Simon Whaley chats to agent Adam Gauntlett, about the narrative non-fiction market, and his recent experience of becoming a published novelist.
Adam Gauntlett is an agent in the Books Division of Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) Literary Agents, one of the longest-established agencies in London. He joined the company in 2010, having completed his Masters in English Literature at Kings College, London. His clients include Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, broadcaster Marina Gibson, and Jacob Rees-Mogg. Bloomsbury published his debut novel, The Stranger at the Wedding, in March 2024, and he is represented by Ariella Feiner at the United Agents agency.
What do you enjoy most about being a literary agent?
Every day brings something new. I could be meeting with a scholar on Ancient Rome in the morning, and then seeing a crime scene investigator in the afternoon—all whilst fielding offers from publishers for the latest book I have on submission, negotiating contracts and editing proposals.
What is it about narrative non-fiction that appeals to you?
Much of the world is still a mystery. I like the idea that we can pick up a book that shines a spotlight on some of its lesser known reaches; a book that distils an expert’s learning or else lived experience in a compelling and accessible way.
How would you define narrative non-fiction as a genre?
I’m generally sceptical of any kind of definition of genre. The boundaries are so fluid, ever shifting. If forced to, then I guess, broadly speaking, any kind of non-fiction that takes the reader by the hand and guides them through a topic perhaps hitherto unknown to them. There’s often an argument of sorts underpinning the subject matter, though not necessarily in the academic sense of the word. Invariably the author wants the reader to take something away from the experience—whether that’s something they might directly apply to their own lives, or interesting stories to be shared down the pub. It is human nature to want to appear informed.
What makes a narrative non-fiction manuscript stand out to you?
The perfect marriage of author and subject. It is one thing to want to write about something that may interest you, but are you the only person, or one of the few people, who can actually tell that particular story? Are you the expert in that particular field?
What common mistakes do you see writers make when submitting narrative non-fiction to you?
The cover letter is your shop window, and whilst the temptation is to put everything in that window, to do so would be to cloud the offering—or, to stretch the metaphor, to obscure your hero products. Keep it clean, keep it simple. Highlight the key features. What are you proposing? Why are you the person to write this, and where do you see the book sitting in the market?
How well does narrative non-fiction sell/translate to foreign markets?
It depends entirely on the subject matter, but get it right and non-fiction travels just as well, if not better, than fiction. Some subjects are universal, no matter where you go in the world.
What opportunities are there for selling tv/film rights in narrative non-fiction?
As with the above, it depends. We’ve had a huge amount of success placing non-fiction projects with producers.
What other genres do you represent?
Pretty much everything apart from cookery, poetry, short stories, fantasy and science fiction.
Bloomsbury has recently published your thriller novel, The Stranger at the Wedding. What sparked that idea for the novel, and how did you feel being a writer in the publishing process rather than the agent?
I came across a rather gruesome story of a true crime case that haunted Germany many moons ago. That gave me my ending. It was then a case of working backwards and transposing the setting. A wedding seemed like the perfect place.
It’s certainly been a strange experience finding myself on the other side of the fence. In many ways, it doesn’t actually feel like my book; it feels like a client’s work that I’m just helping to champion. I think this separation is actually quite helpful, however. Publishing can be brutal—very few books soar to the heady heights of Bestseller-dom—and so it can be a dangerous thing to be too close to your own work. For me, at least.
Adam Gauntlett’s Top Tip
Readers will often be coming to your subject with either no, or very little, knowledge. This is your chance to open up your world and show them everything wonderful that lives therein—or good or bad. The focus should be on those things. Few will want to be caught in the weeds or bogged down in the minutiae. Everything should be in the service of a good story.
Further Information
For Adam’s current status on submissions and what he’s looking for, visit: https://petersfraserdunlop.com/agent/adam-gauntlett/
For PFD’s submissions guidelines, see https://petersfraserdunlop.com/submissions/books/
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