Francesca Ali

Francesca joined WME in 2019 and is based in the London office. She sells UK rights for WME’s incredible array of US-based authors and is actively searching for new clients for her own list. She is editorially focussed and has a passion for working alongside authors from the conception of their idea to the final manuscript.

In fiction, Francesca is primarily interested in science-fiction, fantasy, and speculative works but is also looking for graphic novels, Young Adult, and Middle Grade titles. She enjoys a project with an expansive world that prioritises character at heart and leans literary in tone. Romance is a plus but should not be the driving factor of the narrative. High on her list is science-fiction that plays with form and takes the genre in new directions (like This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone and The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao). Any fantasy that will need a map at the front of the book and a glossary at the back will be immediately captivating!

For Childrens’, she is looking for adventures that explore themes of growing up, and the ‘greyness’ of morality and villains. There always has to be an element of magic, whether in a fantastical or contemporary setting, but the less classroom antics the better.

In non-fiction, Francesca is drawn to queer and neurodivergent stories, works that reframe historical narratives, and illustrated memoir. She is looking for writing that weaves the wider exploration of a subject with a personal and intimate lense.

Some of her favourite books and authors are: Uprooted by Naomi Novik, The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers, Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, Bridget Collins, Rick Riordan, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, R.F. Kuang, Samantha Shannon, and Madeline Miller.

In the UK, Francesca represents Monique Hazel, Victoria Nghiem, and Esmé Sawyers. Alongside her US colleagues, she represents Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada, Henry Neff, Aimee Phan, Felicia Day, Cat Dang, and handles Bess Kalb’s picture books. Follow her on Twitter @francescaali5.