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Ask The Agent — Juliet Pickering
Juliet Pickering of the Blake Friedmann agency chats about the opportunities and challenges of writing for the memoir market
This feature first appeared in print in the February 2024 issue of Writing Magazine
Juliet Pickering’s literary career began at Waterstones before she joined the AP Watt Literary Agency in 2003. Ten years later, she moved to Blake Friedmann, and became Vice Head of the Book Department in 2017, and later a Director in 2020. She represents a wide range of authors, including Diane Abbott MP, Sue Cook, Lucy Mangan, and Sue Moorcroft. In the past, she has judged the Bristol Short Story Prize, the Manchester Fiction Prize, and she’s also on the board of the Working Class Writers’ Festival. In addition to representing literary, bookclub, and commercial fiction, Juliet also represents authors of pop culture, social history, food and memoir.
What is it that you enjoy about being an agent?
I love the variety of each day-no two days are the same! And I relish often being the first person to read a newly written book. It’s a real privilege!
