SOLD OUT! 23 February Shanika Hyslop #Agent121. Looking for: ADULT FICTION

Description

LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION

Shanika joined Madeleine Milburn Agency as a literary agent in 2025 from Penguin Random House, where she worked as an editor. She began her career with a brief stint in TV and film, before making the leap to publishing, holding roles at Hachette, Curtis Brown, Bloomsbury and most recently PRH. Over the years, she has collaborated with bestselling and award-winning authors across both fiction and non-fiction. Shanika enjoys working closely with her authors editorially and is particularly keen to find authors who want to build a long-term career in writing. Championing underrepresented voices remains central to her work.

WISH LIST

In women’s fiction and book club fiction, her taste is broad but unified by a clear hook and a voice-led narrative that carries you along effortlessly. Some of her favourites are Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, The Wedding People by Alison Espach, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid and, of course, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

Observational and tender romance with unforgettable characters that make you feel and put into words the unspoken desires we all share. Think Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, You Are Here by David Nicholls and Talking at Night by Claire Daverley.

A fun will-they-won’t-they rom com in the vein of Happy Place by Emily Henry or anything by Jilly Cooper. Shanika is particularly drawn to mature voices who explore romantic or platonic relationships; characters whose hearts may have sustained a few bruises but still burn brightly. Think Sex and the City meets Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes.

Inventive thrillers that use suspense and moral tension to explore what pushes people to their limits. For example, All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker and The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden. She loves atmospheric mysteries like The God of the Woods by Liz Moore and Exiles by Jane Harper, as well as curiously cosy crime like The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey.

Enchanting and hopeful magical realism laced with secrets and quiet mystery, such as Weyward by Emilia Hart, The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods, Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

Genre-bending historical fiction that has real depth and a rich sense of place, like The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, The Binding by Bridget Collins and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Or an all-consuming saga, the kind you disappear into, like Still Life by Sarah Winman and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

Shanika would like you to submit a covering letter, one page synopsis and the first three chapters (max 5000 words) of your completed manuscript in a single word document.

(In addition to the paid sessions, Shanika is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print). 

By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting.

The submission deadline is: Monday 16 February 2026