🎙 INTERVIEW: Behind the Scenes with Literary Agent Liv Maidment (Madeline Milburn Agency)
​** This is a LIVE interview with Literary Agent Liv Maidment about the craft of writing and reality of building a writing career. Attendees will be sent a recording after the interview. **
​What exactly is “book club fiction”? How do agents define “upmarket” or “literary” fiction, and what makes a manuscript in these categories irresistible?
​As Head of Books at the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency, Liv Maidment represents a prizewinning list of literary, upmarket, and book club fiction. She has worked with bestselling authors and global literary brands, brokered major deals on both sides of the Atlantic, and guided debut and established authors through every stage of their careers.
​In this conversation, Liv will take us inside the agenting process: what she’s looking for, how the market for literary fiction is evolving, and the strategies that can help writers stand out in a crowded field. She’ll also share insights into the career path of a literary agent and reflect on how technology (including AI) is shaping her work.
​We’ll explore:
​What she’s looking for in the literary, upmarket, and book club space
​The current state of publishing and the market for literary fiction
​How to make your query letters and manuscripts stand out
​Etiquette for following up with agents
​Behind-the-scenes insights into her daily work
​The career trajectory of a literary agent
​How AI is affecting the industry and her role
​About Liv Maidment
​Liv Maidment is Head of Books at MMA. She joined the agency in 2020 where she represents a prizewinning list of literary, upmarket, and book club fiction.
​Liv came to MMA from The Blair Partnership and United Agents. Over the course of her career, she has worked with bestselling authors and global literary brands as well as multiple winners and shortlistees of prestigious awards such as the Booker Prize, Women’s Prize, and the Costa/Nero Book of the Year. She has brokered multiple major deals in the UK and North America for her client list and works closely with debut and established authors at every stage of their career.
​Liv’s client list includes OisĂn McKenna, author of EVENINGS & WEEKENDS, one of the bestselling debuts of 2024, acclaimed bestselling novelist of OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA and PRIVATE RITES Julia Armfield, Nero shortlist author Freya Bromley and her debut novel A REAL PIECE OF WORK, multi-award winning novelist Sarvat Hasin author of THE GIANT DARK, and Sufiyaan Salam, winner of the Merky Prize 2024 for his debut WIMMY ROAD BOYZ, amongst many others.Â
​Your London Writers' Salon Hosts:
​Parul Bavishi and Matt Trinetti are the co-founders of the London Writers' Salon, creators of the webby-nominated Writers' Hour daily writing sessions, and hosts of the London Writers' Salon podcast.
​Parul Bavishi has been an editor for over a decade. In addition to running LWS she helps thriller, YA and non-fiction writers level up their craft and get published. She writes and edits for the Story Grid. She has worked as an editor and literary scout at Random House, Quercus & Eccles Fisher. She analyses TV hit shows (Killing Eve, Ozark, Game of Thrones) on the Story Grid Showrunners Podcast.
​Matt Trinetti is a writer, publisher, TEDx speaker, and facilitator. In addition to running LWS, Matt designs programs to help unfulfilled professionals pursue creative work, start businesses, and reinvent their careers. Matt's work has appeared in Quartz, Observer, Creative Mornings, and on his blog GiveLiveExplore.
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