Siân Ellis-Martin

Email: sian@blakefriedmann.co.uk
Bluesky: @sianellismartin
Instagram: @sianembooks

about me

I’m an Associate Agent at Blake Friedmann. I joined the agency in 2018 after interning at other literary agencies and publishers, and honed my skills by finding new homes for some of our out of print titles as well as selling audio rights across the US and UK. Now I’m building a list of authors at the same time as assisting Kate Burke and Isobel Dixon on their impressive lists. When I’m not working, I’m usually wandering around a bookshop, searching for my next delicious treat (probably some sort of indulgent pastry!), or watching Arsenal WFC.

what I’m looking for

I work with fiction and non-fiction authors in the commercial, upmarket and accessible literary space. I’m keen to hear from authors who feel their voice is underrepresented in publishing and it’s important to me to work with writers from a wide variety of backgrounds. I read and represent across a wide range of genres and don’t like to be too prescriptive about what I’m looking for, but you can find ideas of what I’m generally drawn to below.

fiction

I’m always searching for a strong hook and that unputdownable quality that will have me turning the pages way past my bedtime. An absorbing story is key to the books I enjoy; whether that’s racing through a pacey commercial plot or slowly unravelling a quieter tale. At the same time, I want realistically imperfect and messy characters who I think about long after I’ve turned the last page. Most importantly, I like my stories to have emotional depth and heart.

I mostly read contemporary fiction across genres, and I enjoy when that fiction is culturally relevant and speaks to a wider social and political backdrop at the same time as focusing on the personal lives of the characters. I’m very much a millennial so I’m particularly (though not only) interested in millennial characters and the issues we/they face in today’s world. I equally enjoy stories that exist in a vacuum too – where the inner worlds of the characters are foregrounded and the outside world falls away.

I love a love story, whether it’s a big ‘made-for-each-other’ romance such as One Day by David Nicholls, or a quieter depiction of desire like The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. I’m keen to read all different kinds of love stories, particularly from LGBTQIA+ writers, and to explore platonic relationships too. I’m always intrigued by family dynamics – especially siblings – and friendship stories. In particular, I’m looking for a friendship story with the same interweaving of lives and emotional resonance as Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, or a more sweeping friend or family saga like The Dutch House by Ann Patchett or Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.

In the commercial crime, thriller and suspense space, I’d like to read truly unputdownable standalone books with twists that you don’t see coming or mysteries that get the cogs of your brain turning. On the more upmarket end of the crime spectrum, I enjoy books that focus on the psychology of the characters at the same time as providing a gripping plot, like Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka or Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton. I’m also a big fan of a book that might not be categorised as crime, but has some sort of mystery at its heart, such as Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall.

I do dabble in historical fiction. In this area I’m drawn to books based on real events or people, or stories with a gothic or darker feel. I also enjoy when historical fiction looks at the lives of people we don’t hear so much about in periods of time that we already know well, like In Memoriam by Alice Winn. I’m not currently looking for books set before the 19th century.

non-fiction 

In the non-fiction space, I look for books that draw you into a topic you never expected to be interested in, especially ones that combine investigative journalism and narrative non-fiction like Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, The Wager by David Grann and everything by Patrick Radden Keefe.

I’m also keen to hear from thinkers and experts who can make complicated topics accessible or shine a light on a new or underexplored idea, such as Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn or Doppelganger by Naomi Klein. I’d love to find a literary true crime story too, like This House of Grief by Helen Garner, and I’m a big fan of untold histories (think The Five by Hallie Rubenhold).

Lastly, I’m on the hunt for cookery and food writing by authors with an established platform – delicious food and uncomplicated recipes.

In case it’s helpful to know what I don’t represent, I’m not currently taking on YA, children’s, poetry, fantasy, romantasy, science fiction, diet or business projects.

Clients: Shani Akilah, Ros Anderson, Emily Chudy, Alex Clark, Jenny Glanfield, Sammy Hyde, Letitia Jarrett, Leeanne O’Donnell, Jacob Stokoe