This is where Banks's commercial muscle is most visible. The deal record shows a clear pattern of inventive, voice-driven crime that appeals simultaneously to UK and North American audiences. Janice Hallett's epistolary, puzzle-box mysteries are the benchmark: witty, structurally adventurous, and firmly rooted in a British sensibility while crossing markets. Banks looks for crime and mystery that has something formally or conceptually distinctive — not just another domestic thriller, but a book with a clear hook and wide genre appeal.

Banks states openly that championing a good romance is a constant priority, and the sales record confirms it. Both Julie Soto and Kate Goldbeck produced USA Today bestsellers under Banks's representation, with deals spanning major UK and US imprints. The pitches that landed were fresh, witty, and modern in their treatment of relationships — Banks is particularly drawn to romance with emotional depth and a contemporary sensibility that resonates across the Atlantic.

A long-standing strength: Banks has sold multiple series and standalone novels in this space, consistently placing them with major UK publishers and achieving bestseller status across platforms. The sweet spot is emotionally resonant stories about women navigating significant life transitions — grief, reinvention, family rupture — written with warmth and readability. Books that travel internationally (as evidenced by Catherine Robertson's five number-one bestsellers in New Zealand and Felicity Hayes-McCoy's Irish series) have a particular edge.

Banks describes actively seeking fiction that will 'ignite discussion' — work that has the depth of literary fiction but the accessibility and narrative drive to reach a wide readership. Paterson Joseph's debut is the standout example: a richly researched, historically grounded novel that won multiple prizes and attracted extensive press coverage. Rachel Elliott's Women's Prize longlisted work shows Banks also values quieter, more interior literary voices when they are distinctive enough.

Confirmed via deal record rather than explicit wishlist statements. Banks has sold both prize-winning literary historical fiction (Paterson Joseph) and historical crime (Robert J. Lloyd, Sarah Sigal). The through-line is narrative momentum and a fresh angle on period — Banks appears drawn to historical work that doesn't feel hermetically sealed in its era but speaks to contemporary preoccupations.

Banks has positioned memoir as a distinct interest, particularly work that can anchor a broader cultural conversation. The deal record includes Eva Schloss's Holocaust survival memoir, the ecological rewilding memoir Spring Tides, and Paterson Joseph's Shakespeare memoir — a varied slate united by the potential to reach readers beyond a niche audience. Banks explicitly names memoir as a current focus alongside discussion-sparking fiction.

Present in the earlier deal record (Michelle Frances, Jane Lythell, Catherine Cooper) but Banks's more recent acquisitions have tilted toward puzzle-driven crime and romance rather than domestic psychological suspense. Still a plausible fit if the project is genuinely distinctive and has a clear transatlantic commercial proposition, but this category now appears to occupy a less central position than it once did.

Banks has sold middle grade — including Janice Hallett's new series to Puffin and Rachael King's The Grimmelings to Guppy Books — but this appears to be a category Banks enters when a client relationship or exceptional project warrants it, not a primary acquisition focus for new writers. Query with caution unless the project is exceptional.