Clare Wallace
Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency
Also listed at Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission route
- Website
- Response time
- Aims to reply within 12 weeks
- Last checked
- 14 days ago
About
Clare joined the Darley Anderson Agency in January 2011 and is Managing Director of Children's and Young Adult as well as an agent.
She is building both the Darley Anderson Children's Agency and the Darley Anderson Illustration Agency lists, and also represents a boutique list of commercial adult fiction in both the United Kingdom and United States. In 2024 she was shortlisted for Agent of the Year by the British Book Awards. Her clients have featured on the New York Times bestseller list, been USA Today and ebook bestsellers, and been selected for the Good Morning America Book Club, with many titles adapted for or in development for the screen. She loves working editorially with her authors, and represents several clients developing careers in both adult and children's fiction. Before joining Darley Anderson she assisted at a specialist non-fiction agency. She graduated with a first in Creative Writing and Cultural Studies from Bath Spa University and went on to gain a distinction on the Masters in Creative Writing, and she has proof-listened to hundreds of adult and children's audio books and worked for Cardiff University as a research assistant and coach to international students.
Genres
Looking for
- adult fiction that could be described as book club, romantic comedy, romance, saga, reading group, fantasy or historical fiction
- unforgettable characters
- a strong hook or a high concept
- books ambitious in scope
- under-represented voices
- contemporary fiction and conversation-starting book club reads
- unfamiliar locations and unusual careers
- areas of women's lives that are not much talked about, including perimenopause, menopause, mental health, second chances, second marriages, blended families, evolving or twisted friendships and the relentless juggle
- messy lives and topical dilemmas
- big, hooky, commercial, page-turning love stories that make her laugh and cry, whether fresh and fast-paced or cosy and sweet or spicy
- cosy magical realism
- accessible and unique fantasy with new worlds, high stakes and characters that stay with the reader
- historical fiction with a new perspective or a new voice, inspired by true events or a feminist take on an old tale, beautiful and brutal, sweeping and atmospheric
- graphic novels in the adult space
- writers working in both commercial adult and children's fiction
Agency submission guidelines
Submissions are made through the online form on the agency website, one agent at a time. Send a cover letter (a one-line elevator pitch, a short blurb, the genre and target market, and a short author biography with any writing prizes), a one-page synopsis, and the first three chapters or fifty pages, as PDF or Word attachments. The agency specialises in commercial fiction: thrillers, crime, mystery, romance, romantasy, rom-com, book club and more. It does not accept screenplays, poetry, non-fiction, novellas or erotica, and children's, middle grade and young adult should go to the Darley Anderson Children's Book Agency. Submissions are not accepted by post, and receipt is not acknowledged.
Links
Clients include
- Sophie Cousens
- Pat Sowa
- Martyn Ford
- Polly Ho-Yen
- Phaedra Patrick
- Beth Reekles
- Deirdre Sullivan
- Samantha Tonge
- Julia Tuffs
- Dave Rudden
- Josh Silver
- Clare Thompson
Other agents at Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency
Camilla Bolton
Camilla is Managing Director and an agent at Darley Anderson, which she joined in 2007. She was named a publishing Rising Star by The Bookseller in 2013 and shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year in 2022, and has built some of the fastest-growing commercial brands in the thriller market, with five of her authors selling over a million copies in the United Kingdom alone. Her list includes many Sunday Times, New York Times and number one ebook global bestsellers, with authors picked for Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club and BBC Two's Between the Covers, five Richard & Judy Book Club picks, and titles adapted for BBC One, Channel 5 and Netflix. She works closely with her authors editorially and strategically, negotiating six and seven-figure deals in the United Kingdom and United States.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Crime · Horror · Mystery · Psychological Suspense +1 more
OpenLast checked 19 days ago
Darley Anderson
Darley is the founder and proprietor of the Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency, and an ex-publisher with fifty years' experience across general trade publishing. He started the agency single-handedly in 1988 with three writers, a large bank overdraft and no financial backing, and has since built an international reputation as a leading talent spotter. His writers include Lee Child, Martina Cole, John Connolly, Tana French, Chris Carter, Adrian Plass, Annie Murray, Margaret Dickinson, Jacqui Rose, Stephen Spotswood, Anna-Lou Weatherley and Hazel Prior. Almost all were unknown and unpublished when they first wrote to him. He works editorially with his authors before selling their work, and has negotiated some of the highest seven and eight-figure advances achieved for British and Irish writers.
Genres:Crime · Psychological Suspense · Thriller
OpenLast checked 19 days ago
Jade Kavanagh
Jade is a Literary Agent and Head of Books at Darley Anderson, representing thriller, horror and book club authors, and working selectively in non-fiction. She joined in April 2020, building on her experience at the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency. Her first client's debut, The Shallows by Holly Craig, published in September 2023 and became an instant Kindle bestseller across the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. As Head of Books she works closely with the Managing Director in shaping and supporting the agency's books list, alongside building her own.
Genres:Commercial Fiction · Crime · Horror · Mystery · Psychological Suspense +3 more
OpenLast checked 19 days ago
Rebeka Finch
Rebeka is a Literary Agent at Darley Anderson, building a list specialising in commercial romance and romantasy, and representing New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, Kindle, Apple Books and Audible bestselling authors. She joined the agency in 2019 after graduating from the University of Exeter with a first in History, began as Darley Anderson's assistant, and soon built her own list shaped by a long-standing love of commercial new adult, romance and romantasy fiction. In 2025 she was nominated for Agent of the Year by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Her debut author, Donna Marchetti, became an instant United States and United Kingdom Kindle bestseller now translated into sixteen languages, and her list also includes New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller Brooke Fast.
Genres:Contemporary Fiction · Fantasy · Romance · Romantic Fantasy · Women's Fiction
OpenLast checked 19 days ago