Una McKeown

I am a Rights Agent at Susanna Lea Associates and am starting to build a client list.

I grew up in London and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA in English in 2021. At university, I was particularly interested in contemporary West African and South Asian literature. I started as an agent’s assistant at SLA London in 2022. I now handle some translation rights and provide support with editorial work and submissions.

My favourite reads always set me at ease right away and draw me in with impressive and accessible storytelling, memorable characters or an original hook. I enjoy writing which expands my worldview, makes me laugh out loud or keeps me on my toes with its twists and turns. I welcome submissions from debut authors and I’d be keen to read across a wide range of genres and styles.

I’m looking for literary, upmarket and book club fiction, and I am always drawn to stories that explore the challenges and complexities of love and relationships in all its forms—within families, between friends or in romantic relationships. I love the way in which familial relationships are dissected in The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright and the impact of the local community in Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson. I am always drawn to novels with a strong sense of community, whether they are unified by geography, culture, or in other unexpected ways.

I have always loved reading international and translated fiction and I welcome submissions from authors writing contemporary fiction that engages with cultures and traditions from around the world, such as in voices of the deities in Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi or the subversive tales of Sayaka Murata.

I am not looking for children’s or YA titles, science fiction or high-concept fantasy, but I am open to submissions from authors writing in the speculative fiction space, and books with fantastical or otherworldly elements, be that magical realism or supernatural horror, such as Mona Awad’s campus novel with a twist, Bunny. I would also love to read more writing that engages with the natural world and reminds us of the limitations of human understanding.

In non-fiction, I enjoy books that further my understanding of wider societal issues—nature and the environment, culture, and little-known history. My recent non-fiction favourites are Eve by Cat Bohannon, Doppelgänger by Naomi Klein and Unearthed by Claire Ratinon.