Poppy adams
Mark alder
Lucy atkins
Raffaella barker
Laura barnett
Mark barrowcliffe
Charlotte bauer
Darcey bell
Caroline bond
Lynne bryan
Elizabeth buchan
Wren burke
Helen callaghan
Clare Cavenagh GH
Judith Murray

Judith Murray

Literary Agent

I joined the agency in 1995. Before that I was a talent scout for translation publishers and worked as an editor for various publishers. I studied English literature at Wadham College, Oxford. I am looking for well-written genre fiction, including thrillers, crime, historical novels, clever literary horror (not too gory), science-fiction, fantasy, romance, literary fiction that is well written with great characters and a propulsive narrative drive; and literary non-fiction including history, biography and memoir.

Judith's Manuscript Wishlist

When submitting to me, please send the full manuscript of your work, alongside your synopsis.

I'm loving reading romance at the moment: some of my favourite recent novels are: THINGS WE NEVER GOT OVER by Lucy Score; NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT by Annabel Monaghan; IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER by Tessa Bailey and HAPPY PLACE by Emily Henry. Please send me something wonderful in this area!

I love eeriness and weirdness in novels – explorations of the uncanniness and oddness (at times) of desire and how powerful our imaginations are – so Julia Armfield’s OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA is right up my street. Armfield’s examination of the shapeshifting qualities of her characters’ imaginations and bodies is disquieting, wryly funny at times, and intensely moving. I still think about this novel – it was published a few years ago – it really got under my skin. And it reminded me of that other great modern novel of big ideas and bodily transformation, UNDER THE SKIN by Michel Faber. I love that novel. My favourite uncanny read of the last few years though was Susanna Clarke’s fabulous PIRANESI. Such incredibly intricate and magical world-building, and the most delightful and loveable narrator.

I am also looking for crime fiction, please send me something new, something surprising.

What I am looking for in a submission:

I want to find joy and inspiration in the submissions I am reading. I want to read about humanity being altruistic and courageous and visionary - and overcoming the terrifying challenges of our current world and changing our future for the better for all of us. I want fiction that helps me be optimistic and hopeful and resilient. But I also want to be distracted, and taken out of myself and my own head and away from my own fears and worries and tiny first world life problems more than ever. And I want a good laugh too sometimes. So I also want fiction that is fun and immersive and distracting, and makes me want to press the novel into the hands of all my friends because it will be such a gift and a comfort to us in our troubled times.

Judith's clients