Emma Leong
Emma is a literary agent representing writers of contemporary fiction and non-fiction. Her publishing career started at Janklow & Nesbit in 2019, with a background in Psychology and Law. She cares hugely about the craft and developing and nurturing careers for her clients. She is editorially focused and keen to champion first time writers and find them the perfect publisher to launch their work across the globe, working closely with the New York office and translation rights team.
Her clients include Chukwuebuka Ibeh, Olivia Petter, Grace Murray, Dr. Ally Louks, T.J. Payne and Liana Cincotti.
I’m on the hunt for stories that explore the complexities of love, loyalty, and how past events influence choices we make in the present. Whether that’s in books with a darker, suspenseful undercurrent such as THE PAPER PALACE, or writing that moves you to feel like in ONE DAY. I recently loved Alfie’s story in TWICE; fiction that prompts the question: “what would I do in this situation?” and makes me see relationships and their life lessons anew. I want to see books that tap into a new way of looking at love, I think LOVED ONE does this brilliantly for exploring the heartbreak of “what could have been”.
I am also on the lookout for character and voice-driven fiction with a strong family drama (or found family!) element. Stories with complex family relationships and secrets like in LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, or with humorous and biting commentary in WHERE’D YA GO BERNADETTE. I am also on the hunt for books that explore how familial dynamics shape who we are today, I think CLEOPATRA AND FRANKENSTEIN does this so elegantly. I would love to find a book like Elin Hilderbrand’s 28 SUMMERS, while predominantly a sweeping love story, I was most drawn to how Mallory and Jake’s affair impacted the lives of family members around them.
I also want to see books that explore complex moral dilemmas, that ask us to confront deep questions about the world and societal structures we live in. I love the way THE VANISHING HALF plays between fate and personal choice and sense of heritage through generations, or how ATMOSPHERE asks us what truly matters beyond Earthly limits. This can be in a speculative setting too, like with the brilliant NEVER LET ME GO.
On the darker side, I am on the lookout for immersive dystopian fiction that brims with political and social intrigue, something as visceral as I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN. I do love a thriller, whether it’s as addictive and twisty as THE HOUSEMAID, or multi-layered like THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED (Currently I would love to find a legal thriller! Think John Grisham!). Books that really excite me appeal to a particular genre but targeted for a more mainstream crossover audience, for example, I think INTERCEPTS hits the sweet spot of a sci-fi horror with a commercial thriller readership. All in all, a story you can completely lose yourself in.
It is impossible to neatly categorise what I am looking for, as there is no one way to see a story, but if any of the above resonates with your submission, even if your project is outside of these guidelines, I would love to see it.
In non-fiction, it's varied, though I naturally gravitate towards books that focus on personal growth; I love Susan Cain’s research and real-life stories in QUIET, the bite-sized expertise in WHY HAS NOBODY TOLD ME THIS BEFORE?, and philosophical insight in THE CREATIVE ACT. Generally, I love representing original thinkers and supporting them creatively to fully realise the book they wish to write, to add something entirely new to our cultural and creative existence and/or bring a unique perspective to a preexisting conversation.
You can follow Emma on Instagram here.