Submissions Call: Mexican-American middle grade novel

I’m searching for published or unpublished authors of Mexican-American heritage to audition for the chance to write a MG magical realism novel developed by book packager Working Partners. Please share this post to help us spread the word and find the right author!

Here’s a bit about the book and the process:

The story is about a Mexican American family (the mother and three children were born in a town called Malinalco in Mexico, and the father is an American citizen) who end up homesteading on a remote piece of land in Texas. So we are searching for a Mexican or Mexican American writer, and if you have any experience with Texas, so much the better! 

It would be great if the author knows a little something about Mexican folklore and is comfortable writing supernatural/magical realism elements. Some knowledge about homesteading, gardening, farming, etc would be a bonus, since that will be a focal point as well. It’s a middle grade book, and although there are definitely magical elements (shapeshifting, dream walking, psychic abilities, etc.), it will also be primarily about the bond this family has both to one another and to the land. 

The Story: 

Though 12-year-old Alejandra is the main character, the backstory is that her mother, Noemi, grew up in Malinalco with her twin sister, Neesa. They were destined to be powerful magical figures called Lechuzas, mythical shapeshifters known to be capable of granting wishes…or doing great harm. But after Noemi meets and falls in love with Carlos and has children of her own, she flees Mexico to escape this fate, but not before binding her sister’s powers.

They settle in a remote piece of land in Northern Texas that belonged to Carlos’s family. There they live an isolated life, homesteading to meet all their needs. Noemi homeschools the children, with a heavy focus on Mexican folklore—partly to keep them connected to their culture, but partly to prepare them should the past ever come knocking. All three children display low levels of magic (a green thumb, an affinity with animals, prophetic dreams), but Noemi hopes they will never be confronted with her family’s dark magic. 

But one day there is a disturbance in the chicken coop and the next day Noemi is gone. She supposedly went to visit a sick aunt, but Alejandra doesn’t believe that. When her father goes after her and disappears too, Alejandra is suddenly in charge. She must mind her siblings, keep their homestead going, and eventually use her connection with a wayward hawk to lead her to her parents and battle her long-lost aunt who has found them again and is demanding that her mother fulfil her dark destiny. 

Together, the children will have to save their parents, defeat their aunt, and preserve the land they’ve come to love.  

The Process: 

Out of the interested authors, I assemble a longlist of the writers whose voice and writing best fit the novel and send it to the lead editor for that book. Assuming the editor agrees they’re all a great fit, they will audition by writing chapter 1 of the book from an outline. Working Partners develops thorough and lengthy outlines and character details for our books, and we are also very happy to collaborate with the author on their ideas for the story and characters, as well. We tend to only audition 5-7 authors per book, and we often ask the top 1-2 choices to revise to see how we all work together as a team. 

We go on submission to publishing houses on proposal with approximately act 1 of the book, so the chosen author would not need to write the entire book until it sells to a publisher. Our subrights are marketed aggressively and successfully by RightsPeople, and our agents at Greenhouse Literary take our books on submission.

If anyone who fits the description is interested, I would love to see some materials for them. 

The Author:

Writers who have the strongest chance of selection will be of Mexican heritage an experienced with American culture enough to write a detailed modern-day U.S. setting. They should be skilled with writing supernatural/magic realism for a middle grade audience, know a little something about Mexican folklore and homesteading, have lively prose and enjoy a collaborative story development and editing process.

Writers may be agented or unagented, published or unpublished. Please note we are looking for writers with a vibrant, stand-out voice and strong mastery of craft. If you have not yet completed a novel and don’t widely read current middle grade fiction, this is unlikely to be the right project for you.

The Contract:

Advance and royalties are offered. The novel will be written under the author’s name (unless a pen name is requested). We are the packager behind The Good Luck Girls, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, Drizzle Dreams & Lovestruck Things, Warrior Cats, BeastQuest, and more. Click here to see our 2022/2023 catalogue.

To Submit:

Please send (or have your agent send) the following to KateB@workingpartnersltd.co.uk :

• The opening 10 pages of any fiction project that showcases the skills/experience above. Multiple samples are fine.
• An author bio (a few paragraphs long) that presents you, your creative experience, and what you most love to write, along with what makes you a good fit for this novel).
• Please note in your email to me whether you are published or unpublished, whether you are represented by an agent, and if so, whether you are currently on submission with a project.

Authors who could be a good fit will receive instructions to audition. I will carefully consider every submission for this call. Because I know how frustrating querying and submission can be, please do note that I cannot respond to every submission. (Though I try!)

This submission call will close end of day April 17, 2024

Submission Call: Sherlock M/M YA Mystery!

The Opportunity:

I’m searching for LGBTQ+ authors, especially men or nonbinary authors, who are unpublished in young adult to audition for the chance to write a novel developed by book packager Working Partners in partnership with the Conan Doyle estate. This would need to be their debut novel, with the potential exceptions of adult fiction, nonfiction, and published kidlit younger than MG. A possible exception would be authors with a strong sales record. Please share this post to help to help me find the right author and give as many as possible the opportunity!

Working Partners scout @katebrauning is looking for LGBTQ+ authors to audition for an IP contract to write a Sherlock Holmes M/M YA mystery:

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The Book

When seventeen-year-old genius Jay Moriarty’s brother is murdered and the top secret revolutionary tech he developed is stolen, Jay teams up with the annoyingly charming Grayson Holmes and is drawn into a web of criminal activity he’s spent his life trying to resist.

Jay Moriarty usually dreads the Scarlet Gala hosted by the ostentatious Holmes family, who never lets the public forget he’s the descendant of the most infamous criminal mastermind of all time—never mind that Jay and his older brother Aidan have always walked the straight and narrow. But ever since Aidan’s unsolved murder last year over the top-secret revolutionary app he created, Jay has been working on a plan: find the tech, find the killer.

But when the private investigator who’s been helping Jay turns up dead right before the Gala, Jay has no choice but to partner up with the infuriatingly brilliant Grayson Holmes, whose detective skills are almost as sharp as his cheekbones.

Their contentious relationship turns into something more flirtatious as Jay and Grayson race against the clock to unmask the murderer before the Gala ends. Along the way, the killer strikes again, while the boys uncover shocking truths about their famous ancestors that lead Jay to wonder whether embracing the nefarious Professor Moriarty’s legacy might be the best way to avenge his brother after all.

More information is available after indicating interest (see below).

The Author:

Writers who have the strongest chance of selection will be LGBTQ writers capable of writing m/m relationships from a nuanced perspective. They should be skilled in writing the emotional tension of enemies to lovers (and back to enemies), a glamorous backdrop in a London setting, and the clockwork of a high-tension mystery.

Writers may be agented or unagented. Please note we are looking for writers with a vibrant, stand-out voice and strong mastery of craft. If you have not yet completed a novel and don’t widely read current YA and mystery/thriller fiction, this is unlikely to be the right project for you.

The Contract:

Advance and royalties are offered. The novel will be written under the author’s name (unless a pen name is requested). We are the packager behind The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall, The Good Luck Girls, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, Drizzle Dreams & Lovestruck Things, Warrior Cats, BeastQuest, and more.

Similar to The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall by Ali Standish, this project is licensed through our contract to create content with the Conan Doyle estate, and as such, is subject to different terms of advances and royalties than our usual contract. Click here to see our 2022/2023 catalogue.

To Submit:

Please send (or have your agent send) the following to KateB@workingpartnersltd.co.uk :

• The opening 10 pages of any fiction project that showcases the skills/experience above. Multiple samples are welcome.
• An author bio (a few paragraphs long) that presents you, your creative experience, and what you most love to write, along with what makes you a good fit for this novel.
• Please note in your email to me whether you are published or unpublished, whether you are represented by an agent, and if so, whether you are currently on submission with a project.

Authors who could be a good fit will receive instructions to audition. I will carefully consider every submission for this call. Because I know how frustrating querying and submission can be, please do note that I cannot respond to every submission. (Though I try!)

This submission call will close end of day December 22, 2023.

Submission Call for YA/NA Crossover Fantasy

The Opportunity:

I’m searching for published or unpublished young adult fantasy romance authors to audition for the chance to write a YA novel (verging on new adult) developed by book packager Working Partners. Please share this post to help us find the right author!

YA/NA romantasy IP opportunity with book packager @WP_Fiction from @katebrauning

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Writers who have the strongest chance of being selected to audition will be skilled, unpublished writers able to work on a deadline for the novel format. They should be skilled with both mystery and romance and feel comfortable blending the two genres without compromising either. Think Divine Rivals meets Murder on the Orient Express.

Logline: Trapped on an enchanted cross-kingdom train to her wedding, a fiery princess works alongside her infuriatingly attractive new bodyguard to expose a killer onboard and discovers a passion almost more threatening than the assassin.

Pitch Paragraphs: Princess Delana of Orsho is furious about having to marry bland Prince Marc of Narva, making her a pawn in a political marriage meant to protect her kingdom from magical ruin. When she and the royal consortium board a glamorous, enchanted train to her new home, Del sees the trip as her final scrap of freedom before a life dedicated to duty. Her plan: avoid Prince Marc (who is onboard, as well) and fully enjoy these last days with her party. Eat, drink, and be merry, shadowed by her handsome new bodyguard, Blue.

But the fun doesn’t last. When Del’s handmaiden is found dead in a locked room, it becomes clear that an assassin is in their midst. While the consortium hides the disturbance and acts as if they’re at the party of the century, behind the scenes, Del and Blue work closely to protect Del and expose the killer before they strike again. And with each passing hour on the mystical train, the delicious—and questionable—push and pull between Del and Blue grows. When the truth comes through, Del has to wonder: Is Blue the one person she can trust with her life? Or is he the reason her life is in danger?

More information is available after indicating interest (see below).

The Author:

Writers may be agented or unagented, but for this project we require an author for whom this would be their debut novel. Previously published short stories, poems, nonfiction, or other formats is not a problem.

Please note we are looking for writers with a vibrant, stand-out voice and strong mastery of craft. If you have not yet completed a novel and don’t widely read current mystery/thriller and fantasy fiction, this is unlikely to be the right project for you.

The Contract:

Advance and royalties are offered. The novel will be written under the author’s name (unless a pen name is requested). We are the packager behind The Good Luck Girls, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, Drizzle Dreams & Lovestruck Things, Warrior Cats, BeastQuest, and more. Click here to see our 2022/2023 catalogue.

To Submit:

Please send (or have your agent send) the following to KateB@workingpartnersltd.co.uk :

• The opening 10 pages of any fiction project that showcases the skills/experience mentioned above. Multiple samples are fine.
• An author bio a few paragraphs long that presents you, your creative experience, and what you most love to write, along with what makes you a good fit for this novel.
• Please note in your email to me whether you are published or unpublished, whether you are represented by an agent, and if so, whether you are currently on submission with a project.

Authors who could be a good fit will receive instructions to audition. I will carefully consider every submission for this call. Because I know how frustrating querying and submission can be, please do note that I cannot respond to every submission. (Though I try!)

This submission call closes 12/7/2023.

Submission Call: YA Fantasy for Debut Author

I’m searching for unpublished YA authors of to audition for the chance to write a YA paranormal/dark academia novel developed by book packager Working Partners. Please share this post to help us spread the word and find the right author!

Submission Call: witchy YA fantasy IP opportunity for debut author from @WP_Fiction and @katebrauning

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This is a witchy YA paranormal/dark academia novel where a gifted witch hunter at an elite academy schemes her way into a secret society’s competition to uncover a witch on campus. But when she and an alluring legacy student team up to win, she discovers the witch is closer than she thought. How much will this witch hunter sacrifice to uncover the truth?

Serpent & Dove meets Vampire Academy

The Author:

Writers who have the strongest chance of selection will be skilled with dark academia, paranormal, occultish atmosphere, and slow-build romance. I’d love to see a haunting, gothic tone but would be open to other visions for the voice.

The ideal author can balance dangerous and action-packed scenes with steamy, intimate moments and deep emotional stakes. The ideal author will enjoy a collaborative story development and editing process. Fast pacing is key, sprinkled with relevant details along the way—for reference, see the first few chapters of Vampire Academy.

We are looking for a YA author for whom this will be their first published novel. Writers may be agented or unagented. Authors who are published in age categories significantly different than YA could be a fit if there is a strong reason we can pitch on submission as to why YA is a brilliant new direction for you. Please note we are looking for writers with a vibrant, stand-out voice and strong mastery of craft. If you have not yet completed a novel or don’t widely read current YA fiction, this is unlikely to be the right project for you.

The Contract:

Advance and royalties are offered. The novel will be written under the author’s name (unless a pen name is requested). We are the packager behind The Good Luck Girls, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, Drizzle Dreams & Lovestruck Things, Warrior Cats, BeastQuest, and more. Click here to see our 2022/2023 catalogue.

To Submit:

Please send (or have your agent send) the following to KateB@workingpartnersltd.co.uk :

• The opening 10 pages of any fiction project that showcases the skills/experience above. Multiple samples are fine.
• An author bio (a few paragraphs long) that presents you, your creative experience, and what you most love to write, along with what makes you a good fit for this novel).
• Please note in your email to me whether you are published or unpublished, whether you are represented by an agent, and if so, whether you are currently on submission with a project.

Authors who submit their materials and could be a good fit will receive instructions to audition. I will carefully consider every submission for this call. Because I know how frustrating querying and submission can be, please do note that I cannot respond to every submission. (Though I try!)

This submission call will end Sunday, October 15, 2023 end of day.

Submission Call: MG Iraqi Fantasy

The Opportunity:

I’m looking for published or unpublished Iraqi Muslim writers (or anyone who could bring lived experience or ownvoices treatment to the concept below) to audition to write a middle grade fantasy developed by book packager Working Partners. Information on the plot, requirements, and how to submit are below.

Book packager Working Partners is looking for Iraqi Muslim writers (published or not) to audition for a modern MG fantasy. Please share to help us find the right writer! @WP_Fiction

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The Book

A middle-grade fantasy celebrating Middle Eastern culture and mythology. In an alternate modern Baghdad, the Arabic Golden Age never ended. Baghdad is the epicenter of global knowledge and ‘spark’ technology. Spark is a mysterious and powerful energy source with a level of sentience—similar to vibranium in Black Panther and ‘wunder’ in Nevermoor. To save her younger brother from a wound that will slowly turn him into a ghūl, daydreamer Dunia has to pretend to be her brother and pass the tests of courage, intellect, and creativity assigned to him to earn his place at the most prestigious academy in the world. It’s her only chance at finding a cure for him—one that may not even exist. But the devastating secrets of the academy will lead her to an impossible choice and a truth buried centuries ago that could either condemn or free not only her father but also herself.

The Author:

We are looking for an Iraqi Muslim writer (or someone who could write the concept above from an ownvoices perspective) skilled in writing alternate history/alternate present fantasy. The author who has the best chance of selection will be able to develop a rich world while keeping a fast pace and deep stakes.

Writers may be agented or unagented, published or unpublished. Please note we are looking for writers with a vibrant, stand-out voice and strong craft. If writers have not yet completed a novel and don’t widely read current middle-grade fantasy, this is unlikely to be the right project for them.

The Contract:

Advance and royalties are offered. The novel will be written under the author’s name (unless a pen name is requested). We are the packager behind The Good Luck Girls, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, Drizzle Dreams & Lovestruck Things, Warrior Cats, BeastQuest, and more. Click here to see our 2022/2023 catalogue.

To Submit:

Please send (or have your agent send) the following to KateB@workingpartnersltd.co.uk :

• The opening 10 pages of any fiction project that showcases the skills/experience above. Multiple samples are fine.
• An author bio (a few paragraphs long) that presents you, your creative experience, and what you most love to write, along with what makes you a good fit for this novel).
• Please note in your email to me whether you are published or unpublished, whether you are represented by an agent, and if so, whether you are currently on submission with a project.

Authors who could be a good fit will receive instructions to audition. I will carefully consider every submission for this call. Because I know how frustrating querying and submission can be, please do note that I cannot respond to every submission. (Though I try!)

This submission call will close end of day Friday, Oct 6, 2023.

Please subscribe to this blog to receive future submission calls.

Submissions Call: MG Mystery

The Opportunity:

I’m searching for published or unpublished mystery-thiller authors to audition for the chance to write a fun mystery-thriller novel for middle grade readers developed by book packager Working Partners. Information on the plot, requirements, and how to submit are below!

The Story:

THE SECRETS OF VERITY POINT

A multiple-POV mystery-thriller for middle grade readers– Clue meets Dirty Dancing, or White Lotus for MG.

Want to write a middle grade mystery-thriller that’s Glass Onion meets Dirty Dancing? IP audition call for published/unpublished authors from talent scout @KateBrauning and book packager Working Partners

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Brief Summary

Mac and Henry haven’t been back to Verity Point Resort since they were little, but they both have vivid memories there. During vacation season, their mother Mrs. Dawson works as the manager for the resort, which is located on a small, private island. Normally, the siblings stay with their dad back on the mainland, but this year, Mom tells them they’re finally old enough to help out and make a little money.

Verity Point is celebrating its 50th year of business, after first opening its doors in 1924. The resort has been a getaway for many famous people, including Hollywood celebrities, powerful business moguls, and uber wealthy families. This year, many of those guests—some regulars and others who haven’t been seen in ages—are returning for the big event. Mac and Henry are especially interested to discover that the Carringtons will be attending. The famous family has been in the news of late for being embroiled in a scandal and may be using the resort as a getaway from the spotlight. Mac and Henry had been forced to befriend young Olympia Carrington when they were younger, and aren’t really looking forward to seeing her again, but there’s nothing to be done about that.

The guests arrive en mass, and prove to be quite the eccentric, larger-than-life group. The movie stars have bizarre requests for their rooms and constantly require special items to satisfy them, the influencers are always posing for selfies and asking Mac and Henry to help stage them, and the business moguls continually complain about the bad WiFi connection for their calls to the mainland. Mac and Henry really have their work cut out for them! But Mac can’t help but be intrigued by all these strange people, and is pleased to be getting the chance to spy on them a bit…

But then the bombastic owner of the resort—the elderly Mr. Foster Sterling—disappears right before the big anniversary celebration. Some think Sterling just left on a boat, while others fear that Sterling is dead—either by some accident, or something more sinister. Suddenly, some of the things Mac and Henry heard and saw in the days leading up to Sterling’s disappearance take on a different hue. Conversations overheard, details found in the backgrounds of selfies they’d taken on their phones for guests, abandoned items found on the beach that ended up in the Lost and Found. All those details add up to only one possible answer: something very bad happened to Foster Sterling. And someone staying at the resort had something to do with it.

With their mother overwhelmed with work, Mac and Henry begin investigating their hunches, continuing to spy on the guests using their resort jobs as a cover. Olympia Carrington eventually figures this out and demands to be a part of it, too. Mac doesn’t trust her, but Henry has a huge crush on her and thinks it’s a good idea, since Olympia knows things about the guests that they don’t, and can shed new light on some of the clues. But as they investigate, strange “accidents” start happening and Mac and Henry are very nearly hurt—or worse.

Someone is clearly trying to send them a message to stop sticking their noses where they don’t belong. But who?

The Author:

• Writers who have the strongest chance of selection can write a strong MG voice full of personality, have experience writing the clockwork of mystery plots, can deliver fast pacing without sacrificing heart and depth, and enjoy a collaborative story development and editing process.
• Authors of any gender, race, orientation, or culture can be considered for this project. Authors from historically marginalized communities are especially encouraged to apply.
• The demographics of the characters are open to determination by the author.
• Larger-than-life but believable characters such as those in Clue, Knives Out, Murder on the Orient Express, White Lotus, and Glass Onion are key to the story, so we’re looking for authors who can bring that element.

Writers may be agented or unagented, published or unpublished. Please note we are looking for writers with a vibrant, stand-out voice and strong mastery of craft. If you have not yet completed a novel or don’t frequently read current middle grade fiction, this is unlikely to be the right project for you.

The Contract:

Advance and royalties are offered.

The novel will be written under the author’s name (unless a pen name is requested).

We are the packager behind The Good Luck Girls, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, Drizzle Dreams & Lovestruck Things, Warrior Cats, BeastQuest, and more. Click here to see our 2022/2023 catalogue.

To Submit:

Please send (or have your agent send) the following to KateB@workingpartnersltd.co.uk :

• The opening 10 pages of any fiction project that showcases the skills/experience above. Multiple samples are fine.
• An author bio (a few paragraphs long) that presents you, your creative experience, and what you most love to write, along with what makes you a good fit for this novel).
• Please note in your email to me whether you are published or unpublished, whether you are represented by an agent, and if so, whether you are currently on submission with a project.

Authors who could be a good fit will receive instructions to audition. I will carefully consider every submission for this call. Because I know how frustrating querying and submission can be, please do note that I cannot respond to every submission. (Though I try!)

This submission call will close Friday Sept 15, 2023.

Please subscribe to this blog to receive future submission calls.

Submissions Call from Working Partners: MG Adventure Inspired by West African Mythology

The Opportunity:

I’m searching for published or unpublished authors of West African heritage to audition for the chance to write a middle grade speculative adventure novel developed by book packager Working Partners. Please share this post to help us spread the word and find the right author!

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The Story:

The novel is inspired by the West African myths surrounding the spider god Anansi. The start of an inventive MG fantasy series with a sense of humor, it’s a celebration of the stories we weave and the countless threads that connect us. For fans of Tristan Strong and Koku Akabi and the Heart of Midnight. More information is available after indicating interest (see below).

The Author:

Writers who have the strongest chance of selection will be of West African/Ghanaian heritage and American or experienced with American culture enough to write a detailed modern-day U.S. setting. They should be skilled with MG humor and active, lively prose and enjoy a collaborative story development and editing process.

Writers may be agented or unagented, published or unpublished. Please note we are looking for writers with a vibrant, stand-out voice and strong mastery of craft. If you have not yet completed a novel and don’t widely read current MG fiction, this is unlikely to be the right project for you.

The Contract:

Advance and royalties are offered. The novel will be written under the author’s name (unless a pen name is requested). We are the packager behind The Good Luck Girls, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, Drizzle Dreams & Lovestruck Things, Warrior Cats, BeastQuest, and more. Click here to see our 2022/2023 catalogue.

To Submit:

Please send (or have your agent send) the following to KateB@workingpartnersltd.co.uk :

• The opening 10 pages of any fiction project that showcases the skills/experience above. Multiple samples are fine.
• An author bio (a few paragraphs long) that presents you, your creative experience, and what you most love to write, along with what makes you a good fit for this novel.

Authors who could be a good fit will receive instructions to audition. I will carefully consider every submission for this call. Because I know how frustrating querying and submission can be, please do note that I cannot respond to every submission. (Though I try!)

This submission call will end June 10, 2023.

Submissions Call from Working Partners For Scottish Highlander YA Novel

I’m searching for unpublished authors (this would be your debut novel) for an intellectual property contract to write a YA historical fantasy novel that Working Partners/Dovetail has developed. Advance and royalties are offered, and the novel would be written under the author’s name (unless a pen name is requested). We are the packager behind The Good Luck Girls, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, Drizzle Dreams & Lovestruck Things, Warrior Cats, BeastQuest, and more.

Logline: Scorpio Races meets Outlander in this YA Scottish historical fantasy set in post-Jacobite era Highlands. 

Genre: YA Scottish myth-based dark fantasy

Central Tropes: competition, underdog, unwitting pawn, divided loyalty romance, environmental activism

Comps: Outlander, Scorpio Races, Ashlords.

Tone: Tense, thrilling, dark but lush

MC: 16-year-old Flora Callanan, who wants nothing to do with horses and is grieving the disappearing Highlands she grew up in.

The author should be skilled with fantasy, action scenes, romance, and be able to write vividly and knowledgeably about horses and the Highlands. Since the project centers around Scottish kelpie myths, loss of the Highlander culture, and colonialism, we are looking for a Scottish author. Scottish authors of color are especially encouraged to apply.

Authors may be agented or unagented. Please note we are looking for writers with a vibrant, stand-out voice and strong mastery of craft. If you have not yet completed a YA novel and don’t widely read current YA fiction, this is unlikely to be the right project for you. I am happy to consider anyone’s submission, but I know how frustrating querying and submission can be, and I would hate to take up your time unnecessarily– especially because I cannot respond to every submission. (Though I do try!)

To submit:

Please send (or have your agent send) the following to KateB@workingpartnersltd.co.uk :

-the opening 10 pages of any fiction project that showcases the skills above. Multiple samples are fine.

-an author bio (a few paragraphs long) that presents you, your creative experience, and what you most love to write, along with what makes you a good fit for this novel.

This submission call will end May 1, 2023.

Hey I’m Now a Talent Manager for IP

After working at Dovetail, Working Partners’ YA imprint, as editor for three years now, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been promoted to the talent manager for WP. This is a literary scout position where I work to pair authors with our contracts for our IP books. I do this through networking with agents, authors, writers’ organizations, and any other funnel that can lead me to authors with vibrant voices who love the challenge and perks of working as a collaborative storytelling team to make a book the best it can be.

Subscribe to this blog to stay up to date with my submission calls! I’ll be posting what I’m looking for and what kinds of books we’re baking in our creative kitchen. Please note that a primary focus of my new role is searching for authors from historically marginalized communities to tell powerful, imaginative stories for everyone.

Here’s a bit about Working Partners:

 As a global leader in the creation of children’s fiction and an award-winning creator of children’s TV and apps, story is at the heart of everything we do.

Warriors, Beast Quest and Rainbow Magic are but three of the 200 book series and 2,000 titles we have created and licensed to publishers. Lifetime global sales exceed 200 million copies. 

Clangers, Scream Street and Poppy Cat are just part of an award-winning roster of hit animated and live action TV shows developed and produced in house, and enjoyed the world over. 

Warriors, Beast Quest, and Clangers represent part of a digital slate that has been downloaded over 16 million times as apps and is viewed on YouTube over 40 million times a month. 

Everything we create has global appeal: our books are licensed in over 40 languages, our apps and our award-winning TV shows are licensed in over 140 countries. 

These are all just part of our deep and constantly expanding well of intellectual property. We cover every genre, from big fantasy and horror to friendship stories and rom-coms. With some 70 new titles being created and published each year, there are always new stories with which to engage. Please visit our 2022-2023 catalogue and the full list of our books to learn more. 

How We Work 

We create stories both from our own ideas and to meet a specific request from publishers. We have global reach and have created series for leading publishers in China, France, Germany, Japan, and of course the UK and the USA. 

We routinely spend a year developing our projects, creating meticulously crafted plots to which we attach the strongest possible writers. The result is stories beloved by readers around the world. We like to say that our development team tells the story, but the authors are the ones who get to show the story. Authors are welcome to bring their own heritage, culture, and identity to the story, as well. 

Once we have a project ready for the writer, our talent manager works to match the story with the best possible voices to bring it to life. We host small rounds of auditions for each project. Once we hire an author, we ask them to write the sample pages for the proposal. We will then submit the proposal to publishers in the US and UK, via our agents at Greenhouse Literary Agency. If the book is contracted by a publishing house, the author will then write the rest of the story. After the initial English language deal is made, foreign rights will be sold by Rights People—our dedicated and innovative children’s rights-selling team. 

I’ve worked at several publishing houses and literary agencies over my career, and I’m so lucky to be able to say that Working Partners has that publishing gem: a truly skilled, trustworthy, and genuinely good-hearted team. It’s a dream job for me. They truly do value work-life balance, ethical pay, and the experience of our authors. It’s why I’m willing to work in this position with them.

We do offer (modest) advances for the authors who write our books, set against the future income from the project, along with royalties from all primary territory and secondary territory deals. Working Partners and Dovetail primarily work on picture books through YA, graphic novels, and crossover concepts, with occasional adult and nonfiction projects.

Agents and authors, please do get in touch if you’re interested in working with us. And editors, if you’d like to chat about what books we have going on submission soon, please do reach out as well. We do custom projects for publishing houses as well as books created from our own team’s creativity.

To get in touch, agents please reach out to talk over email or set up a call. Authors (and agents, if you have an interested client), please send the following materials to KateB@workingpartnersltd.co.uk :

1) An author bio, including what genres, age ranges, particular tropes, and story elements they particularly love and areas in which they have expertise (baking, engineering, Australia, animal training, etc). 2) The first 10 pages of a project most closely matches the stories they’d most like to write with us. 3) If they write multiple distinct voices and age ranges, please feel free to include multiple sets of 10 pages. Please attach these materials to an email as a Word document. If I believe the author could be a fit, I’ll be in touch with more information and be able to answer questions.

More soon about what I’m looking for right now! Watch this space.

Writing From Your Strengths

As an editor, I truly wish more authors knew it was okay to focus on their strengths. So much craft advice encourages filling in the gaps in our writing skills. Learn how to avoid soggy middles! Craft a brilliant first line! Create dynamic characters, not static ones! And if you know my subtips, you know I am a huge supporter of learning great craft. But a really vibrant skill in one area can outshine an gap elsewhere.

Gaps in our writing skills can be book killers. But these days especially, the market is looking for strengths. What do you do that’s wild and knew and beautiful? Build a book around it. Plot a book around it. Maybe you’re a genius at describing guinea pigs. Lean into that! Plot around it!

If you’re so real and funny and nuanced with dialogue, take it to the max. Concept the book around the gutting things people say to each other. Plot me a magic system built on the power of words. Make the words visual, life-changing. Make us see words in a new way.

And completely aside from what the market wants, readers often care so much more about what a book does so well they can’t quit talking about it. They’ll often forgive so many weaknesses in a story if completely immerses them through a beautiful strength.

Unfortunately, the publishing industry often teaches writers that we aren’t as good as we think we are. We’re wrong about our gaps and our strengths. Maybe this breeds humility, but maybe it also breeds insecurity. We often end up not knowing ourselves as writers, partially because of that. If you not sure of your strengths, ask other writers. Ask a few readers and librarians. Get to know your own writing. Dig into what fills you with joy about it. Think of what your favorite writers are great at, and see if it’s a strength you share.

Usually, though, if we’ve been writing for a while, we DO come to know what we’re good at. We’re just nervous to claim it.

So please, friend, claim your strengths. Lean on them. Trust them. Write your strengths with bravery and confidence. That can make all the difference.