About

Hello! I’m a freelance journalist, literary event chair, prize judge, scout and children’s writer.

After five years as a school librarian, and two years at The Bookseller magazine, while also working as the Literary Editor for ELLE UK, I’m now entirely freelance. I write primarily about books and publishing, but also the arts more broadly, and feminism and gender. As well as that, I write fiction for children, and my debut book for children aged 9 and up will be published next year by HarperCollins.

As a journalist I’ve written for places including ELLE UK, The Pool, Soho House, the Financial Times, the Independent and the LA Times. I’ve interviewed people from Margaret Atwood to Judy Blume to Carrie Hope Fletcher to Noma Dumezweni. I’ve judged the Costa Children’s Prize and the Blue Peter Book Awards. In 2015 I was shortlisted for the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize for women in publishing.

You can look at my professional portfolio for some examples of recent journalism, and I’m represented by Claire Wilson at Rogers, Coleridge and White for my fiction.

I’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in commissioning me or working with me. You can contact me at annaloisjames@gmail.com or on Twitter @acaseforbooks.