We are so excited to welcome Katie (and Effie!)

From Katie:

Hello! I’m excited to introduce myself and tell you a bit more about the type of books I am hoping to champion in 2022 and beyond…

As someone who spent years desperate to crack into the publishing industry, I view my job as an agent as an immense privilege. I’m a keen traveller when the world is operating as normal, and I’m always looking to be transported somewhere new when I crack open a novel. I grew up in a conservative small town in the American South and books were my first window into the wider world, so the escapism and alternative worldviews that reading can provide are things I still value immensely.

Please query me with stories across any genre that have unusual and/or immersive settings as a focal point, or which bring previously unheard/suppressed perspectives to the table!

A huge focus of my list at Paper will be finding stories that uplift – after the past two years, we could all do with more books that make us smile and help restore our faith in humanity! The first major project I sold was a hilarious, heart-breaking novel about the power of dogs to bring out the best in people. My mischievous little cavapoo (Effie Doodle) is the light of my life, and I love novels that highlight how incredible animals are. Unlikely friendships are another soft spot of mine, and narratives tackling the theme of loneliness have really resonated with me lately.

That said, my tastes have a slightly twisted side as well, and I’ve always found myself drawn to stories steeped in darkness. While I don’t do gore or true horror, I do love suspense in all its forms, though even the most wicked protagonists must have some sort of redemptive quality to keep me interested. The Anna Delvey scandal kicked off an obsession in me with con artists and scammers – if you pitch me something as adjacent to The Talented Mr. Ripley, it will likely shoot straight to the top of my reading pile. I’m also a sucker for a revenge story, unreliable narrators, and any plot that might be described as ‘rich people behaving badly.’

My favourite non-client reads of 2021 were: The Maid by Nita Prose, Hostage by Clare Mackintosh, A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins, Magpie by Elizabeth Day, and The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. You’ll notice a trend there – I love a good twist! It’s rare that a story leaves me truly shocked or surprised, and I’m dying to find something for my own list that has that gasping, what the heck, chuck-the-book-across-the-room moment…

I’m also a bit of a TV junkie and what I’m watching often informs what I want to be reading. The White Lotus, Succession, Superstore, Bridgerton, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, and Ted Lasso are some recent favourites – if you’ve written a novel that would sit nicely alongside any of these, I would love to read it! I’m also addicted to reality television, and am looking for a book that speaks to that enduring phenomenon in a way that won’t feel immediately dated.

I wake up every day excited at what might tumble into my inbox, so please do send me your stories!