Sarah Davies is based in Washington DC and heads the North American side of the Greenhouse, so if you live in the States or Canada you should submit work to her (see submission guidelines for more information). Sarah has more than 25 years’ experience of children’s publishing, moving to the USA from London in 2007. She started her career at Collins (before it was HarperCollins), followed by a spell at Transworld/Random House. In 1994 she joined Macmillan Children’s Books in London as Fiction Editor, rising through the editorial ranks to Publishing Director (and member of the Management Board), a position she held until 2007 when she left to start Greenhouse.
In her publisher incarnation, Sarah worked with and published many high-profile writers on both sides of the Atlantic. As an agent she has shepherded many debut (and several previously published) authors to success. She has considerable experience in contract negotiation, marketing and rights, as well as a strong understanding of digital developments. Excellent publishing contacts in both the USA and Britain, and homes in both countries, have given her an unusually transatlantic view of the children’s books industry, enabling her to represent authors directly to both markets. Sarah makes regular trips to New York and London, meeting publishers and keeping in touch with the book scene.
A member of AAR and SCBWI, Sarah is an experienced speaker on issues connected with children’s books and creative writing and attends international bookfairs, American writers’ conferences, and industry events throughout the year. She loves talking to writers about their work and says, ‘Everything you need to know about Greenhouse is embodied in its name.’
Married to an American, Sarah has twin sons who are more-or-less grown-up now, and who taught her much of what she knows about young people and reading.
Interview
What is the best part of being a literary agent?
There are so many parts of the job that I enjoy! I love discovering a great new voice, a great new story concept; the knowledge that I’m unearthing a new talent for readers to enjoy. But I also enjoy the business side – particularly negotiating deals and getting optimum terms for my clients. And then, of course, there’s nothing more exciting than telling a new writer that they’ve achieved their life’s ambition – and yes, they really will be published! Such an amazing phone call to make.
How would you summarize your personal agenting philosophy? What do you expect from an agent-author relationship?
My philosophy is really all in our agency name – Greenhouse – and that’s why I chose it. I see myself as both a talent scout and a talent developer. I’m looking for exceptional promise rather than a perfect manuscript, and I have nearly three decades of editorial and management experience behind me to help a new writer grow in their craft and career. I want to provide the ‘good soil’ and the ‘sunshine’ of support and knowledge – but also to challenge writers to dig deep.
In the best author/agent relationships there will be trust and mutual respect; the shared understanding that both sides will always do their best and work their hardest. An agent doesn’t have a crystal ball to predict the future. The way I see it is that my clients and I are holding hands on the journey of shared effort, shared risk, shared goals. We want to build long-term careers if at all possible. You might say that we are professional friends and business partners to our clients.
What’s something coming out now/soon that you’ve represented and are excited about?
So many great books to choose from! New York Times Bestseller Brenna Yovanoff’s new YA novel, PAPER VALENTINE (Razorbill), publishes in January – a wonderful, scary story that will delight her fans. But we also love our debut authors, and I can hardly wait for Caroline Carlson’s funny and thrilling middle-grade series, THE VERY NEARLY HONORABLE LEAGUE OF PIRATES (HarperCollins), which launches in Fall ‘13. We’ve just finalized auctions on that in the UK, Spain, Germany, and France – which is a very unusual coup.
What are the primary mistakes you see writers make in the query process?
Being in too much of a hurry. Not doing enough research on agents. Trying to send out too many query letters at a time (and making bad mistakes, like addressing the agent by the wrong name!). Not reading agency guidelines. On the other hand, some writers try almost too hard, giving huge amounts of information or giving the synopsis twice. For Greenhouse your query email should be no longer than the equivalent of one page.
Oh, also, we don’t like people who brag in an over-the-top way about themselves, or who liken their work to Harry Potter, C.S. Lewis or Stephanie Meyer. And we certainly don’t like rudeness!
With fiction partials, what makes you stop reading and start skimming-or stop reading altogether?
An opening I’ve seen lots of times before. Flat or stiff writing that feels plodding. Dumps of information that are full of ‘tell’ rather than ‘show’.
Generally, bear in mind I’m looking for a storyline that feels new and different to what I generally see, and a voice that really pops for me personally. So I’m primarily thinking, ‘Do I really love this? Is this a story, a voice, I simply MUST represent?’ Because that’s the kind of conviction I need to feel to take on a new client.
Your agency website says that you’re interested in young adult, can you elaborate more on YA subgenres (i.e. fantasy, sci-fi, etc.) that you might consider?
I don’t really think in terms of genre. Categories don’t terribly interest me. I’m open to anything that leaps out at me personally. I would have said I wasn’t a huge fan of verse novels – and then I spotted one that completely changed my opinion. I am ready and waiting to be blown away!
That said, I’m arguably not the best agent for either very high fantasy or sports stories (being a Brit I lack a background in American football and baseball!).
When considering middle grade manuscripts, what subgenres do you lean toward (i.e. fantasy, sci-fi, etc.)?
As above, I don’t particularly lean anywhere; I am very open. Though I do like twisty and adventurous stories/mysteries – and great, classic fiction for girls that is full of heart.
Will you be at any upcoming writers conferences where people can meet/pitch you?
Very unusually, I’m not doing a conference in the first half of 2013, though I’ll be at ALA Midwinter in Seattle in January, and also at the opening of the SCBWI National Conference in New York. However, I’m speaking at the conferences of SCBWI Carolinas in September, SCBWI Mid-Atlantic in October, and SCBWI Illinois in November. A very busy Fall!
Is a writing platform important for unpublished writers? Does it weigh in on your decision to represent? Are you a fan of social media?
For agencies, I see Facebook and Twitter as basic tools of communication and networking. We probably have as much traffic through our Greenhouse Facebook Fan Page as through our website! We also tweet writing/industry tips through #GHLtips.
For new writers I feel social networking is a useful way to learn about the business – agents, publishers, craft, good articles etc. Getting on there and just following industry people is a great way to learn and make friends/contacts. However, for me none of this is really mandatory at the outset – it wouldn’t be a determining factor in deciding whether or not to represent someone. It’s always ALL about the writing. The only important thing is an openness to participating fully in all forms of promotion down the line. There’s no point getting a deal and then refusing to help publicise your book.
Best piece(s) of advice we haven’t discussed?
There’s always a lot of anxiety around topics like genre, agents’ tastes, social networking, the future of digital publishing etc etc. It’s easy to get caught up in the noise of all these questions. However, for me the focus is always on two things: 1) a great story that I’ve not seen before and 2) a voice and mastery of writing craft that make that story shine. If you have those two ingredients, you WILL be discovered.
So the keys to all this are both beautifully simple, and beautifully hard! But at least the goals are clear. Concentrate on learning how to write really well, and on finding a great story to tell. Everything else can wait.