MY TYPICAL DAY…

Starts at my office. It’s light and bright, in an old warehouse. I keep the decor plain so I can think. I spend three days a week there and the other two I take meetings with clients. On a Monday, I put together our round-up of the books to read, interesting new deals and titles that match specific briefs for clients. It’s about putting things on their radar. Projects I’ve helped source include Adam Kay’s This Is Going To Hurt and John Marrs’ The One. Then I’ll answer emails, think about what briefs need work and what books I need to get.

I try to keep my mornings for things that require a bit more of my brain, and afternoons are for talking. I’ll schedule meetings for then because they’re energising when you have a lull. I eat lunch at my desk, usually leftovers with salad leaves thrown on top, and I try to read, which is so tricky to fit in. I like stories with a dark humour and characters that have some sort of inner conflict. I get hold of manuscripts as early as possible so I can give clients time to get together the best proposal they can if they decide to bid on it. I try to finish at 6pm.

Books job: This is what it’s really like to be a literary scout