Lina Langlee is a Stockholm-born, Scotland-based agent at The North Literary Agency who hunts for high-concept commercial fiction, emotionally driven SFF and horror, and standout Middle Grade and YA — with a particular eye for diverse voices and stories that originate from the UK.
In brief
Lina Langlee is currently closed to submissions per their own agency page — verify the live form before querying.
Three-time RNA Agent of the Year shortlistee (2019, 2020, 2023), signalling strong industry recognition for their commercial fiction taste.
Their wish list spans a wide arc — commercial/high-concept fiction (romance, crime, thriller, general), accessible literary fiction, speculative fiction, SFF, horror, Middle Grade, and YA — making them a genuine multi-category agent rather than a narrow specialist.
A meaningful constraint for international writers: Lina does not typically offer representation to US-based authors, preferring to work with writers whose stories have a clear UK origin.
Despite an interest in crime and thriller, Lina explicitly steers away from political and gangland thrillers — a narrowing worth flagging before you pitch.
Lately
On a January 2025 evening, Lina posted publicly about settling in with a heated blanket, a glass of wine, a cat, and a manuscript they were clearly enjoying — a small but telling signal that they are actively reading and engaged with submissions material, and that they bring genuine personal warmth to the work of reading.
What Lina is looking for
Lina wants fiction built around a strong, irresistible hook — encompassing romance, crime, thriller, and general fiction. The concept needs to be immediately legible and commercially compelling. 'High concept' is the operative phrase: if you can't pitch it in one punchy line, rethink the framing.
Lina welcomes literary fiction that doesn't sacrifice readability — work that has genuine depth and prose ambition but still holds a broad audience. Think emotionally resonant, character-driven stories rather than formally experimental work.
Lina describes this category as 'intriguing' — they want speculative premises that genuinely surprise, alongside SFF and horror that carries real emotional weight. The emphasis on 'big emotion' elsewhere in their wishlist likely applies here too.
Lina is actively seeking Middle Grade that is fun and fantastical but also genuinely moving. All three qualities seem important — MG that is purely whimsical without emotional stakes, or purely earnest without magic and energy, probably won't land.
Lina wants YA that delivers 'big emotion' and spans genres — so genre-blending YA (e.g. YA horror, YA romance, YA speculative) is welcome as long as the emotional core is undeniable. Genre is secondary to emotional impact.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Lina
Confirm current status before doing anything else — Lina's agency page states they are closed to submissions, and the live form was observed closed as of late 2022. Do not submit until you have personally verified the form is open.
If you are based in the United States, Lina will almost certainly not be the right fit: they explicitly prefer not to represent US-based authors unless the story has a specific, demonstrable reason to originate from the UK.
Lead with your hook. Lina's first commercial-fiction criterion is a 'great hook' — your query letter should open with the most compelling, high-concept version of your premise, not with backstory or context.
Be precise about genre. Lina's list is wide, but they have stated dislikes (political and gangland thrillers). Calling your book a 'thriller' without qualifying what kind risks landing in the no pile — tell them clearly what flavour of thriller, crime, SFF, or literary fiction you've written.
For Middle Grade and YA, lead with emotion. Lina specifically calls out 'big emotion' for YA and 'moving' for MG alongside the fun/fantastical elements. Your pitch should make the emotional stakes as vivid as the premise.
Diverse voices are actively welcomed. Lina explicitly states they want to see more diverse stories and authors from all backgrounds — if your perspective or story brings underrepresented experience to the page, that is worth noting briefly in your query.