Six Questions for Elly James: Meet the Faculty of How To Be A Happy And Successful Writer

This September, eighteen writers will arrive on Naxos with laptops, notebooks, half-finished manuscripts, and the idea that won't leave them alone. They'll spend six days at Lianos Village Hotel with three people who've spent their careers on the other side of the desk - and who are very good at helping writers get to the right side of it.

It's called How To Be A Happy And Successful Writer, and it's the retreat for writers who need structure, guidance, and honest industry insight without the bootcamp mentality. Mornings are for workshops. Afternoons are yours. Evenings are for long meals and longer conversations.

Before we all head to Greece, we sat down with literary agent Elly James to talk about what makes her sit up, what makes her say yes, and what she'd do with an unlimited TV budget.

Meet the Faculty

Sophie Hannah is a Sunday Times, New York Times, USA Today and Amazon Kindle No. 1 bestselling crime writer whose books have sold more than five million copies and are published in over 50 countries. She's the author of the new series of Hercule Poirot mystery novels, winner of the Dagger in the Library Award in 2023, and the UK National Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year in 2013. Sophie is the founder, CEO and coach of Dream Author Coaching Ltd, where she's helped thousands of writers since 2019. She helped create the Masters Degree in Crime and Thriller Writing at the University of Cambridge and is a Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College. Her murder mystery musical movie, The Mystery of Mr E, is available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

Elly James is a literary agent and sole director of HHB Agency, where she's worked since 2007 alongside founder Heather Holden-Brown before taking the helm in 2024. Before publishing, she worked in television and film development - finding great storytellers and people with original voices, which is still what drives her as an agent. She represents quality commercial and literary fiction, thrillers, memoir, and non-fiction that opens up worlds readers don't know much about. At the retreat, Elly leads sessions on the role of the literary agent and gives every writer a one-to-one pitch session.

Jamie Hodder-Williams spent over thirty years at Hodder & Stoughton, twenty of them as Managing Director and CEO, before founding Bedford Square Publishers in 2022. He started his career at a small chain of Scottish booksellers and joined Hodder as a management trainee, working his way through every part of the business. Now running his own independent publishing house, Jamie brings a publisher's perspective to the retreat - what gets a manuscript noticed, what gets it acquired, and what happens after the deal is done.

Six Questions for Elly James

You moved from TV and film development into publishing. What's the one thing about the book world that still surprises you - in a good way?

That the power lies with readers.  We try to predict trends or convince publishers of a particular book’s appeal but, in the end, it’s the readers that decide.  

At the retreat, every writer gets a one-to-one pitch session with you. What's the pitch that makes you sit up – either the idea itself, or the way it's told? Is there a tell that someone's got something special before they've even finished the first sentence?

I can usually tell quite quickly whether someone is pitching a book I’d be excited by.  I’m looking for the immediate skin prickle.  It’s a skill to be able to really ‘sell’ your book special and identify what makes it special - it’ll be different for every writer.  For some it’s the inspiration behind the story.  For others, a powerful question or conundrum that hums through the book.  For another person it might be an unforgettable character thrown into an impossible situation.  But it needs to be memorable and ideally the author can communicate it in a few powerful sentences. 

You represent such a range - fiction, thrillers, memoir, non-fiction. What's the thread that connects the books you say yes to, across all of it?

If I can see the market.  If I’m left thinking ‘I know who would love this book’….  that’s the first step in me starting to have a vision of how I could represent it successfully.  We’re a small agency so I only take on new authors when I am really convinced I can do the best job for them.

Writers spend a lot of time worrying about how to approach an agent. What's the thing they do in a submission that makes you want to say "yes" before you've even finished the first page?

There is no one magic trick I’m afraid.  But following submission guidelines, keeping the pitch really tight (not just a repeat of the synopsis), showing you understand your market and would be a good person to work with all help to make a positive initial impression. 

You've been at HHB since 2007 and took the helm in 2024. What's changed about what makes a book sell - and what hasn't changed at all?

This is quite tricky to answer as quick fire but the short answer to what’s changed is technology.  Digital publishing, Kindle Unlimited and BookTok have had a huge impact.  And our dwindling attention spans are not helping quieter books find their place.  What hasn’t changed…  Getting the package right is still key.

You worked in television before books. If you could cast one of your authors' novels as a TV series with an unlimited budget, who's the showrunner and why?

I can’t possibly choose just one of my authors’ books – it would be like picking a favourite child - but I’ll take Jessie Armstrong because I think he’s brilliant.  

How To Be A Happy And Successful Writer runs 20-26 September 2026 at Lianos Village Hotel, Naxos, Greece. Find out more and reserve your place at naxoscreative.com.

Find out more and reserve your place at naxoscreative.com. We have one place come available due to sickness