Literary Agent of the Year
Literary Agent of the Year Winner and Shortlist
Proudly sponsored by the London Book Fair
Times were not always easy for agents in 2025, with competition high and many publishers increasingly cautious in their acquisitions. But these eight all had excellent years, thanks to a combination of robust deal-making and careful development of their authors and illustrators. There is a good diversity to this year’s shortlist – a sign that agents’ efforts to make publishing more inclusive and representative are paying off.
The Winner
Rachel Mills
Rachel Mills Literary
“An extraordinary agent”; “A living marvel”; “I’m thrilled she’s in my corner and proud to be in her stable.” The heartfelt author testimonials for Rachel Mills show why she richly deserves the title of Literary Agent of the Year.
Her eponymous agency had its best-ever year in 2025, earning £5m for clients. She steered big auctions and pre-empts for Kaitlyn Regehr’s Smartphone Nation, Soumya Mukherjee’s The Brain Blueprint and Learn Like a Lobster by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis – three examples of the “smart-thinking” non-fiction that has become Mills’ speciality.
She is just as energetic in sustaining backlist royalties and spotting new opportunities for old books. Repositioning established authors – as with Cathy Rentzenbrink for The Agatha Christie Cure, and wine expert Olly Smith in crime fiction – is another skill. There is a great diversity to her list, by race, class, age and neurodiversity, and books like Ellie Middleton’s How to Be You and Imad Alarnab’s Syrian Kitchen have had societal as well as commercial impacts. They speak to the strong values of Mills’ agency, such as dedicated author care, inclusivity and empowerment of her talented team.
Publishers are just as enamoured as the authors: “Working with Rachel is always a joy,” said one; another called her “generous, wise and very fun”. Simon & Schuster has been so impressed by her talents, in fact, that it will soon publish a novel that Mills somehow found time to write, The Players Club.
“Rachel is a powerhouse,” said the judges. “Her client list and achievements are so impressive, and she’s got exceptional market-shaping ability. The creative collaboration with her authors is skilful and strategic, and it delivered phenomenal results in 2025.”
The Shortlist
Ludo Cinelli
Eve White Literary Agency
Agent and MD Ludo Cinelli was at the heart of a stellar year for the Eve White Literary Agency in 2025. From his genre-hopping list he steered three very different authors – poet Len Pennie, food content creator Natalia Rudin and illustrator James Norbury – into the Sunday Times bestseller lists. Alongside boss and fellow Nibbies contender Eve White, he co-launched a new programme to recruit more underrepresented authors.
Hattie Grünewald
The Blair Partnership
Hattie Grünewald at The Blair Partnership has been the driving force behind the phenomenal success of Clare Leslie Hall’s Broken Country, turning a neglected mid-list writer into a bestseller and securing a film adaptation. There were plenty of deals across her very varied list, and her clients love her loyalty and work ethic. “She’s perceptive, dedicated, refreshingly honest and extraordinarily kind,” said one of them.
Anwen Hooson
Bird Literary Agency
Bird Literary Agency, run single-handedly by Anwen Hooson, had a standout year in its fields of fiction and children’s books. She helped turn Huw Aaron from a Welsh-language picture books and comics author-illustrator into a much bigger name via a seven-book deal with Puffin. Hooson also whipped up massive interest in Moira Buffini’s Torch Trilogy, while Liz Hyder’s The Twelve picked up awards such as the Nero.
Rachel Mills
Rachel Mills Literary
Rachel Mills’ eponymous agency had its best year yet in 2025, with wellbeing, food and drink among many non-fiction strengths. Cathy Rentzenbrink, Soumya Mukherjee and Olly Smith were just three authors benefiting from her smart pitching and deal-making, and she put renewed focus on clients’ backlists. In between the day job, she has somehow found time to write a novel of her own, The Players Club, to be published by Simon & Schuster in May.
Chloe Seager
Madeleine Milburn
Chloe Seager of the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency has become a specialist in big deals and auctions in the children’s and YA spaces, and two thirds of her contracts in 2025 ran into six figures. They included a five-book deal for Katie Kirby’s Lottie Brooks series, and new titles from Laura Steven, Kathryn Foxfield and Nashae Jones in YA. She is a fierce advocate for diversity in publishing, with a high proportion of authors from underrepresented groups.
Emma Shercliff
Laxfield Literary Associates
Emma Shercliff’s Laxfield Literary Associates has been a leading player in publishing’s efforts to look beyond London and find more underrepresented voices. Hers is one of the most varied lists around, from authors in her east-England base to translated writers to overlooked debuts. While there were some great deals in 2025, Shercliff’s other strengths – like airing vital issues, strong values and doing the best for every author – were just as important.
Sarah Such
Sarah Such Literary Agency
Sarah Such is back on the shortlist for the first time since 2017, after a year that saw her hard graft for several long-term clients pay off. She deftly positioned Antony Johnston as a distinct proposition in the crime space, while Jeffrey Boakye had a tremendous year of sales and prizes. There were some good deals for authors from many underrepresented backgrounds and client care, especially of debut authors, was excellent.
Eve White
Eve White Literary Agency
Eve White consolidated her eponymous agency’s list of big names in 2025 while filling the pipeline of future stars. Ruth Ware was among her biggest successes, boosted by a Netflix adaptation, and there was tenacious deal-making on behalf of Eloise Head, Sarah Ockwell-Smith, Paul Cooper, Tia Fisher and more. She nurtured her small team, including fellow Literary Agent of the Year contender Ludo Cinelli, and advocated for better representation in publishing.
