Carly Watters
P.S. Literary Agency
Carly Watters is a SVP and Senior Literary Agent at P.S. Literary. Carly Watters has a BA in English Literature from Queen’s University and a MA in Publishing Studies from City University London. Her masters thesis was on the social, political, and economic impact of literary prizes on trade publishing. She began her publishing career in London as an assistant at the Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency. Carly joined Toronto-based P.S. Literary Agency in 2010 and has sold over 100 books during her career. She represents award-winning and bestselling authors in the adult fiction and non-fiction categories, and select children’s books. She is known for her long-term vision for her authors and being an excellent collaborator with a nose for commercial success. She has close ties to publishers in the major markets and works directly with film agents to option film and TV rights to leading networks and production companies. Her clients’ books have been translated into 40 languages, optioned for TV and film, adapted into podcasts, and have been on every bestseller list from coast to coast, including the New York Times, USA Today, the LA Times, the Washington Post, the Toronto Star, and the Globe and Mail. Carly is also an annual judge for the Women’s Fiction Writing Association Rising Star Award. The popular writing podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, for which Carly is the co-host, has over 700,000 downloads.
Subject Focus
Experience
Submission Requirements
How to successfully present your work
Your submission should consist of the following: Paragraph One – Introduction: Include the title and category of your work (i.e. fiction or non-fiction and topic), an estimated word count and a brief, general introduction. Paragraph Two – Brief overview (this is where you hook us!): This should read similar to what is found on the back-cover of a published book. Paragraph Three – Creator’s bio: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background. Sample Material: If your work falls into the following categories: adult fiction, adult memoir, adult non-fiction essay collection, or children’s fiction and non-fiction, please include the first ten pages of text only (if your work is illustrated, please include a link to your portfolio or sample art) within the body of your email. Otherwise, please limit your submission to just the three paragraphs as indicated above. Tips: Do not send attachments. Please use text within the body of your email. Please do not submit a full-length manuscript/proposal unless requested. Let us know if your manuscript/proposal is currently under consideration by other agents/publishers. Address your query to the attention of the agent you feel is the best match for your work. You will receive an auto reply confirming receipt of your query. If you don’t, please check your junk/spam folder. Please do not query multiple agents at the agency simultaneously – if you don’t receive a request for further material within 4-6 weeks it means a no from the agency. We only accept submissions via email. Queries should be directed to query@psliterary.com. We do not accept or respond to phone, paper or social media queries. Please Note: If we are interested in seeing further material we normally respond within 4-6 weeks. However, the process may take longer depending on the volume of submissions we may be reviewing at a particular time. Please do not call to check on the status of your submission – if you have a question or concern with regard to your submission, email is the best way to inquire. We do not charge reading fees.