Rachel Neely

“Whether literary or commercial, I generally prefer darker stories – my favourite books centre characters with tragic fates, dark pasts or buried trauma.”

Rachel Neely began her publishing career over a decade ago at HarperCollins, after completing an undergraduate degree in English Literature at the University of St Andrews and a masters in English and American Literature at the University of Oxford. From HarperCollins she moved to Hachette, where she worked as an editor for the next six years, most recently as a Commissioning Editor at Orion.

Rachel’s experience as an editor, at two of the UK’s largest publishing houses, very much informs her agenting style. She brings a sharp editorial eye to manuscripts and loves working collaboratively with authors to help them craft the best possible version of the story they want to tell. She cares deeply about developing fulfilling careers for her clients.

Rachel joined Mushens Entertainment in 2022 and started building her own list. In August 2023 she was promoted to Literary Agent after covering Juliet Mushen’s maternity leave and securing multiple significant and major six-figure deals for her clients. In 2024 Rachel was named one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars.

Rachel is actively growing her list across a wide variety of genres.

You can follow her on instagram at @rachelneelyagent.

Submitting to Rachel

Rachel is looking for: On the upmarket side, I’d like to see emotionally-charged book-club fiction, literary crime, literary speculative fiction, literary love stories, dark academia, weird-girl fiction and upmarket horror. On the commercial side I’m looking for epic fantasy series, romantasy, dystopian romance and thrillers. I would also love to see more concept-led fiction, whether upmarket or commercial.

Rachel is not currently looking for: urban fantasy, historical pre 1950s, women’s fiction, rom-coms, uplit, dark romance, romantic suspense, cosy crime, YA, MG or children’s.

Books she would have loved to represent include: The Husbands, Yesteryear, Fundamentally, Eileen,The Wedding People, The List, The Names, The Girls, The Time Traveller’s Wife, The Secret History, The Eyes Are the Best Part, Bunny, Private Rites, Portrait of a Thief, Sharp Objects, The Hunting Party, The Talented Mr Ripley, Fourth Wing, Heavenly Bodies, To Cage a Wild Bird and A Deadly Education.

Rachel would particularly love to see: epic fantasy, romantasy and dystopian romance featuring trials – the deadlier the better; dark academic settings – whether school or university or beyond; weird girl novels that engage with female rage or hunger; upmarket contemporary horror, with a particular soft spot for femgore or allegorical horror that explores social issues; outsiders trying to break into the world of the privileged and morally bankrupt; a high-stakes heist novel; a locked room thriller in a unique location that informs the plot or does something surprising with the classic set-up; thrillers set in the 90s; a thriller with a teenage strand or protagonists in their early twenties; a skewering trad-wife novel; a literary love story that will leave readers devastated.

Rachel says . . . ‘Whether commercial or literary, or something in between, I am looking to connect with authors who can match a distinctive voice with an equally compelling plot. I have the privilege of working with a lot of debut authors, and enjoy championing their work from submission to publication and beyond. I would also particularly like to find authors from underrepresented groups, whose stories reflect experiences that are shared by many but, as of yet, under-explored in the fiction market.’

Submit to Mushens Entertainment

Rachel’s Clients

Faith Gladwin

Rhiannon Barnsley

Carmella Lowkis