Emma Bal

Emma Bal is a Literary Agent specialising in non-fiction and cookery books, representing authors from around the world.

Before she was a literary agent, Emma Bal spent nearly a decade working in publishing houses – creating, leading and managing campaigns for non-fiction books at Penguin Press and then at Bloomsbury. From debuts to high-profile, award-winning experts in their fields, she launched and cultivated the literary careers of Nobel prize-winning economists, Pulitzer prize-winning journalists, historians, scientists, memoirists, activists, and poets. During this time, she worked with: Peter Frankopan, Rutger Bregman, William Dalrymple, Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina, Claudia Rankine, Pankaj Mishra, Lisa Taddeo, Owen Jones, David Kynaston, and Patricia Lockwood. She has helped create many Sunday Times bestsellers such as Three Women, Humankind, The Establishment, Somebody I Used to Know, Happiness by Design, Mudlarking and The Anarchy. Other works that she is proud to have worked on include, Familiar Stranger by Stuart Hall, She Said by Megan Twohey & Jodi Kantor and Blitzed by Norman Ohler.

Emma Bal joined the MM Agency over 3 years ago and has very quickly established an exciting and reputable non-fiction list, securing many deals for her clients around the world. She represents authors such as Corinne Fowler, Maikel Kuijpers, C. L. Skach, Dina Macki, Roopika Risam, Rebecca Clifford, Dannelle Gutarra Cordero, Alexander Hurst, Diyora Shadijanova, Anne Irfan, Ayala Panievsky, Eleanor Chan, Peter Bellerby, Wendy Lennon, Keshia Sakarah, Nicola Jane Hobbs, Miranda Malins, Hope Reese and Kate McLean.

She is looking for passionate and ambitious collaborators who want to share their ideas with the world.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to info@madeleinemilburn.com

Non-fiction submissions

Non-fiction titles are often sold on proposal with a sample of writing material, as opposed to a full draft manuscript of the book.

When submitting a non-fiction project to the agency, please start with a covering letter introducing yourself and your idea, pasting it into the designated box in the website form.

Please attach one document, containing an overview of the work and some sample writing.

Your document should include:

• What your book is about and why it needs to be written.
• Why you are best placed to write the book, with reference to your credentials or professional expertise.
• A book outline, with summaries explaining what will be addressed in each chapter.

Guidelines & Details