Sian Ellis-Martin

Email: sian@blakefriedmann.co.uk
Bluesky: @sianellismartin

I represent authors in a range of fiction genres from commercial to the accessible end of the literary spectrum, and I’m also looking to expand the non-fiction side of my list. I’m keen to hear from authors who feel their voice is underrepresented in publishing and it’s important to me to work with authors from a wide variety of backgrounds. I’d particularly love to read more sapphic stories across the board!

Story is key to the books I enjoy; I’m always looking for an element of plot to drive me through a novel. I want to find stories that explore big emotions in touching, memorable or simple ways. In non-fiction I like books that read almost like a story at the same time as educating and informing.

I love a love story, whether it’s a big ‘made-for-each-other’ romance like One Day by David Nicholls, or a quieter depiction of desire like The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. I’m also a big fan of rom-coms with interesting backdrops or with a focus on queer love.

Platonic relationships are just as fascinating to me, and I’d really like to represent a sweeping friendship or family saga (think Tom Lake or The Dutch House by Ann Patchett and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee). In this space, it’s really the warmth of the writing that draws me in.

In the commercial crime and thriller space, I want to read truly unputdownable standalone books with twists that you don’t see coming or mysteries that get the cogs of your brain turning. On the more upmarket end of the crime spectrum, I love books that focus on the psychology of the characters at the same time as providing pacey plot, like Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka or Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton.

I’ve also been enjoying some dystopian novels like The Compound by Aisling Rawe, I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman and Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel. In this space, I like books that don’t feel too far from the world we know and ask questions about how we live and how humans react when pushed to their limits. I’m not so into gun-slinging, action-packed dystopian stories.

I’m a mostly contemporary reader but I do dabble in historical fiction. I’m drawn to books based on real events or people or stories with a gothic or darker feel like Sarah Waters. I also enjoy when historical fiction looks at the lives of people we don’t hear so much about in periods of time that we already know well, like In Memoriam by Alice Winn.

In the non-fiction space, I look for books that read like fiction and/or draw you into a topic you never expected to be interested in (I recently loved The Wager by David Grann). I also enjoy informative books that make complicated topics accessible or shine a light on something new, like Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn or Doppelganger by Naomi Klein. I’d love to find a literary true crime story too, like This House of Grief by Helen Garner, and I’m a big fan of untold histories (think The Five by Hallie Rubenhold).

Lastly, I’m on the hunt for cookery and food writing – delicious food and uncomplicated recipes.

In case it’s helpful to know what I don’t represent, I’m not currently taking on YA, children’s, poetry, fantasy, romantasy, science fiction, diet or business projects.

Clients: Shani Akilah, Ros Anderson, Alex Clark, Jenny Glanfield, Letitia Jarrett, Leeanne O’Donnell, Cristina Wolf