Sarah Williams - Editor
Experienced literary agent editing and selling bestselling memoir, crime & thrillers, self-help, nature and travel writing.
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Overview
I have over a decade of experience as a literary agent looking to spot incredible talent in my submissions and then working with my authors to create and sell their books to publishers. While my client list is pretty full, I absolutely love working with new and emerging writers to help them craft the best possible opening to their book that is going to get the attention of the right agent for their work.
If you are thinking of submitting your work to an agent and want an editorial assessment or to craft a knockout submission package (query letter, synopsis, first 50 pages) that will get the attention of the right agent for your work, I can help.
I know what makes a query letter stand out (and what gets a submission rejected) and have weekly conversations with editors so I have a good sense of their acquisition meetings and how to get the pitch just right. The first few chapters are the pages that I spend the most time editing with my authors - they have to be unputdownable and I love working to get them just right. Above all, I hope my strength lies in finding the balance between creating a book that will find success in the current market as well as ensuring that the work remains true to the writer.
My areas of speciality are memoir, crime & thriller, contemporary fiction, self-help & development and travel & nature writing. My authors have been bestsellers or shortlisted/won awards in all of these genres and many of them have had their books optioned for film and television.
My authors would probably say that I pay incredible attention to the text, am really approachable and understand that good humour is just as essential as thoughtful consideration of their work.
Languages
English (CAN)
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Nature
Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Travel
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Psychological Thriller
Work experience
Director & Agent
Sophie Hicks Agency
July, 2014
–
Present
(over 8 years)
I represent a wide range of internationally bestselling authors in both fiction and non-fiction. My authors work in the areas of memoir, reading group fiction, crime and thrillers, literary fiction, self-help and development, travel and nature writing. I run the film and television side of the agency and work with production companies and studios to sell the dramatic rights to our authors' written work.
Agent
Ed Victor Ltd
October, 2010
–
June, 2014
(over 3 years)
Portfolio (10 selected works)
Things I Learned from Falling
Nelson, Claire
I Am An Island
Tamsin Calidas
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Memoir of the year' - Vogue'A wondrous, sensuous memoir of salt-stung survival . . . clear-eyed and poetic prose' Sunday Times'A fascinating memoir' - Daily MailWhen Tamsin Calidas first arrives on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides, it feels like coming home. Disenchanted by London, she and her husband left the city and high-flying careers to move the 500 mil... read more
Close To Me
Amanda Reynolds
*** NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES, STARRING CONNIE NIELSEN AND CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON *** She can't remember the last year. Her husband wants to keep it that way.Dramatic psychological suspense for fans of Liane Moriarty's Apples Never Fall, Gillian McAllister's That Night and Claire Douglas's The Couple at No. 9.When Jo Harding falls down the stairs at home, she wakes up in hospital with partial amnes... read more
Weightless
Sarah Bannan
Adamsville wasn't a place that people came to. It was a place you were from, where you were born, where you were raised, where you stayed...Before Carolyn Lessing arrived, nothing much had ever happened in Adamsville, Alabama. Each week, at dinner tables and in the high school assembly, everyone would pray for the football team to win. Each year, the Adams High hotlist would be updated, and gi... read more
How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life
Johansen, Signe
I Found My Tribe
Ruth Fitzmaurice
‘I Found My Tribe is inspiring, humbling and a picture of what love really looks like’ Marian KeyesAn invocation to all of us to love as hard as we can, and live even harder, I Found My Tribe is an urgent and uplifting letter to a husband, family, friends, the natural world and the brightness of life.Ruth’s tribe are her lively children and her filmmaker husband, Simon, who has Motor Neurone D... read more
The Hidden Wife
Amanda Reynolds
'Tremendous. Tight plotting and strong writing carries the narrative along to a chilling conclusion' HARRIET TYCE, AUTHOR OF BLOOD ORANGEA STUNNING NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER, FROM THE AUTHOR OF CLOSE TO ME AND LYING TO YOUEvery marriage has its problems. But would Julia Blake really have just walked out of hers, leaving no trace?Max Blake knows more about his wife's disappearance than he's le... read more
The Last Diet
Shahroo Izadi
'No banned foods, no recipes, no fads – psychologist and addiction expert Shahroo Izadi’s weight-loss book is all about changing the way you relate to what you eat.' – The TimesThis is the last diet you'll ever need. Transform your relationship with food and your body for good with The Last Diet from Behavioural Change Specialist, Shahroo Izadi. Shahroo Izadi presents the best approach to losi... read more
The Mystery of Love
Andrew Meehan
CONSTANCE WILDE'S MARRIAGE HAS ENDED. Making a new life in Europe, she reflects on her marriage with Oscar Wilde. Despite her family's warnings, his affairs and his spending, she knows they loved each other in their own way.In this witty and unsentimental reimagining, Andrew Meehan gives a voice to a woman often relegated to the footnotes of her husband's history, and gives new life to a marri... read more
Sarah has 9 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
I engaged Sarah as my editor on my debut novel, and I could not have been happier with her services. Her editorial points were well taken, and she delivered her editorial assessment in a very timely manner. I highly recommend her to potential authors Bill H.
William Hyl, March 2023
This was an easy across-the-board five-star review to leave. Sarah's review of my agent query letter exceeded both my hopes and my expectations. Her work was thorough, insightful, and fit perfectly with current requirements of the literary marketplace. I am completely happy with the final product and feel a high-degree of confidence in submitting the new version of my query letter to agents. As...
Read more
Dave Kunz, March 2023
Thanks to Sarah's thoughtful and constructive feedback, I am beginning my second draft with a confidence I did not have before. I now have much more direction and a belief in myself that I can do my story the justice it deserves. Thank you Sarah for your time, your kindness and your professional guidance. Because of our collaboration I am more determined than ever to do this!
Melissa Gallagher, January 2023
I'd highly recommend Sarah. She provided me with very detailed notes for how to improve my memoir manuscript. Her support and encouragement mean a lot to me. Thanks much, Sarah!
Shigeko Ito, November 2022
I have been very impressed with Sarah's comments and her overview of the project as it currently stands. She has been encouraging and insightful, and wonderfully generous in answering all my questions (of which there were many!) It has been a pleasure to work with her.
Rose Hurst, September 2022
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