While I represent writers on the adult side as well, at the moment I’m focusing on growing the children’s side of my list. My goal is to represent books that will engage children and young readers so here’s what I’m keen to see:

Picture books: I’m mostly looking for author-illustrators and illustrators, and will be very selective about text only. On the illustration side, I’d like to see bright and bold pre-school styles, mixed-media, anything in the vein of Chris Haughton or Flavia Drago. What I want to see in a picture book is a really funny idea or simple but impactful story. Some recent favourites of mine include: Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob, and Raindrops.

Graphic novels: I’d love to see graphic novels in the younger space, think Pablo and Splash, Blue, Barry and Pancake, Tiny Hercules. An improbable duo, an unlikely hero, the key word is funny. I’m not considering script only for graphic novels.

Young middle-grade and chapter books: I’m keen to find great books for first readers and for those children who are learning to read but also still like to be read to, think Claude, Murray and Bun, an Isadora Moon for boys, anything in the Holly Webb or Dick King Smith space.

Middle-grade: funny, silly, disgusting, adventurous, witchy, spooky. I’m keen to see anything in this space that has a strong hook, a propulsive narrative, and series potential and I have a soft spot for nightmares, ghosts and dragons. In particular, I’d love to find a great story with a boy protagonist and lots of humour in the vein of Loki or Wimpy Kid, an action-packed adventure for readers of Percy Jackson and Lockwood & Co, and a great story with Wednesday vibes. And if you’ve written the next Skandar, please do send it my way!

YA: I’m looking for true YA written for teenagers, I’m not the right person for cross-over and YA that could sit on an adult list. I’d love to see high concept fiction including romance, retellings with a twist (think Finding Her Edge), thrillers, dystopia in the vein of Songlight by Moira Buffini. One of my favourite YA fantasy novels is Hotel Magnifique, so if that’s what you’ve written I’d love to see it!

I’m not currently considering any non-fiction.

I am building a list of literary, upmarket and book club fiction in addition to a select number of non-fiction projects.

Fiction: I am looking for literary and accessible literary/upmarket fiction (contemporary, historical or even with a SFF edge to it). I love anything character driven with a strong voice, but also huge sweeping narratives that cover multiple generations and decades. My tastes range across genres; what I really care about is a great story or a character/voice that grabs you from the first page. I really enjoy quality romance and romantasy and would LOVE to find an amazing upmarket/literary love story. I also enjoy high-concept book-club fiction, crime/police procedural, literary thrillers/suspense and the occasional ghost story (particularly around Christmas). Some of my favourite reads have been The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hardgrave, The Names by Florence Knapp, anything by Elizabeth Strout, The Push by Ashley Audrain, Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and The Winter Spirits short story collection.

Non-Fiction: I am looking for beautiful narrative non-fiction (that reads like fiction), important and compelling memoir, history, politics, philosophy, big ideas books, art, nature, nutrition, science and anyone with smart or unusual ideas who want to change the narrative. Non-fiction authors I love are Laura Cumming, Katherine May, Robert Macfarlane, Yuval Noah Harari and Catherine Cho. Non-fiction I would have loved to represent includes Wintering by Katherine May, Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, A Yard of Sky by Nazanin and Richard Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Fire Weather by John Vaillant.

I am not currently considering Children’s or YA.