Carla Briner

Carla has worked in international publishing for almost two decades. After growing up near Oxford in the UK, she has lived in France ever since. She began her career at Hachette Livre with commissioning editor roles at Les Deux Terres and Le Masque/JC Lattès, publishing some of the biggest names in literary and crime fiction from across the globe. After pivoting to consultancy for UK agencies such as Peters, Fraser + Dunlop, and working as an agent and translation rights manager with Barcelona-based Pontas Agency, Carla joined AJA as an agent in 2026.

She is looking for stylishly written fiction, narrative non-fiction and crime, although she is always open to fresh literary-genre crossovers and grounded speculative novels. Her ideal book is best described as plot-driven literary fiction, which combines focus on voice and character with compelling stories that resonate with readers across borders and between languages. Her taste is eclectic, from sweeping polyphonic novels to intimate narratives. She loves anything spiky, funny, unsettling or dark, and has a soft spot for messy women and families. Carla is an editorially-minded agent and experienced developmental editor, and represents authors writing in English and French.

Recent and perennial favourite reads of hers include Babel, Circe, Educated, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Fundamentally, Gone Girl, Half of a Yellow Sun, Little Fires Everywhere, My Absolute Darling, My Sister the Serial Killer, Never Let Me Go, Notes on an Execution, Pelican Girls, Rebecca, The Anomaly, The God of the Woods, The Island, The Ministry of Time, The Most Fun We Ever Had, The Paper Palace, The Perfect Nanny, The Safekeep, The Secret History, The Thursday Murder Club, Yellowface.