Simon Whaley chats to Laura Macdougall of United Agents about improving LGBTQ+ representation in publishing and what publishers are looking for.
Laura Macdougall began her publishing career with Hodder & Stoughton, working with authors such as David Nicholls and Stephen King, before changing roles and becoming a literary agent. She joined Tibor Jones and Associates before moving to United Artists in 2017.
Laura is a former judge of the Green Carnation Prize, launched to celebrate fiction written by LGBT writers, and in 2019 she won the Romantic Novelist’s Association’s inaugural Inclusion Award for her work supporting diversity and inclusion in publishing. In 2017, she was one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars and later shortlisted for their Agent of the Year award in 2022.
Authors she represents include Jim Broadbent, Celia J Anderson, Harper Ford, Jess Phillips, Sophie Ward, West Streeting, and Amanda Thomson.
You switched from publishing to becoming a literary agent. What was it about being a literary agent that appealed?
Primarily, it was the opportunity to work across both fiction and non-fiction and not be pigeon-holed into working within one genre. Secondly, it was being able to offer representation to marginalised writers, specifically those identifying as LGBTQ+, and help them navigate the world of publishing and, ideally, find their books a home. Remember, this was a decade ago when the landscape for queer writers was very different. Finally, I wanted to be able to have more say in what I was spending all my time doing; being more self-directed and independent in my choices.
You represent many LGBTQ+ writers and are keen to hear from more. Why is that?
I think we always want to see ourselves represented in what we read. While there were some amazing LGBTQ+ writers (Sarah Waters, Stella Duffy) and LGBTQ+ stories, I know from the amazing community that I am a part of that only a tiny fraction of those stories were being told, and often not by LGBTQ+ writers. I wanted to see the full plurality and diversity of those lives illuminated in novels and non-fiction. I was hungry to find those stories on the page, so I knew others would be too, and I still am.
What are publishers currently looking for regarding LGBTQ+ representation?
Like agents and readers, I think they want to see authenticity, good storytelling, characters and settings that feel fresh and exciting. Writers like Akwaeke Emezi, Torrey Peters, and Julia Armfield are just a couple of examples of those who demonstrate that it’s not only LGBTQ+ readers who want to read these books: they’re all bestsellers, prize-winners, pushing the boundaries of the genre, and huge successes, and rightly so. But what they have in common is that they write compulsively readable stories that just happen to feature LGBTQ+ relationships and characters.
What are you looking for when it comes to LGBTQ+ fiction?
I’m looking for something that feels authentic, and that shows me a part of LGBTQ+ life or the community that I feel either hasn’t been represented before, or is under-represented. I’m looking very broadly across fiction and non-fiction, and I would particularly love to find something funny and positive (and maybe a bit messy!). For example, there are great LGBTQ+ romcoms coming from America, but not as many written by UK authors. I’d also love to see more powerful and intelligent non-fiction that pushes the boundaries of genre, much like Jeremy Atherton Lin did with GAY BAR.
What common pitfalls do you see writers make in their LGBTQ+ submissions?
I receive a lot of vaguely fictionalised memoir, which is understandable, as writing is often a way of processing what’s happened to you. But memoir is a tricky genre to get right, and it’s also very crowded and competitive.
I also receive quite a lot of historical fiction based around secret lesbian relationships, or lesbian awakenings. Even if they’re done well, I think there’s been quite a lot of publishing in this area and readers are hungry for new frontiers in LGBTQ+ storytelling.
Coming-of-age is another evergreen topic when it comes to submissions, but they rarely succeed because they often feel quite predictable and like they’re treading the same ground.
How can writers ensure their LGBTQ+ characters are authentic and well-represented?
Read and do your research, and don’t insert an LGBTQ+ character into your book just because you feel you have to. It always stands out for the wrong reasons if you do. But the flip-side of that is that someone identifying as LGBTQ+ isn’t always the most relevant or interesting thing about them: it’s just one part of what makes them who they are.
Laura’s Top Tip
Don’t restrict yourself to just this area of the market. Other titles have shown that you don’t have to be LGBTQ+ just to read books written by or about that community. My advice to any writer would always be to read as much as possible, and try and write every day, even if it’s just a few words.
Further Information
Laura is open to submissions. For a detailed breakdown of the genres and interests she represents, visit: