Finding the Hook and Launching a Literary Agency with Philippa Sitters
In this episode of The Write and Wrong Podcast, host Jamie is joined by Philippa Sitters, a literary agent who founded her own boutique agency, PSA (Philippa Sitters Agency), two years ago. Philippa talks about her uniquely direct path into the publishing industry, how she smoothly transitioned into running her own business, and the specific things she is (and isn't) looking for from querying authors.
Key Takeaways:
Unlike many agents who "fall" into the career, Philippa targeted agenting early on, using an internship at the massive Peters Fraser & Dunlop (PFD) agency to confirm she preferred the versatility of agenting over the rigidity of editorial roles.
She worked at the smaller David Godwin Associates (DGA) for a decade, moving from assistant to full agent and learning all the technical aspects needed to eventually launch her own agency, PSA, in 2024.
Philippa primarily represents adult fiction and long-form narrative non-fiction, completely avoiding children's, high fantasy, sci-fi, and heavily political or self-help books.
For fiction, she is actively hunting for crime thrillers with unique edges, fresh rom-coms, accessible literary fiction, and most importantly, genuinely funny and witty writing.
She stresses that a good query must have a "hook"—a strange edge or unique insight that separates it from standard tropes (e.g., instead of another thriller set in publishing, pitch a thriller starring a corpse-robbing funeral director).
A Direct Route to Agenting
Philippa's journey into publishing was remarkably intentional. While studying Classical Civilisation at university, she realised the publishing industry's versatility appealed to her. After moving to London to complete a Master's in Publishing, she attended a guest lecture by a literary agent. Recognising that agenting would allow her to remain "chatty" while working across a wide variety of genres—unlike the narrower focus required in traditional editorial roles—she harangued the lecturer for a business card and secured an internship at Peters Fraser & Dunlop (PFD).
While PFD was a massive, high-stress, "Devil Wears Prada"-esque environment, it cemented her desire to be an agent. She eventually moved to the smaller David Godwin Associates (DGA), where she spent a decade climbing the ranks from assistant to full agent, learning every facet of running a literary business along the way.
Launching PSA
In September 2024, Philippa took the leap and founded her own boutique agency, PSA. Because she had spent years managing contracts, finances, and office logistics at DGA, the transition was incredibly smooth. She left DGA on September 3rd and officially launched PSA just two weeks later on September 17th, complete with a self-designed logo and a website built by a friend.
Fortunately, she didn't have to face any restrictive non-compete clauses, and nearly all of her 38 authors successfully transitioned with her to the new agency. While she currently operates as a solo agent (utilising co-agents for foreign rights and film/TV deals), she hasn't ruled out expanding her team in the future.
What Philippa is Looking For (and Avoiding)
As of September 2026, Philippa is open to submissions and actively hunting for new voices. She primarily represents adult fiction and narrative non-fiction. She does not represent children's books, high fantasy, heavy sci-fi, serious political non-fiction, or self-help.
On the fiction side, she is eager to find accessible literary fiction, rom-coms (though she notes they need a highly distinctive angle right now), and crime thrillers. Most of all, she wants to be entertained. She noted a recent influx of overly serious, traumatic manuscripts in her inbox and explicitly stated a desire for more witty, funny books—even those utilising dark humour.
When evaluating queries, Philippa is looking for the "hook". She advises writers to take traditional story structures and give them a strange edge or a unique protagonist. As an example, she pointed to her client Connor Hutchinson, whose working-class Manchester novel features a funeral home director who steals jewellery from corpses to fund his gambling addiction.
A Re-Read at the Cabin
When asked what book she would take if snowed in at a cosy woodland cabin, Philippa chose Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. She explained that she read the epic, multi-generational family saga when she was 24 and has cited it as her favorite book for years. However, she would use the cabin isolation to re-read it, testing whether her professional, experienced agent brain still agrees with the 24-year-old version of herself who originally fell in love with the novel's rich, juicy writing.
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