*** submissions are currently open until the end of August 2024 ***
As a small literary agency, going for over twenty-five years, we will always have enough clients to keep us busy. We’re not actively trying to build our list, but we do try to keep a submissions inbox open for those rare occasions when somebody sends us something irresistible. We can’t say just what we’re after, beyond something that draws us in…
And so voice and style come first. Ideas are secondary. The long and short is that we have to fall for your voice – either it speaks to us and draws us in, or it doesn’t. This is a fairly subjective criterion.
Ideas are less cut and dried. The sharp, shiny, hooky idea may not be the one a new author submits initially, but might come along later. In fact, it’s almost as important to show us you can think critically about your own ideas, by pitching them – distilling their essence – in just a couple of sentences. Also, some appreciation of how they might fit within the context of the market never hurts. But ideas we can work on; the voice either fits or it doesn’t.
So, an ideal submission would have:
– a short, snappy cover letter with just a couple of details about the sender
– a one- or two-sentence pitch for a story idea, to set out the hook of its premise
– a brief nod to the intended readership
– and then a sample of writing PASTED INTO THE BODY OF THE EMAIL (a whole picture book text or a couple of chapters of a novel)
– also, if the sender is an illustrator, then a link to work we can view online, PLUS some writing, even if just a smattering of words to go with images (we tend to work with illustrators who either write, or who have the intention of writing, as they benefit most from our editorial input)
Please send your work to submissions@thecatchpoleagency.co.uk – please note we do not accept submissions by post.
We’re sorry to say we only have time to respond to submissions that capture and hold our attention, and being as busy and as picky as we are, there aren’t many that do. So the odds are slim, and we know this can be discouraging. It’s worth adding, then, that the majority of our clients have come to us via just this route, as have the books shown on this page.
Finally, we are particularly interested to hear from a diverse range of authors and illustrators. If either ‘own voices’ or ‘diverse’ applies to you, do please feel free to use the hashtags #ownvoices or #diverse in the subject line of your submission email (see links for definitions).
Catchpole Agency
SUBMISSIONS
*** submissions are currently open until the end of August 2024 ***
As a small literary agency, going for over twenty-five years, we will always have enough clients to keep us busy. We’re not actively trying to build our list, but we do try to keep a submissions inbox open for those rare occasions when somebody sends us something irresistible. We can’t say just what we’re after, beyond something that draws us in…
And so voice and style come first. Ideas are secondary. The long and short is that we have to fall for your voice – either it speaks to us and draws us in, or it doesn’t. This is a fairly subjective criterion.
Ideas are less cut and dried. The sharp, shiny, hooky idea may not be the one a new author submits initially, but might come along later. In fact, it’s almost as important to show us you can think critically about your own ideas, by pitching them – distilling their essence – in just a couple of sentences. Also, some appreciation of how they might fit within the context of the market never hurts. But ideas we can work on; the voice either fits or it doesn’t.
So, an ideal submission would have:
– a short, snappy cover letter with just a couple of details about the sender
– a one- or two-sentence pitch for a story idea, to set out the hook of its premise
– a brief nod to the intended readership
– and then a sample of writing PASTED INTO THE BODY OF THE EMAIL (a whole picture book text or a couple of chapters of a novel)
– also, if the sender is an illustrator, then a link to work we can view online, PLUS some writing, even if just a smattering of words to go with images (we tend to work with illustrators who either write, or who have the intention of writing, as they benefit most from our editorial input)
Please send your work to submissions@thecatchpoleagency.co.uk – please note we do not accept submissions by post.
We’re sorry to say we only have time to respond to submissions that capture and hold our attention, and being as busy and as picky as we are, there aren’t many that do. So the odds are slim, and we know this can be discouraging. It’s worth adding, then, that the majority of our clients have come to us via just this route, as have the books shown on this page.
Finally, we are particularly interested to hear from a diverse range of authors and illustrators. If either ‘own voices’ or ‘diverse’ applies to you, do please feel free to use the hashtags #ownvoices or #diverse in the subject line of your submission email (see links for definitions).
You Can't take an Elephant on the Bus
Little Celeste
Anthem for Jackson Dawes
Top Secret Diary of Pig
Varjak Paw
About Us
