John Baker is a genre fiction agent, specialising in fantasy, science fiction, horror and commercial crime and thriller for adult and YA readers.
During his career, John’s authors have won the Future Worlds Prize, the Imagined Futures Prize, been shortlisted for the Bradford Bose Prize, the Jhalak Prize, the Fab Prize, the BFSA, the BFA, the Shirley Jackson Awards, the Stoker Awards, have been featured on the Sunday Times & USA Today Bestseller Charts and have been adapted for global cinematic release by Oscar-winning collaborators.
What I'm looking for...
John is looking for anything under the broad church of speculative fiction, be it fantasy, science fiction, horror, romantasy, or literary speculative. John’s new role includes a foray into returnable crime & thriller, usually of the more propulsive, adventurous variety.
John has built a reputation as a champion of underrepresented voices and stories, be it from creators hailing from the global majority and their diasporas or neurodiverse authors and naturally gravitates towards this kind of storytelling. In short, if he’s never read a story like yours before, he wants to see it.
Adult fantasy: John loves beefy epic fantasy, especially non-Anglo Christian-inspired. Give him an immersive world, a fresh magical or mythic system, and an exciting cast of characters and he’ll be happy. He is a broad church in the genre so loves a political fantasy, swords and sorcery, courtly intrigue, monster hunting and dastardly villains. John is keen to find an urban fantasy that feels fresh and fun and he’s a sucker for a heroic quest narrative. He’s also very open to fantasy that isn’t easily categorised, but it is playing in that world. John is keenly hunting for more historical fantasy, especially inspired by modern history. He’s had fun with mythological retellings in the past, but as ever, let’s make sure it’s shining the spotlight on new stories. He would also love fantasy that centres on types of relationships less celebrated in fantasy, such as established and secure married couples, or siblings.
NA/YA fantasy: In this genre, most importantly, John wants to have a good time, whether it’s swoon-worthy kisses in lush ball gowns, or gruesome gore and monsters, so send him pacy, plot-filled adventures. He’d love more books that teenage boys would love, Skullduggery Pleasant forever!
Romantasy: The thriving new romantasy genre comes with its own set of challenges, so John wants to know what makes your romantasy different; what will set it out from the (very crowded!) market. Give it completely barmy stakes, cool and unique new settings, or a love story that will make your jaw drop. To be clear, he’s happily sorted for a human person meets a fae creature in the spooky woods. Also, cosmic romance is the genre of the future. Give him romantasy in space. Easy.
Horror: John and horror are old friends. He loves horror inspired by myth and folklore, subversive weird horror that leaves your eyebrows in your hairline, historical horror that pulls from ghastly true stories, and anything that you’ll be reading with the light on. He also loves a gothic element, but please be sure your haunted house with generational trauma story stands out from the crowd. John is particularly looking for horror with a strong romantic throughline, fun YA horror, and female & NB horror authors.
Science fiction: SF is coming back! And John has been shouting about that. He loves to see an adventurous found-family romp through space or an epic, crunchy space opera. Near-future isn’t where his passion lies, especially of the Black Mirror variety. He loves YA science fiction as well; the more creative the better.
Dystopia: Dystopia is a fun emerging market, but John’s loves a fresh take rather than a reply of familiar ideas.
Literary: John is open to finding more rich magical realism or something character-led yet supernatural and would love a high-concept mystery, in the vein of Stuart Turton.
Weird stuff: John wants books that will blow people’s minds and defy categorisation. This is hard to describe, but think GIDEON THE NINTH, THE LIBRARY AT MOUNT CHAR, THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR. John loves a pitch that leaves the editors baffled but intrigued.
Crime & Thriller (including Action/Adventure, Historical Adventure, Espionage): John is branching out into non-speculative adventures, such as John Le Carré, Lee Child, Ian Flemming, and Mick Herron in the adult space and Anthony Horowitz and Robert Muchamore in YA. More as his taste develops, but the hunt is on!
Not looking for: Anything with biblical “character wakes up in purgatory/heaven/hell” narratives. The right comedic fantasy has yet to hit his inbox, but please don’t comp Douglas Adams or Sir Terry.
