Greyhound Literary

Julia Silk

Julia worked as a bookseller and editor for 18 years - latterly as Publisher of digital crime imprint The Murder Room at Orion - before becoming an agent in 2016, representing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction. She has an MA in Comparative Literature from UEA, and is always open to new fiction and non-fiction clients. 

In fiction she is looking for smart, compelling writing across the spectrum from commercial to literary, particularly when it opens a door into a previously inaccessible world or experience (Crazy Rich Asians, Prep), exposes our flaws and hypocrisies in new ways (Such a Fun Age, My Year of Rest and Relaxation), or upends expectations with wit and energy (My Sister the Serial Killer, Yellowface). She is also drawn to the combination of the acutely personal and the universal that makes great memoir (Educated, Wild, House of Glass), as well as the blurring of the lines of form and genre in books across categories such as true crime/memoir (The Fact of a Body) and the novel/short stories in A Visit From the Goon Squad. She is a huge fan of upmarket crime and thrillers by writers such as Gillian Flynn, Liz Nugent and Jane Harper, and is also on the lookout for immaculately voiced historical fiction that reflects contemporary preoccupations. And if you have written a novel as simultaneously bittersweet and life-affirming as Catherine Newman's We All Want Impossible Things, please send it to her immediately!

In narrative non-fiction she is keen to hear from journalists and experts illuminating new stories and previously unexplored subjects; on the practical side she represents a number of writers in health, wellbeing and lifestyle, and is interested in original evidence-based proposals in this area from experts with a strong platform. She loves to work with writers and on books that shape and change readers’ view of the world.

Julia grew up in London in a noisy Middle Eastern Jewish family, and is strongly committed to increasing representation and accessibility for writers across the industry. She regularly supports and contributes to the work of organisations and events such as Word Factory, Spread the Word, Byte the Book and the Working Class Writers Festival, through workshops, panel events, 1-2-1s and mentoring. She was the judge of the 2021 Bath Novel Award, and is on the judging panel of The Bournemouth Writing Prize, an annual international short story and poetry writing competition.

Note: Although Julia enjoys and represents speculative crossover fiction, she does not represent SFF or children's and YA (apart from by existing authors).

Julia's Clients

 Tobi Asare  - Author
Tobi Asare
Tobi Asare
Dr Paddy Barrett - Author
Dr Paddy Barrett
Dr Paddy Barrett
Leona Nichole Black - Author
Leona Nichole Black
Leona Nichole Black
 Owen Booth  - Author
Owen Booth
Owen Booth
 Luce Brett  - Author
Luce Brett
Luce Brett
Sarah Jane Butler - Author
Sarah Jane Butler
Sarah Jane Butler
Kirsty Eyre - Author
Kirsty Eyre
Kirsty Eyre
Marchelle Farrell - Author
Marchelle Farrell
Marchelle Farrell
A P Firdaus - Author
A P Firdaus
A P Firdaus
Clare Fisher - Author
Clare Fisher
Clare Fisher
Claire Gleeson - Author
Claire Gleeson
Claire Gleeson
 Sarah Graham  - Author
Sarah Graham
Sarah Graham
Hayley Gullen - Author
Hayley Gullen
Hayley Gullen
Karen Gurney - Author
Karen Gurney
Karen Gurney
Maisie Hill - Author
Maisie Hill
Maisie Hill
Heidi James - Author
Heidi James
Heidi James
 Fiona Longmuir  - Author
Fiona Longmuir
Fiona Longmuir
Amanda Mason - Author
Amanda Mason
Amanda Mason
Jen Moore - Author
Jen Moore
Jen Moore
Charlotte Ord - Author
Charlotte Ord
Charlotte Ord
 Amy Ransom  - Author
Amy Ransom
Amy Ransom
 Rebecca Rogers  - Author
Rebecca Rogers
Rebecca Rogers
 Rebecca Schiller  - Author
Rebecca Schiller
Rebecca Schiller
 Clare Seal  - Author
Clare Seal
Clare Seal
Gemma Tizzard - Author
Gemma Tizzard
Gemma Tizzard
Nikki Trott - Author
Nikki Trott
Nikki Trott
 Alcohol Change UK  - Author
Alcohol Change UK
Alcohol Change UK
Hayley Webster - Author
Hayley Webster
Hayley Webster
Penny Wincer - Author
Penny Wincer
Penny Wincer