We are proud to represent the distinguished, San Francisco-based, independent publishing house MacAdam Cage for all their UK and Commonwealth rights. Founded in 1998 by David Poindexter, MacAdam Cage publish an exciting and diverse range of contemporary fiction and non-fiction. For details of their forthcoming and recent titles, please visit their website at www.macadamcage.com. And for further information about the availability of UK and Commonwealth rights, please contact or m
We mainly represent writers who live in the UK, because local representation makes more sense for both client and agent in most cases. But we are happy to consider material from overseas, particularly as we pride ourselves in selling rights direct in most territories around the world and have international tastes and interests to match our selling scope.
Agents can objectively advise you on your work and will know the most suitable group of editors and publishers to take it to, not to mention fighting for the best deal on your behalf. What’s more, we have a reputation for being hands-on: we work hard with our authors to make sure that all the proposals and manuscripts we submit are as polished as they can be so that the books have the best chance possible of succeeding in a very competitive publishing environment.
Our philosophy has always been that we represent writers rather than one-off projects, planning long-term to build an author’s career in as many markets and across as many media as possible. We are proud of our record of happy, close and enduring partnerships between the agency and our clients.
Do look at the authors and titles on our website to get an idea of the kind of books we represent. Our taste is generally upmarket to mass-market and we’re more interested in the quality of writing than the particular genre. That said, we do not represent poetry or short stories (the market for both is very tough), though if either forms part of the body of work that also includes a novel or non-fiction, you would be welcome to include it in a submission. And we don’t represent scripts for film, television or plays, though we do agent the dramatic rights of our own book projects.
No, we normally don’t meet potential clients without having first read their work.
You have to rely on our professional integrity. We are in business to represent writers, not to poach creative material at the risk of compromising our hard-earned reputation. What’s more, it’s unlikely that you are the only person to come up with a particular idea: coincidence is a creative ‘fact of life’, and it would be surprise if authors didn’t from time to time stumble on similar or identical theses, themes, plots, characters or formats.
No, we cannot offer any editorial advice to non-clients.
Because it is unusual for a publisher to commission works of fiction on the basis of only a few chapters, it is also unusual for us to take on an author without having read the finished novel. If we are enthusiastic about the initial material we receive, we would want to see the whole novel as soon as possible, so it is best to have that material available before you approach us.
Editors do not have the time to read entire manuscripts, most of which they will end up passing on. And with projects that they do take on, editors want a chance to influence an author’s thinking about how the final book should be structured. Initially, then, they want to see a proposal, chapter summaries and a writing sample to give them a sense of your book’s shape, thematic content and audience.
Almost definitely. Editors will want to know how your book is going to turn out in the telling (in fact this is often the decisive factor). So a sample chapter showcasing your writing is invaluable if not essential. It provides an example of your prose style as well as indicates the breadth and depth of the contents.
We welcome new work, but our primary obligations are to our existing authors so please do not be offended if you receive a standard rejection letter. We give all manuscripts careful consideration as soon as we can, but owing to the huge volume of submissions we receive, we cannot give detailed reasons why projects are unsuitable for the agency or offer editorial comments, feedback or suggestions.
Our commission rates are 15 per cent for home sales (British Commonwealth) and 20 per cent for US, Canada, translation, audio, film and television. No commission is charged to an author unless a deal is agreed and signed by an author, so you always have the sanction of saying ‘no’. And because we don’t earn until you do, it is in our mutual interests to ensure the best possible terms.
Our commissions cover editorial advice, preparation of presentation material, books and proofs bought by the agency for promotional purposes and submission to publisher abroad, and photocopying of manuscripts and sales material. No administrative, postage, telephone, fax, courier or other overhead costs will be charged to you but we shall be entitled with your prior approval to charge you for any exceptional expenses that we incur concerning books written by you.
We provide a multi-faceted service:
And we are always, of course, at the end of the telephone if and when a writer hits a block, has a problem, or simply needs encouragement.
Often a new author will ask whether we can bring enough value to the table to justify our commission rates, and the answer to that is a resounding ‘yes’.
First, we have industry contacts and inside knowledge that most writers don’t possess. We keep current with editors’ tastes and needs, know which new imprints are starting and which ones are downsizing, stay abreast of changing corporate policies, and keep track of who’s newly hired and who just got fired – both in the UK and abroad.
Second, we can negotiate deals and publishing contracts to our clients’ advantage, not only by pushing for a higher advance and more favourable royalties but also by limiting what rights a publisher acquires to those essential for the negotiations at hand. This leaves us free to contract the reserved rights to other companies and in other markets around the world, be they US rights, translation rights, film and television rights or merchandising rights.
Our search engine makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. You can search for a book or author using our search box, which appears in the right-hand side of each page. Type in what you are looking for and click ‘Search’, and you should then receive a search results page with the relevant information,.
If you can’t find the book you are looking for it may be that although we represent the author we don’t represent the rights for that particular title. Alternatively, the book or author information may be in the process of being uploaded or updated on the website.
You can see all of our titles online on the Titles pages and download copies of our backlist catalogue and rights lists in PDF format from our Foreign Rights page.
We cannot give out personal mail or email addresses for our authors. But all author mail is forwarded directly to our authors – though we cannot guarantee a reply.
Please write to:
‘Author name’If you would like to invite an author to take part in a festival or event, please send details initially to our .
If you work in the media and would like to order review copies of any of the titles we represent, please register your interest with the press office or publicity department of the relevant publisher.
To find out if the translation rights for a particular foreign language or English language rights for the USA and Canada are still available, please check the information on the relevant Titles page and in our backlist catalogue, which is downloadable from our Foreign Rights page.
We look after the dramatic rights in our author’s work, working closely with a select number of film and TV agents.
Whenever a job vacancy arises at Conville & Walsh we post details on our News & Views page. We sometimes also advertise in the Bookseller magazine, and occasionally in the Guardian newspaper. Unfortunately, owing to the high number we receive, we cannot respond to speculative applications.
We have a long-established work-experience scheme for young people who are keen to learn more about book publishing and, in particular, the work of literary agencies. Usually lasting two-to-four weeks, the scheme allows participants to work with agents to gain hands-on experience of the publishing business. Applicants should have good administrative skills and a genuine enthusiasm for and interest in the industry. For more information, email our .
We regularly receive requests for information about publishing and agenting from journalists and are often available for interviews or talks. Please direct your enquiry to our and it will be passed on to the appropriate person.
Try the following for insight into the book industry and advice on getting your work published:
Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction – and Get It Published by Susan Rabiner & Alfred Fortunato (Norton, 2003)
From Pitch to Publication: Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Novel Published by Carole Blake (Macmillan, 1999)
The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (A&C Black, published annually)
So Many Books by Gabriel Zaid (Sort of Books, 2004))
The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner (Riverhead, 2000)
Conville & Walsh Limited
Registered Number: 2247500 England and Wales
Registered Office: The Courtyard, Beeding Court, Steyning, West Sussex BN44 3TN
As a group, we have decades of publishing experience, both scholarly and commercial publishing. Our agents have worked as publishers and editors as well as authors, and have close knowledge of the marketing and publicity sides of the business, too.
We are also very hands-on: we take a far more active role than most agencies in helping authors conceptualize their project and shape a submission package that will have the maximum impact.
Also we differ from almost every other agency in dealing direct with all the main European, UK and US trade publishing houses.