Daisy Chandley is an Associate Agent and assistant to Head of Books Tim Bates and Senior Agent Annabel Merullo. After graduating from the University of Oxford with a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, she joined Peters, Fraser & Dunlop in 2019.
Alongside building her own list, she works with Tim Bates as the UK sub-agent for New Directions Publishing in the US.
What I’m looking for…
I’m actively building a list of both fiction and non-fiction authors across a range of genres.
On the non-fiction side, I’m looking for bold new insights and underrepresented voices on popular science, nature writing, relationships, social issues and politics, and am always especially interested in fresh, playful and exciting writing on pop culture, love and the internet. I’d also love to see illuminating narrative non-fiction, whether a beautiful and lyrical exploration, or an enthralling and explosive deep-dive.
With fiction, my reading broadly falls into two main categories: sharp, witty and clever novels on the literary to upmarket commercial spectrum with just the right balance of emotion and edge (including literary/upmarket rom-coms as long as they’re heavy on the com), and things with a darker side, be it unputdownable psychological thrillers, uncrackable murder mysteries, or even a literary and original horror novel. With crime I prefer an amateur sleuth to a police procedural, but I’m open to anything with a strong hook and quality writing. Overall, whether it’s a delightfully fun and scandalous page-turner, or something more literary and experimental, if it’s stylish and smart, I’d love to see it. And I must admit – I’m an absolute sucker for a really good twist.
I’m also definitely interested in literary speculative fiction, though I’m not generally looking for SFF. Across the board, I’m always looking for stories that explore sexuality, race, gender, and disability, and would love to hear from writers whose voices and experiences aren’t given enough space in publishing.
A (large) handful of the authors past and present whose work I’ve loved include Patricia Lockwood, Toni Morrison, Elif Batuman, Torrey Peters, Gillian Flynn, Shirley Jackson, Raven Leilani, Max Porter, Carmen Maria Machado, Virginia Woolf, Sayaka Murata, Kiley Reid, Sally Rooney (sorry), George Saunders, Joan Didion, Amy Liptrot, Ottessa Moshfegh, J.D. Salinger, Donna Tartt, Jean Toomer, Rebecca K Reilly, Tana French, Bret Easton Ellis, and Fernanda Melchor. As of this moment, it’s a tie for my favourite book between Susannah Moore’s In The Cut and Laurie Colwin’s Happy All The Time, so about as horrific and as delightful as you can get.
I’m also very keen to see anything that shares themes or style with wonderful shows like Succession, The White Lotus, I May Destroy You, or Severance – anything that has you on the edge of your seat one minute (even if just from the world’s most awkward conversation), laughing the next, and feeling punched in the chest by the time the credits roll.
