Our Mentors

Amandeep joined Graham Maw Christie in 2025. Prior to this she spent 10 years working as an editor, bookseller and agent, most recently at Penguin Random House and The Good Literary Agency.

She has been a judge for the Little, Brown New Voices Award, Future Worlds Prize and Bloomsbury Mentorship Programme and is passionate about developing emerging talent. During her time as a commissioning editor, she published only debut authors and as an agent continues to champion new voices and works in-depth on concept and editorial development.

Amandeep has been a reader for WriteNow, the 4th Write Prize, BAFTA Rocliffe and HarperCollins’ Author Academy. Her authors have won or been nominated for the Creative Future Award, Austrian Science Book Prize, Pushcart Prize and Attitude Pride Award. Amandeep also speaks French and Italian (and rusty Punjabi) and is seeking books with international appeal that entertain and inform.

For non-fiction, she is looking for compelling memoir about universal experiences – Cheryl Strayed’s Wild is a favourite. Amandeep would also like to hear from academics and journalists writing for a trade audience in the areas of politics and current affairs, feminism, relationships, nature and climate crisis, science and economy.

For fiction, she is building a select list of book club and upmarket fiction – character-led stories with lots of heart, such as Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and Pod by Laline Paull. She is also seeking select fantasy and speculative fiction, from grimdark historical like RF Kuang’s Poppy War trilogy to whimsical cosy romance like Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao.

I am building a list with writers who I can work closely with to build a career. I am actively looking for voices that remain underrepresented in the publishing industry. In fiction, I read widely across literary, upmarket and book club. I am drawn to novels that examine family and relationship dynamics, sexuality, identity, and vulnerability. I am keen to hear from writers who take a fresh approach to these themes, whether that be a new perspective on a traditional narrative or a focus on characters and voices that remain underrepresented. I always want to read beautifully written novels with a strong sense of place, tangible characters and an essence that stays with you long after you’ve finished.

Some books that I have read recently that have left a lasting mark: What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt, Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt, Trespasses by Louise Kennedy, Monkey Grip by Helen Garner, My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley and Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.

In non-fiction, I enjoy narrative, memoir and essay collections. I am interested in hearing from experts, academics, critics and journalists writing about society and culture and I am excited by writers seeking to revise, reshape or revolutionise the conversation in their area of expertise. Some of my favourite titles include How To Survive A Plague by David France, The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye, the Living Autobiography Series by Deborah Levy, Last Witnesses: Unchildlike Stories by Svetlana Alexievich, King Kong Theory by Virginie Despentes. I am keen to add more cookbook and food writing to my list and am looking for emerging and distinctive voices in this area, particularly for someone who can work across both these forms. Some personal favourites include: M.F.K Fisher, Laurie Colwin, Ruby Tandoh, the Vittles Project, Ixta Belfrage, Alison Roman and Russell Norman.

Clara Foster joined Aevitas Creative Management as a literary agent in 2023, having previously spent time in a Big Five editorial department as well as other UK and US literary agencies. Editorially hands on, Clara looks for the most exciting new talent and established writers seeking to take the next step in their career, and then invests in her clients at every stage of the process: from first edits to dealmaking to publication and beyond. She is particularly keen to partner with writers who are looking to build a career from their work, and always takes a 360 approach to maximise options for client success in the long-term. Clara maintains strong relationships with editors on both sides of the Atlantic and has sold books in ‘major’ six-figure deals.

Hannah Sheppard has worked on both sides of the publishing industry. She started her career inhouse in editorial (at Macmillan Children’s Books and then at Headline, part of Hachette Publishing Group) but made the move to agenting in 2013. Working inhouse has given her invaluable insight into the workings of the industry and she brings that insight and her editorial passion to her work with the authors she represents. 

She launched her own agency is 2023 where she represents commercial fiction across the children’s and adult’s markets. She runs a monthly drop-in session on zoom to help demystify the publishing industry for authors (application form at www.hs-la.com/the-drop-in) and loves working with authors to develop their ideas for commercial success.  

Katie Fulford is an agent at Bell Lomax Moreton having joined 5 years ago after working at HarperCollins for 25 years. At HarperCollins she held a number of senior positions including Group Rights Director, Managing Director Collins non-fiction, Managing Director of Children’s and senior publishing roles in Harper Fiction, 4th Estate and William Collins.

She reads widely and has broad tastes but is looking for fiction in both book club and commercial, including and in particular high concept and hooky crime & thriller, romance that will sweep me away (spicy or not) and immersive bookclub fiction that asks questions, has memorable characters and will keep me thinking about it long after I have finished reading.