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Ask The Agent — Kerry-Ann Bentley
Simon Whaley chats to Kerry-Ann Bentley of The Good Literary Agency, about the challenges poets face in securing an agent
Kerry-Ann Bentley graduated with a First-class degree in English and United States Literature from the University of Essex. Then she earned her Masters in Caribbean Literature and its Diasporas from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her agenting career began in 2020, in the New York office of Janklow & Nesbit. Since then, she’s moved to The Good Literary Agency, a social enterprise agency based in Bristol, which supports under-represented writers of colour, disability, LGBTQ+, working class and those who feel under-represented by the mainstream publishing industry. Kerry-Ann’s clients include Koushik Banerjea, Charlie Castelletti, Cailin Hargreaves, Dr Leanne Levers, Karla Neblett, Gemma Weekes, and Alex Wheatle.
What first led you to becoming a literary agent?
I knew I wanted to become a literary agent after a summer internship in New York City in 2017. I was studying abroad in New Hampshire and thought that I wanted to become an editor…
