ABOUT
We represent writers and illustrators around the globe from our offices in Sydney, London, and Brussels.
The Zeitgeist Story
Zeitgeist Agency began in 2006 when Benython Oldfield and Sharon Galant met at a party in Shanghai. Sharon was running a chain of English language bookstores and Benython was scouting Chinese writers to represent. After signing a number of independent Chinese writers to their fledgling agency, both returned to their home cities – Sharon to Brussels, and Benython to Sydney. American Thomasin Chinnery joined the Brussels office in 2014 to focus on Children’s, YA and Crime. In 2023, writer and critic Samuel Bernard joined the Sydney office to focus on commercial fiction, including Crime, Psychological Thriller, and Historical Fiction. Sharon Galant opened the London office in Primrose Hill in 2024. Rushani Epa joins Sharon there to focus on global food and cookery. Maeve Carragher is our Agency Assistant.
ZEITGEIST PEOPLE
Benython
Benython Oldfield Sydney based Director of Zeitgeist Agency trained as a journalist and began his publishing life at Random House in the 1990s.
Within a few years Benython had an opportunity to go on a fact-finding tour of Chinese publishing with the legendary UK Agent Toby Eady. In the thrall of Eady’s bravado and inspired by 2000s China, Benython left Random House to find writers to agent in Shanghai. There he met his business partner Sharon Galant, who runs Zeitgeist Brussels.
Sharon
Sharon Galant is the Director of Zeitgeist Agency in Europe. She has worked in publishing and the book industry for 10 years.
She started her career with Editions Complexe, an independent publisher based in Brussels that specialises in literature, history and international relations.
In 2004 she moved to China where she managed a major English language bookstore chain (Charterhouse Bookstores). In her role as buyer and events organiser, she reviewed virtually every title published about China and met new and upcoming authors, both Chinese and long-standing expats.
Sharon is a fiction aficionado but has a soft spot for thought-provoking non-fiction. This stems from a previous career in international aid organisations (European Commission, CARE International) which brought her to live in many parts of the world, including the Middle East, Africa & Eastern Europe.
Sharon handles manuscripts in English, French and Dutch and can converse in Hebrew and Mandarin.
Thomasin
Thomasin Chinnery joined Zeitgeist in 2014 after several years as a freelance editor and translator.
Her early career was in marketing, strategic planning and project management for a Fortune-500 US corporation.
An American living in Europe for over 20 years, she speaks distinctively Mediterranean languages – French, Italian, Spanish – and loves spending any free time she has around that wonderful European sea.
Thomasin is on the lookout for great voices in Children’s books, Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Picture Books. She also loves a good Crime novel, be it Adult or Young Adult.
samuel
Samuel Bernard is a freelance writer, critic, editor, and literary prize judge, who joined Zeitgeist as a Literary Agent in 2023.
He writes for The Weekend Australian’s ‘Top 10 Books’ column, as well as an opinion column for Good Reading Magazine. His writing has also appeared in The Guardian, Mamamia, ABR, Men’s Health Magazine, The Roar, Zero Hanger, and Backstory Journal. In 2024, Samuel was asked to be an inaugural judge for 'The Australian Fiction Prize' alongside industry legends Caroline Overington and Catherine Milne, which continued into 2025. He has also been an editor for Verge Literary Journal, published by Monash University Publishing.
Samuel has a Master of Writing from Swinburne University and was working on a PhD in Creative Writing at Monash University, before deciding that the publishing industry was where he wanted to be. He has a passion for global history, including a deep interest in the world war era.
Samuel is open to receiving submissions in commercial fiction, specifically crime, psychological thriller, romance, and historical fiction. Though he isn’t averse to other genre’s of commercial fiction of course.
RUSHANI
Rushani Epa is a food and travel journalist, editor and literary agent, originally from Melbourne and now based in Italy. Her work focuses on global dining, identity and the cultural narratives that shape food and hospitality. She has written for publications including Gourmet Traveller, The Guardian, VICE, Broadsheet, SBS Food, Time Out, Good Food (The Age), and more. She is also the founder of Colournary, a multiplatform food and culture publisher centring the global majority, and was previously the food and lifestyle commissioning editor at Hardie Grant Australia.
Rushani is open to receiving submissions in nonfiction cookery, including memoir, personal essay, or cookbook. She’s also happy to consider other types of food and drink–focused nonfiction.
Maeve
Maeve Carragher joined Zeitgeist Agency in 2024 as Agency Assistant. She has a Bachelor of Media (Communications and Journalism) with a major in Art Theory from University of New South Wales. She previously worked as Associate Publicist for the Sydney Writers’ Festival and is passionate about arts and culture communications.