Matilda Forbes Watson

Matilda is a Partner and Co-Head of the UK Book division, having joined WME in 2013. She represents a diverse list of bestselling adult fiction and non-fiction and is actively looking to take on new clients. She loves to work with debut authors in the early stages of developing a project but also has experience of taking on writers with established careers. She works side-by-side with authors at every stage, from submission through to publication, as well as in connecting them with the many specialists and resources available at WME.

Among Matilda’s clients are, TikTok and Instagram’s YOUR POCKET THERAPIST, Dr Annie Zimmerman, scientists Dr Emily Leeming, author of GENIUS GUT, and Dr Rayyan Zafar, author of THE VULNERABLE BRAIN. She works with Akala, who wrote the Sunday Times bestseller NATIVES and Ben Francis, founder of Gymshark. Matilda also looks after the UK careers of a list of American authors, such as Judy Blume, Tina Brown, Laura Dave, Jhumpa Lahiri and Amor Towles, as well as Dave Grohl and Quentin Tarantino on the literary side.

In non-fiction, Matilda is interested in extraordinary untold stories, big ideas, smart thinking, investigative journalism, and agenda-setting books – she loved EDUCATED, EMPIRE OF PAIN, THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE, THE CREATIVE ACT and THE COURAGE TO BE DISLIKED. She is keen to read proposals by professionals, experts, or writers with a platform, which explore how we live and how we might live better, offering the reader understanding and practical suggestions to implement change. Some examples include ATOMIC HABITS, LET THEM as well as books in the vein of MATING IN CAPTIVITY, WHY WE SLEEP or FOUR THOUSAND WEEKS, which zoom in on a universal part of life with a unique perspective. Matilda would like to find standout UK voices writing for readers of Glennon Doyle, Gabor Mate or Brené Brown who address how we feel. Finally, she is looking for brave, unapologetic, intimate stories like THREE WOMEN, anything by Elizabeth Gilbert or Jennette McCurdy’s I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED. In fiction, she is drawn to voice or character-driven novels set in the real world, with high emotional stakes and a strong hook. She loves Meg Wolitzer, Curtis Sittenfeld, Sally Rooney, Miranda July and Gwendoline Riley.

For fiction, please include a covering letter, synopsis, and either the first three chapters or the first fifty pages.

For non-fiction, please send a covering letter, a full outline, and if possible a sample chapter.

Please include your bio as part of all submissions.