Carly Watters is a Toronto-based P.S. Literary Agency agent whose sweet spot sits at the crossroads of commercial ambition and genuine ideas — fiction that sparks book-club conversation and nonfiction that builds on real expertise and a proven platform.
In brief
Carly Watters is primarily a fiction-forward agent whose stated wish list skews heavily toward the upmarket commercial spectrum — book-club fiction, women's fiction, domestic suspense, and literary mystery — making them a strong target for writers who sit between 'literary' and 'commercial.'
On the nonfiction side, platform is non-negotiable: Watters explicitly requires demonstrable expertise and a quantifiable market, signaling that a compelling concept alone will not move the needle without credentials or an audience behind it.
Their podcast consumption list — spanning pop-psychology, cultural criticism, wellness, personal finance, and tech — is a direct window into the kinds of ideas they find commercially viable for nonfiction; proposals that echo those conversations are well-positioned.
Watters actively and enthusiastically invites queries from LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC writers, signaling this is a genuine priority rather than a checkbox.
The agency does not allow simultaneous queries to multiple agents on the same team, and a non-response within 4–6 weeks functions as a formal pass — writers should plan accordingly.
Lately
Watters publicly identifies a strong preference for fiction that sparks conversation — the throughline in their current wish list is the 'book people want to talk about,' whether that's upmarket literary fiction or commercially driven women's fiction.
What Carly is looking for
This is Watters's stated center of gravity. They want fiction that earns a 'What did you think?' text — stories with enough commercial pull to attract a wide readership and enough thematic depth to generate genuine discussion. Upmarket women's fiction and family sagas with layered emotional stakes fit squarely here.
Watters welcomes both purely commercial reads and the more literary end of women's fiction. Romcoms and contemporary romance are included in the broader fiction remit. Voice, emotional resonance, and a clear sense of the intended audience matter as much as plot.
Psychological thrillers and domestic suspense with literary sensibility are a clear priority. Watters lists both 'psychological thriller' and 'domestic thriller' as active fiction interests, suggesting they want suspense that does more than deliver plot mechanics — atmosphere, character interiority, and moral complexity are expected.
Historical fiction is listed as a sought category but is not foregrounded as urgently as the contemporary-set fiction areas. Stories with a strong narrative engine and relevance to contemporary themes will land best.
Watters's podcast diet — leaning hard into pop-psychology, behavioral economics, wellness culture, tech criticism, and cultural analysis — maps almost perfectly onto the kinds of nonfiction ideas they seek. Proposals in this space must come with a clear author platform and a defined, measurable readership.
Cookbooks, health and wellness, relationships, and parenting titles are welcome, but the platform requirement applies here as forcefully as anywhere: Watters needs to see that the author already has an audience and credible expertise. A strong concept without reach will not be sufficient.
Watters is drawn to memoirs that break from the expected arc and narrative nonfiction that reads with the propulsion of good fiction. 'Unique' is the operative word for memoir — a story needs a genuinely distinctive angle or voice to stand out in a crowded category.
Speculative elements and magical realism appear in Watters's listed fiction interests, but this sits alongside a clear exclusion of high fantasy. The implication is that grounded, character-led speculative work — especially when it intersects with literary or book-club sensibilities — may be considered, while epic or world-building-heavy fantasy is a firm no.
Not the right fit
On Carly's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Carly
Send a single query letter in the body of the email — no attachments, no manuscript pages, no proposal unless specifically requested.
Structure the query in exactly three paragraphs: (1) title, category, word count, and brief introduction; (2) back-cover-style overview of the book; (3) your author bio, including awards and relevant affiliations.
Address the query directly to Carly Watters by name — the agency wants writers to confirm the agent is the right fit before querying.
Do not query any other P.S. Literary agent at the same time; the agency treats simultaneous internal queries as disqualifying.
If you haven't heard back within 4–6 weeks, treat that silence as a pass — the agency does not send rejections, and following up by phone is explicitly unwelcome.
For nonfiction, build the case for your platform in the bio paragraph: quantify your audience reach, credentials, and market access — Watters requires demonstrable expertise, not just a strong concept.
If your fiction has a speculative or magical-realist element, foreground the character and literary stakes rather than the world-building; Watters's interest in this space is clearly filtered toward the literary end, not high-fantasy territory.
Mining Watters's stated podcast interests (cultural criticism, pop psychology, wellness, tech, personal finance, feminism) and framing a nonfiction proposal in conversation with those cultural conversations is a concrete way to signal alignment.
Disclose in the query if your manuscript is simultaneously under consideration elsewhere — the agency expects this transparency.
Writers from LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities are explicitly welcomed and encouraged to query.