THE LIVERPOOL LITERARY AGENCY

ABOUT

Clare Coombes

Agent, Author, Editor, Producer & Mother

Clare set up the first Liverpool-based literary agency in 2020 to help address inequality and underrepresentation in the publishing industry. 

With more than 15 years’ experience of writing and editing professionally, including the publication of two novels, Definitions (2015) and We Are of Dust (2018 - which has received development funding from the Liverpool Film Office for a TV adaptation), she has developed an in-depth knowledge of what commissioning editors and publishers expect to see from a submitted manuscript. With a background in PR and marketing, alongside teaching on creative writing programmes, Clare also has extensive experience in pitching and promoting writers. 

Clare would love to see historical fiction, crime fiction, psychological thrillers and women’s fiction, but as a new agent, she is open to all great writing with a strong hook in any area (excluding non-fiction, children’s and YA). 

She actively encourages submissions from writers who have been traditionally under-represented.

ABOUT

Matthew McKeown

Editor, Copywriter & Italian Football Enthusiast 

As an English BA and Writing MA graduate with a background in commercial copywriting, I am able to provide an editing and proofreading service that meets the highest standards of spelling, grammar and punctuation; skills that have proven to be eminently transferable as I have made the transition into agenting, allowing me to match authors with publishers based on extensive market research and growing first-hand experience.

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I have written feature articles for a wide variety of print and online publications, covering everything from football to music festivals. My screenwriting portfolio has received professional recommendations from award-winning industry experts, and my debut novel was a finalist at Pulp Idol 2018.  

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I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, and I take great pride in being able to help authors transform rough drafts into polished, publishable manuscripts.

ABOUT

Laura Bennett

Literary Agent Assistant for Science Fiction and Fantasy, Editor & Video Game Writer

I developed a love of writing early, attending my first Creative Writing course at college. I then decided that I wanted to study Writing at Liverpool John Moores University, obtaining a BA before pursuing a career in teaching. I began work at a college for young adults with special needs, and then moved to a vocational college while studying for a post-compulsory PGCE. I taught English for a few years, and also ran several Creative Writing courses before returning to LJMU to obtain an MA in Writing. I then worked as a teaching assistant at a local secondary school, before leaving that job to pursue a career in editing.

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The combination of teaching and writing works extremely well for editing, and for providing encouragement and guidance for writers. I also work as a freelance writer, and I am currently the writer and lore master for a video game, in addition to writing for various roleplaying games.

ABOUT

Anna Gamble

Literary Agent Assistant, Editor, Writer and Mother 

Anna Gamble is an Assistant Agent with the Liverpool Literary Agency focusing on children’s books for ages 5 years through to pre-teen. She has been active in the publishing industry – both writing and editing fiction – over the last 5 years, and before this worked with the transformative power of stories over a 16-year career in theatre. 

 

Her early career as a Nursery Nurse – with an emphasis on reading for pleasure – also allowed her to develop a good sense of what children love which continued into her theatre work, using well-loved stories as a gateway into creative play and drama.

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Anna would love to see high concept chapter books with a strong hook and middle grade fiction that really knows its audience and offers a sense of adventure. She is very excited to be joining Liverpool Literary Agency, where she can help great northern talent and creativity become high quality manuscripts that publishers and children will love.