We are always excited to read submissions from potential new clients. To submit your work for consideration, please read about what we’re looking for below, then email the first three chapters along with a synopsis (preferably as a Word document) and covering letter to either Ella, Bryony or Camille, using the email addresses below. Please do not send your work to more than one of us. If we feel that your submission is more suited to another agent within the agency, we will pass it on to them. We welcome and actively encourage submissions from authors of all backgrounds, including those currently under-represented in publishing. Whilst we do consider submissions from international authors, given that we are based in the United Kingdom, we feel that US-based authors will generally be better served by a US-based agent.
Your covering letter should focus on telling us what your book is about, and include a short biography about yourself and any previous writing experience. We do not believe in asking authors to send us their material on an exclusive basis, as it is not in your best interests to do so; however, we do ask that you let us know if another agent is considering your full manuscript. We do not charge a reading fee. Please note our privacy notice which lays out how we use your personal data in a GDPR compliant manner.
You will receive an automatic acknowledgement when your submission has been safely received. We aim to respond to all submissions within six weeks, however during busy periods it may take up to twelve weeks.
I love the creative side of the agent/author relationship, and finding authors bursting with energy and ideas. I’m particularly looking for commercial and upmarket fiction with a compelling story and a confident, distinctive writing voice, whether it’s historical, contemporary, uplifting women’s fiction, crime/thriller, or speculative fiction. I am also looking for children’s fiction for the 9-12 and YA age groups in any genre. Please note I am not looking for any adult fantasy for the time being.
I want there to be a sense of purpose and direction to the story, which might be driven by the emotional journey the character goes on, or by a strong, pacy plot with an intriguing concept or ‘hook’ at the heart of the story that’s going to immediately pique my curiosity. I need realistic and engaging characters who I’m going to care about and want to champion, authentic dialogue, and vivid, immersive settings, so I can sink into the world of the story. Some of my favourite fiction reads of recent years (besides my own clients’ books!) that exemplify my taste include The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, Little Deaths by Emma Flint, My Name Is Leon by Kit de Waal, The Passage by Justin Cronin, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Dear Mrs. Bird by A. J. Pearce, The Last by Hanna Jameson, and Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver.
I am also interested in distinctive memoir, and in narrative non-fiction, focusing on social and cultural topics (both contemporary and historical), historical biography and archaeology. Recent non-fiction I’ve enjoyed includes Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte, Step by Step by Simon Reeve, and Lady Fanshawe’s Receipt Book by Lucy Moore.
I’m open to books in almost any genre, whether for adult readers, young adults or children from age 7+. My reading taste is fairly eclectic, and covers commercial to literary and everything in between.
At the moment I’d particularly love to find some beautifully written, upmarket contemporary novels; books about friendships and platonic love; thought-provoking sci-fi or richly imagined fantasy worlds; brilliant, sweeping love stories on an epic canvas; found families, or novels about finding love in unexpected places; something that truly makes me laugh; fairy tales, or anything darkly magical; books that surprise me; books that will break my heart; books that are full of hope.
I tend to avoid anything particularly gritty or depressing, so crime novels or harrowing psychological thrillers are likely to be a no. I also don’t represent children’s picture books, or poetry collections. The non-fiction side of my list is small, but I have been known to fall for a beautiful memoir or a moving collection of essays.
Aside from my own list, authors I’ve particularly enjoyed reading over the last few years include Ted Chiang, Naomi Novik, Eva Ibbotson, R F Kuang, Maeve Binchy, Alice Oseman, Octavia Butler and Gabrielle Zevin, among many others.
As an agent, people always ask me what I’m ‘looking for’ in a manuscript. I hope the above gives you a good idea, but the honest answer is that I never truly know until I’ve found it. All of my favourite books are ones I didn’t know I was looking for, but once I had found them, I simply couldn’t imagine my life without them.
In MG, I am drawn to stories with lots of heart and written in a lyrical tone which convey a sense of wonder and warmth and which would not be amiss as a modern classic – think Katya Balen, Jenny Nimmo or Cornelia Funke. I am always on the lookout for writers with the inventiveness and world-building skills of Frances Hardinge or Malorie Blackman. I am also very keen to see stories that hover on the cusp between MG and teen, with darker themes and complex plotting, particularly when combined with action-packed sequences and acerbic wit, in the style of Jonathan Stroud’s brilliant Lockwood and Co series.
In YA, I’m open to seeing all genres, whether literary or commercial, but tend to be drawn to stories with a strong romantic component. I’m also keen to see stories with a strong cast of characters, which encapsulate the thrill, angst and drama of growing up. On the more literary side, I would love to see writers similar to Meg Rosoff, Jenny Valentine and Jandy Nelson.
I am on the lookout for a select few adult fiction projects, particularly romance, fantasy, speculative or historical fiction. I’ve recently loved Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, as well as The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Other adult fiction I’ve enjoyed include Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Such a Fun Age, The City of Brass and The Searcher.
I would also love to see proposals for smart and accessible non-fiction (children’s or adult) which teach us about the world we live in, which shine a light on a culture (including workplace culture etc), which are empowering or which encourage deep thinking and fundamental shifts in perspective. I am not currently looking for memoir unless it is also doing one of these things. Some favourite non-fiction books are: Entangled Life, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, Braiding Sweetgrass, The Gendered Brain, Why We Sleep and A World Without Email.
Check out my MSWL here, for more information.
Submissions should be submitted via Query Manager: https://QueryManager.com/Camille