of the main things I want to know is why you’re in the best position to write this; whether you’re an expert in it, and what qualifications you have, what personal experiences have gone into the writing of this, and why you’re the person whom someone should read a book on this subject by as opposed to anyone else. That’s a very important part of non-fiction; you need to have impeccable expertise in the field that you want to talk to the world about and make your own.

Q. Same question when it comes to the synopsis. What should writers do?

In a synopsis, spoil everything. Tell me what happens. A lot of people get confused between the synopsis and the blurb, and they write the synopsis in such a way to make me want to read the book, but that’s not what I come to a synopsis for. You should have that blurb and that paragraph of information teasing the book in your cover letter, I’ll then read your first three chapters, and when I come to your synopsis, I want to say to myself—okay, I’m going to extrapolate that writing style over this plot, to get a good idea of what the book will look like. In order to do that, I really just need to know what the plot is. Spoil those twists, tell me the ending. I don’t need to know the names of every character along the way, because those can be quite hard for me to keep track of, I just need to know the absolute key beats of the book that move it from start to finish.

Q. If you could give querying writers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Bear in mind, that you’re inviting me to enter a business relationship with you, so I’m going to need you to set things out in professional terms because this will be a professional relationship when you enter into it. At the same time, feel free to put everything on the line. I don’t need you to treat me with caution, I don’t need you to hold back. I don’t need you to worry that if you have phrased something slightly wrong or if your submission isn’t formatted exactly the way that I’ve asked for it to be that I’m going to throw it out of the window. If your writing is excellent, and your cover letter is clear and lets me know exactly what it is I’m getting into, then I’m going to be interested in what you’re doing.

Thank you again, Eli!

If you’re interested in booking a one-to-one session with Eli, please click here.

If you’re in need of some support and advice in regards to your query letter and synopsis, please do check out our resources on our website here; we have lots of information to help guide you on your way. Or, if you’re a member with us, our lovely Writers Support team will be happy to offer you a free query letter review! Login to access the service here.