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Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Greenhouse Literary has three agents looking for authors, including new agent Chelsea Eberly

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
represented by The Greenhouse Agency

The Greenhouse Literary Agency

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The Greenhouse Literary Agency specializes in fiction for children: picture books to young adult. The agency also represents adult women’s fiction. Sarah Davies founded the Greenhouse and is head of the agency.  She created the business after moving to the USA from England in 2007, following a long career as a senior UK children’s publisher. {More about what Sarah is looking for below.}  The agency has three agents, all of whom are usually open to submissions, though until Nov 4, 2019, only one of them is, new agent, Chelsea Eberly….

Chelsea Eberly joined Green House Literary on September 30, 2019. Previously, she was a Senior Editor at Penguin Random House , she edited award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors such as Tamora Pierce, Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Sarah J. Maas, Matt de la Peña, Mark Siegel, Julia Walton, and Jessica Cluess to name only a few. 
She has a deep understanding of how publishers think and is an expert advocate for her clients. Chelsea is also a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree, which recognizes “the rising stars of the US publishing industry.”
Like all new agents, she needs authors and is looking for stories that will stand out in the crowded US marketplace with depth and heart.
Chelsea Eberly represents authors of middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, and women’s fiction, as well as writer-illustrators of picture books.
Chelsea is primarily interested in fantasy, magical realism, contemporary fiction (particularly romance, thrillers, and humor), and graphic novels – though please surprise her with an excellent read that she didn’t know she needed. She has a soft spot for literary when there’s a strong plot propelling the reader forward. Like everyone, Chelsea would love to see projects from underrepresented voices. She is also interested in reads that thoughtfully address mental health and learning disabilities as part of the story but not necessarily the main focus. She is open to nonfiction with a unique point of view and/or a platform-driven project.
In Middle Grade, she is eager to represent an unforgettable voice and an uplifting take on the problems that middle-school readers face, especially if the story is told from a specific point of view that can act as a mirror, window, or sliding glass door into diverse experiences. She loves when authors tackle Big Truths in a heartfelt way. She is also on the lookout for memorable characters in action-packed fantasy adventures and humorous voices that can grow to become series juggernauts.
Lara's Gift by Annemarie O'Brien
represented by The Greenhouse Agency
In Young Adult, she would love to find a great love story, a unique fantasy world, and a heart-pounding mystery/thriller. She loves when authors are thoughtful about structure and voice; e.g. a ticking-clock timeline, a closed setting, a journal-entry format, Death as a unique narrator, and so forth. Ambitious projects with multiple commercial hooks and an empowering sensibility with feminist and social justice angles are a plus. She falls head over heels for any story that can surprise her.
In the Graphic Novel medium, she looks for Middle Grade and YA contemporary, fantasy, fractured fairy tales, unique retellings, and select historical/nonfiction projects if they have clear hooks. She loves when authors are mining their own experiences in an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical way. Hit her with side-busting humor or box-of-tissues feels. She has a soft spot for cats.
In Picture Books, she is highly selective, looking for writer-illustrators who can create a strong character, a clear conflict, and write with a humorous voice and/or a surprising twist at the end. Chelsea loves creators who understand the sense of community that being read a book aloud delivers. She is open to nonfiction if the story has multiple hooks and an evergreen, contemporary delivery.
In adult women’s fiction, Chelsea is extremely picky. She loves upmarket contemporary fiction with a feminist angle, a strong romantic thread, and/or a domestic thriller/mystery. Think Queenie, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Where’d You Go Bernadette, Ayesha at Last, Big Little Lies, and Where the Crawdads Sing as examples of her taste.
Include Chelsea Eberly’s name in the subject line. If you’re writing a novel, paste the first 5 pages of your story into the body of the email. If you’re writing/illustrating a picture book (no more than 1000 words), paste in the whole text and either paste in an illustration sample or attach ONE PDF with sample. If you are a graphic novelist, paste in the first chapter of your script. If you are also an artist, include a link to your online portfolio. If your art cannot be accessed online, attach up to 5 pages of art as one PDF.

Sarah Davies represents US and Canadian authors only. Sarah founded the Greenhouse when she moved to the US in 2007 after a long career as a UK children’s publisher, working with many internationally celebrated authors. She now divides her time between London and New York.
Sarah has been an editor most of her life and has considerable experience in contract negotiation, marketing and rights. Excellent publishing contacts in both the USA and Britain, and many years spent living in both countries, have given her an unusually transatlantic view of the children’s books industry, from both sides of the desk. Follow her on Twitter at @SarahGreenhouse.
Sarah is seeking fiction by North American authors, from Middle Grade through Young Adult and across all genres (note: she is currently closed to debut Picture Books but does rep PBs by clients whom she’s initially taken on for older fiction). She loves strong, hooky, layered plots, writing that is gorgeous but also conceptually strong, and stories that are really moving but make you think too. Like everyone, she is particularly seeking authors from under-represented backgrounds and stories with diverse settings and perspectives.
In YA, she is currently keen to find fresh, hooky, charming contemporary romance and rom-coms – but note, the hook MUST be strong and unique; smart, original thrillers that grab you from the first page but still have great writing; multicultural settings and diverse #ownvoices authors and characters (she has a particular interest in the Middle East and France, but authenticity and #ownvoices are essential);  stories that deal with contemporary issues of immigration from an authentic perspective; magical realism – perhaps where the “real” is skewed by some other dimension; fantasy, especially by diverse authors, but there MUST be a hook that feels truly fresh and different to all the other fantasy out in the marketplace. 
AND FINALLY: there’s always room for something the market’s never seen before – whatever that may be!
In general, Sarah enjoys: interesting perspectives and structures; stories involving the ocean, ice, plants, science; intriguing mysteries; relateable history (the World Wars especially; NOT American Revolutionary War or Civil War), and richly portrayed characters and settings of all kinds.
In Middle Grade, she is looking for classic-voiced and heartfelt stories that offer a fresh take on the tropes of identity, independence, growing up (perhaps helped along by an interesting and different structure or point of view); adventure with a touch of magic or magical realism; graphic novels by author/illustrators who can create fab and fun young fiction. Again, she always looks for a fresh hook, matched by strong writing.
Additionally, Sarah is open to children’s/teen nonfiction projects that have a strong angle on a subject that jives with today’s concerns. Age-appropriate writing (and formats?) essential. She is also open, by referral, to women’s fiction — especially in the suspense genre.
Note: Sarah is closed to submissions until November 4, 2019.
When you do query her, include Sarah Davies’ name in the subject line. If you’re writing a novel, paste the first 5 pages of your story into the body of the email. If you’re writing/illustrating a picture book (no more than 1000 words), paste in the whole text and either paste in an illustration sample or attach ONE PDF with sample. If you are a graphic novelist, paste in the first chapter of your script. If you are also an artist, include a link to your online portfolio. If your art cannot be accessed online, attach up to 5 pages of art as one PDF.

Polly Nolan represents UK, Irish, Commonwealth and North American authors only.

Polly joined Greenhouse in June 2013 as our UK agent. This was after a distinguished career at many of the UK’s top children’s publishing houses, where she started as a Junior Editor and finished as a Publishing Director over fifteen years later. Polly made the move into agenting to do more of what she enjoys most – finding new writing talent, helping to develop great fiction, and achieving publishing deals for authors both new and established.  She has an enviable record as a talent-spotter and experienced nurturer of writers. You can follow her on Twitter at @NolanPolly.
Polly is seeking outstanding writing for readers up to YA. She is open to most genres and is always looking for those rare and wonderful novels in which she can lose herself completely. You know: the types where you start by thinking, I’ll just read this for 10 minutes and suddenly hours have disappeared.
Original, compelling story is key, as is uniqueness of voice. She is after novels that pull at the heartstrings, make her care deeply about characters that feel real but that also make her think. She believes that exceptional novels confound genres and so finds it easier to list what she isn’t searching for than what she is.  
So please do not send Polly “cross over” novels or books where the protagonist is a talking bird (though she does love a good animal story).  She would not jump on sci-fi (particularly ones with aliens for middle grade readers) and she avoids stories that feel didactic or earnest in their message.  At the moment, she isn’t looking for dystopian YA or fantasy YA.  
Polly represents a very small number of picture book authors but only where they also illustrate their work.  However, if you have an exceptional story to tell and can do so in a distinctive way, she can’t wait to hear from you.  
Note: Polly is closed to submissions until November 4, 2019.
When you do query her, include Polly Nolan’s name in the subject line. If you’re writing a novel, paste the first 5 pages of your story into the body of the email. If you’re writing/illustrating a picture book (no more than 1000 words), paste in the whole text and either paste in an illustration sample or attach ONE PDF with sample. If you are a graphic novelist, paste in the first chapter of your script. If you are also an artist, include a link to your online portfolio. If your art cannot be accessed online, attach up to 5 pages of art as one PDF.

See The Greenhouse’s full submission guidelines here.

Kelley
If you’re interested in getting published, now or sometime in the future, don’t miss our upcoming How to Get Published workshop with literary agent Stephanie Winter of P.S. Literary on Saturday, November 23, in Niagara on the Lake with (see here).

Also, don’t miss “You can write great dialogue,  Sunday, Oct 20, in Sudbury (see  here), How to Write a Bestseller with New York Times #1 bestselling author Kelley Armstrong, Saturday, Oct 26, in Waterloo (see here), and How to Build Your Story: Plotting novels & Writing short stories, Saturday, Nov 16, in Guelph (see here).

This winter, a full range of weekly courses is on offer:
Burlington: Exploring Creative Writing, Thursday afternoons,  Jan 23 – March 19. Details here.
Oakville: Writing Personal Stories, Thursday evenings, Jan 23 – March 19. Details here.
Burlington: Next Step in Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, Jan 21 – March 31.
  1st reading emailed Jan 16. Details here.
Burlington: Intensive Creative Writing, Wednesday eveningsJan 15 – March 11. 1st readings emailed Jan 8. Details here.
Toronto: Intensive Creative Writing, Friday mornings, Jan 17 – March 13.  1st readings emailed Jan 10. Detail here.
    See details of all winter courses here,
To reserve a spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Plus check out these writing retreats …
November at the Briars Writing Retreat
Friday, November 1 – Monday, November 4. Four days of creativity in a setting with the warmth of a country estate steeped in history while providing all the benefits of an extensive, modern lakeside resort. Details here. {At this point, it’s waiting list only for the Briar’s retreat.}
Relaxing at Arowhon Pines Resort
Algonquin Writing Retreat, Friday, June 5 - Monday, June 8, 2020. Four days of luxury and writing in one of most beautiful spots in Ontario. This is the area that inspired the Group of Seven; come and let it inspire you, too. Still lots of room. Details here.
To reserve a spot in any upcoming weekly course, weekend retreat, or Saturday workshop, email Brian at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca
Read reviews of Brian’s courses, retreats, and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for more interviews with literary agents or a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post. 

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