Patrice Lawrence, author

Patrice is an award-winning writer. Her debut YA novel, Orangeboy (Hachette), won the Bookseller YA Prize and the Waterstones Prize for Older Children’s Fiction and was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award. Her subsequent novels have been much acclaimed and frequent visitors to prize lists including the Jhalak Children’s and Young Adult Prize 2021 and the YA Book Prize 2021. Needle (Barrington Stoke) was shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing 2023 and winner of the 2023 Little Rebels Award. The Elemental Detectives (Scholastic) is the highly-acclaimed page-turning, empowering, heart-racing new series from Patrice for middle-grade readers. Patrice was born in Brighton, raised in an Italian-Trinidadian family in mid-Sussex, and now lives on the South Coast.

Simon James Green, author

Simon is an author and screenwriter. His middle-grade books include Sleepover Takeover and Life of Riley: Beginner’s Luck, which was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award and featured in BookTrust’s Great Books Guide 2021. He has also written two picture books – Llama Glamarama and Fabulous Frankie – both illustrated by Garry Parsons. His young adult novels include Noah Can’t Even (long listed for the Branford Boase and picked by WHSmith as one of the most important LGBT books of the last 50 years); Noah Could Never; Alex in Wonderland (nominated for the Carnegie medal and selected as one of the top 20 LGBT books of 2019 by Attitude); Heartbreak Boys, You’re the One That I Want (shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, Diverse Book Award, and winner of the Bristol Teen Book Award), and Gay Club! (nominated for the YOTO Carnegie Medal 2023).

Nathanael Lessore, author

Nathanael can run 100 metres in under 10 minutes and has trouble finding sunglasses that frame his face properly. He currently works for a software company that supports the healthcare industry through automation. Nathanael became a Marketing Exec after graduating from the University of East London, believing at the time that a Creative Writing degree destined him for a career in marketing. Writing his first book gave him the opportunity to show his South East London childhood as the funny, warm, adventurous world that wasn’t always represented as such. Celebrating diverse characters gave Nathanael the opportunity to represent kids who otherwise would never see themselves in this light in this form of literature. He grew up in a North Peckham estate as one of eight children to French and Madagascan parents. Becoming a writer is a dream come true, and he will never take this journey for granted. His debut novel waspublished in 2023.

Ash Bond, author

Ash writes magical stories that have classical myth sprinkled through them like fairy dust. Ash is a graduate in Classics from Oxford University before leaving to work in Asia for almost five years, teaching English Literature in Malaysia and working as an outdoor guide in China. It was on those long mountain hikes that she realised the power of a good story to get you through almost anything. After returning to the UK, she completed a Masters in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University and is now studying for her PhD, focussing on mythological retellings through a feminist lens, at the University of Bristol. Ash’s debut, a middle-grade mythological series Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm and two other books, was recently acquired by Piccadilly Press. Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm will be publishing in hardback in spring 2024.

Amelia Warren, Commissioning Editor, Templar Books at Bonnier Books UK

Amelia is a Commissioning Editor at Templar Books, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, who is responsible for building and shaping the picture book list. Also with experience in board books, brands and novelty. Distinction graduate in MA Children’s Literature from Goldsmiths UoL and First Class Honours graduate in BA English and American Literature from the University of Kent. Previously, 6 years’ experience as an Expert Children’s Bookseller for Waterstones.

Ella Whiddett, Commissioning Editor, Bonnier Books UK 

Ella is a Commissioning at Bonnier Books UK, having previously been at Little Tiger since 2018 and interned at David Higham Associates. 

Megan Carroll, agent at Watson, Little 

Megan graduated from Goldsmiths with a BA in English and American Literature in 2013 and has worked at the agency since 2014, first as the assistant and now as a Literary Agent at Watson, Little agents. Megan is looking for writers in a variety of areas, and from a wide range of backgrounds – she is particularly keen to hear from Black, Asian, and LGBTQIA+ writers across all genres.

Saffron Dodd, associate agent at ASH Literary

Saffron joined the ASH Literary team in 2022 as agency assistant and was promoted to Associate Agent in 2023. She has a background in media and communications and has most recently worked for a children’s education charity. She has always loved reading books for children and young adults, and is currently doing a Masters in Children’s Literature. Saffron is extremely passionate about highlighting and supporting diverse voices in publishing.

Amber Caraveo, agent and co-founder of Skylark Literary

Until leaving to set up Skylark Literary, Amber was the Editorial Director at Orion Children’s Books where she was privileged to work with some of the best authors in Children’s and YA fiction today, including Liz Kessler, Caroline Lawrence, Juno Dawson and Holly Black. Prior to that she was Senior Commissioning Editor for Random House Children’s Books, where she worked with a plethora of SAS superhero authors, such as Andy McNab, Chris Ryan and Bear Grylls, and developed fun and fantastic series for kids, such as Gargoylz and Adventure Island. Amber now uses her experience to support talented children’s authors, and build happy and successful relationships between writers and publishers.

Clare Wallace, agent at Darley Anderson Children’s Agency 

Clare joined the Darley Anderson Agency in January 2011 and is building both the Darley Anderson Children’s Agency and the Darley Anderson Illustration Agency lists. As chief talent-spotter, Clare loves to discover memorable new characters, bold and unique voices, strong concepts and gripping storytelling. She represents picture books, middle-grade, teenage and YA. Clare is particularly looking for funny chapter books for younger readers at the moment as well as YA rom coms, especially with underrepresented protagonists. Whatever the age range, Clare loves a big hook, a lot of heart, and a standout voice. For picture books she has the widest taste, from daft to lyrical, rhyming to prose. If your submission doesn’t fit a description here, it doesn’t mean Clare doesn’t want to receive it. She often doesn’t know what she’s looking for until she finds it (although she is not the person for steampunk or space opera). Her list gives a good indication of her taste.