Literary Rambles

This week's Agent Spotlight features Sarah Davies of The Greenhouse Literary Agency.

About: Sarah Davies has more than 25 years of experience in children's publishing.  Her career began at Collins (before it became HarperCollins), touched down at Transworld/Random House, and had a long stretch at Macmillan Children's Books from 1994-2007 where she rose from being a Fiction Editor to becoming the Publishing Director.  In 2007 she moved from London to the USA and started Greenhouse Literary, a transatlantic agency that represents both British and American writers. 

In her 25+ years in publishing, Ms. Davies has worked with some true luminaries and gained a broad range of knowledge and skill.  She's also a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and is a frequent speaker at conferences and industry related events.  Settled in Virginia, Sarah lives with her American Husband and beautiful long-haired dachshund.  She has twin twenty-two-year-old sons.

To read more about Ms. Davies and her unique agency, please see her full bio on the Greenhouse web site.  Extra information on Ms. Davies' track record and commission structure can be found here.

Status: Open to submissions and actively building her client list.

What She's Looking For:

"We specialize in children’s fiction – from high-concept/character-led series aimed at the 5+ age group through middle grade to young-adult/crossover novels." (Link)

"Smart, high-concept tween fiction with a strong voice and lots of commercial appeal. Strong middle-grade fiction, with adventurous storylines – perhaps with supernatural/spooky plots, if really original. Boy protagonists, international settings, historical/magical threads are all interesting. Strong characters that leap off the page. Teen novels that are arresting, dark, superbly well written and linger in the mind and heart. Other fiction I would love to find: A great story set in the Middle East with authentic characters (a KITE RUNNER for young people). A big and important novel with themes that engage and challenge the intellect; this could be futuristic or perhaps have political or racial issues woven into the storyline. A ‘novel for our times’!" (Link)

"I like authors who can make me laugh or cry, who can make me see the world in some new way--who make me want to leap to the phone to call them as soon as I've turned the last page. I also love authors who can do great action (very rare) and big stories that engage the intellect as well as the heart (also rare). Oh, and sharp, snappy commercial writing with a strong hook.  But I also have a passion for beautiful, powerful language and therefore adore writers who can weave magic with their words (which means, yes, I will take on a literary novel if I have a strong enough belief in the author)." (Link)

"I like everything – from the mass market series to the literary novel, from girly fiction to dark thrillers. I just want to see something special in a project – a shining spark of originality, characters that leap off the page, a narrative voice that makes me keep reading. It’s funny, but when I read something out of the ordinary, I feel like the hairs are standing up on the back of my neck. It’s proved to be a very reliable gauge!" (Link)

"I’m definitely interested in seeing dark or paranormal fiction, so long as the story is really original, sharp, and arresting. There’s so much in this area out there, that anything new really does have to stand out.  I’d love to see a great ghost story. Also, what I think of as a ‘big book’ – that is, a dark, epic story with intellectual insight, and layers and deeper themes underlying the action. But there’s got to be a great emotional heart to the story too." (Link) 

What She Isn't Looking For:

"We are NOT looking for picturebook texts or illustrators, non-fiction, educational or religious/inspirational work, poetry, or writing aimed at adults." (Link)

Also, make sure to read this post.

Quotables:

"Greenhouse aims to nurture and grow to full maturity the talent of exceptional writers. I have worked with many, many authors on both sides of the Atlantic, and know that starting out can be daunting. With an emphasis on working creatively with clients, Greenhouse can help writers develop their unique voice and focus their work – and then be their advocate, ambassador and long-term partner through the whole publishing process and beyond." (Link)

"It’s very important to me to have a strong, long-term relationship with clients. Having been 25 years in the publishing industry, I know the business from the inside and have excellent contacts in both the US and UK. I work hard to find every client the very best publisher and deal for their writing. My editorial background means I can work creatively with authors where necessary; I aim to submit high-quality manuscripts to publishers while respecting the role of the editor who will have their own publishing vision."  (Link)

"If a client grows from children’s fiction into other areas, then the Greenhouse will continue to represent the author, whatever the age group or genre of work. The agency says they represent authors, not books." (Link)

Editorial Agent?

Yes.

"I am absolutely an "editorial agent," and that is a trademark of the Greenhouse. I came up with the name "Greenhouse" after a lot of cogitating because I wanted the agency to be all about nurturing, growing, flowering.

"Turn over my business card, and you'll read that Greenhouse is "Where writers grow." I have spent my whole career working editorially with authors, from concept stage to craft, and writing editorial notes, changing titles, supporting an author through revision (often several revisions), is deep in my bones."

Read this excerpt and more about Ms. Davies editorial approach here.

Pet-Peeves:

"I like writers who follow my submission guidelines. Or to be more honest, I get a bit cross with those who don't!" (Link where you can find more on this.)

Ms. Davies has blogged about things she likes and dislikes in submissions a few times.  Check out this post, this post, and this one, too (really, do check them out - great information).

Her Advice to Writers:

"Really take your writing seriously and do all you can to polish it before you submit it. Read voraciously, join a critique group, go on a writers’ conference and listen to published authors talk about their experience. There are lots of things you can do to learn about the craft of writing before you start looking for an agent. Also, get to know the market, spend time with kids and understand their world as it is today, not as it was when you were a child or teen." (Link)

Ms. Davies has a list of her Top 10 Tips for Children's Fiction Writers on the web site.  There is also a FAQ page here.  And a great blog post called the Tao of Sarah offers some great advice as well.

Clients: Sarah Aronson, Tami Lewis Brown, Cindy Callaghan, Sarwat Chadda, Alexandra Di, Michael Ford, Teresa Harris, Lindsey Leavitt, Valerie Patterson, Brenna Yovanoff.  A complete list of Greenhouse clients can be found here.

Sales: 

As of this posting, Ms. Davies is listed on Publisher's Marketplace as having made ten deals in the last twelve months, thirteen overall, and three six figure+ deals.  Recent children's sales include four middle grade and four young adult.

Query Methods:

E-mail: Yes (only).

Snail-Mail: No.

Online-Form: No.

Submission Guidelines (always verify):

"Your query should include a short synopsis of your plot, a few lines about yourself and your writing ‘credentials’, as well as the first chapter or first five pages (whichever is the shorter) of your manuscript pasted into the body of the email. Sorry, but we no longer accept email attachments or snail-mail submissions (we try to be as paper free as possible). If you have met either Sarah or Julia at an event, please mention this." (Link)

Tip: "Keep your query short and concise, giving us rapidly the key points we need to know: length, target market, one-paragraph plot outline, short bio of yourself." (Link)

Response Times:

The Greenhouse Literary Agency has a no-response policy.  The web site states they usually make their initial decision on queries within three week, and request six to eight weeks on requested material.  That said, Sarah does reply to a lot of queries despite her policy and response times fall anywhere from minutes to weeks.  I'd assume rejection after three weeks, however.

Web Presence:

Greenhouse Lit web site.

Sarah's Blog.

Publisher's Marketplace page (just links to the web site).

LinkedIn.

She is also on QueryTracker, AgentQuery, and LitMatch.  

What's the Buzz?

The buzz is very good.  Ms. Davies has spent a lot of time and energy building a great reputation for the Greenhouse.  The conceptual ethics of the agency have really come to fruition over the last year and a half that the agency has been open, and I think Ms. Davies' long, thorough interviews and blog posts really speak towards her and the attitude of the agency.  As I searched the web, I felt like others shared my feelings on this.  Everyone who has mentioned her (that I found) has had nothing but praise and the umbrella of writers who would like to call her their own (agent) is large.

Worth Your Time:

Interviews:

Agent Interview with Ms. Davies at Cynsations.

Interview with Sarah Davies at Alice's CWIM Blog.

Interview by Ms. Davies' client Tami Lewis Brown at her blog Through The Tollbooth.

Marvelous Marketer Interview at Market My Words.

Other:

Here's a post on Publisher's Weekly called "Wrapping Up Bologna."  It has a bit on Ms. Davies as well as a picture.

You can read a few great blurbs from some SCBWI Undiscovered Voices authors that Ms. Davies signed after the competition (ctrl-f her name for quick search).

Blog Posts:

I'd definitely recommend spending some time reading through Ms. Davies blog, Sarah's Blog, to get a feel for her character.  Here are some posts I've plucked out the archives that might interest you if you're researching Ms. Davies.

This one and this one touch on characterization.

There's a good one here that talks about the business of waiting.  Why yes, that would be the publishing business.  And speaking of publishing, here's an interesting post about pub packages.

A fabulous one on revision.

A look at the Greenhouse office and thoughts on the 2009 market.

For a more personal look, here are some fun facts about Sarah and the Greenhouse, some books she read and liked, and a lovely post about Sarah and her time in the spotlight.   

And finally, Sarah does a self-interview about Bologna.

Contact:

Please see the Greenhouse Literary Agency web site for contact and query information.

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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at agentspotlight(at)gmail.com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.