Literary Agent

Olivia Maidment

Information

Liv is a Literary Agent specialising in literary and upmarket fiction, and select literary narrative non-fiction.

Biography

After graduating with a degree in English Literature and Classical Civilisation from the University of Birmingham, Liv’s first experience of publishing was with an internship at the MM Agency. She then went on to roles at The Blair Partnership and United Agents where she worked with bestselling and award winning authors, and global literary brands. Liv was thrilled to come full circle when joining the agency in 2020 to grow its literary list.

What I'm Looking For

Literary, upmarket, and book club fiction; narrative non-fiction; identity driven narratives; global voices; social, cultural, political themes; magical realism; historical fiction; multi-generational; speculative fiction; high concept stories; thought provoking narratives.

Submissions

What I'm Looking For

I am looking for engrossing, human stories that transport the reader to different times, moments, and places, with a strong voice and an original insight and perspective. I want to work with authors whose work combines important global, social, cultural, or political themes with a strong sense of plot, beautiful writing, and compelling characters. I am gripped by books with unique insights into the exploration of identity, such as Caleb Nelson’s Open Water or Torrey Peters Detransition Baby. I am also extremely passionate about novels written by global voices with a strong sense of culture, community, and place, and enlightening, compelling narratives such as Min Jin Lee’s stunning exploration of family and diaspora in Pachinko.

I am keen to find sweeping, richly detailed, and epic tales of discovery such as Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries and Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle, and I really enjoy playful narratives such as Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi or Italo Calvino’s If on a Winters Night A Traveler. I also adore novels with beautifully incorporated elements of magical realism such as Monique Roffey’s The Mermaid of Black Conch, whose use of dialect also had me glued to the page.

I am also very keen to find a thought provoking coming of age tale like Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life, Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom, or Brandon Taylor’s Real Life, and I want to amplify the voices of authors whose stories explore societal issues such as Ben Lerner’s The Topeka School or, on the book club end, Tayari Jones’ An American Marriage.

I am also looking for beautifully written, compelling narrative non-fiction.

Above all, I’m looking for stories to connect with and writing that I won’t forget.