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Madeleine Milburn

Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency

Submission status
Open
Submission route
Website
Response time
Assume no reply = no after 12 weeks
Last checked
19 days ago

About

Madeleine is the founding director of Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency and sits on the committee of the Association of Authors’ Agents.

She has appeared on The Bookseller’s list of the 150 most influential people in the book trade every year since 2017. Awarded Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2018 and shortlisted again in 2020, Madeleine has discovered bestselling and award-winning authors including Nita Prose, Gail Honeyman, Ashley Audrain, Elizabeth Macneal, Fiona Barton, Beth Morrey and Holly Bourne, and represents crime and thriller writers such as C.L. Taylor, C.J. Tudor, Mark Edwards and Teresa Driscoll. Madeleine reads across all areas of fiction but is immediately drawn to powerful, voice-led book club fiction, high-concept thrillers and suspense, epic multi-generational dramas, powerful love stories with mysteries at their heart and historical fiction with universal themes. Madeleine values an original, enticing hook, a compelling protagonist and a distinctive narrative voice.

Genres

Commercial FictionContemporary FictionCrimeHistorical FictionLiterary FictionMysteryPsychological SuspenseRomanceThriller

Looking for

  • commercial and book club fiction from writers based in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Europe, with a strong hook, compelling characters and propulsive storytelling
  • smart, voice-led storytelling with an irresistible protagonist, landing in the sweet spot between literary and commercial
  • a sophisticated thriller or suspense
  • higher-concept thrillers
  • purely escapist suspense
  • book club fiction in the vein of Lessons in Chemistry
  • a big, powerful love story with a mystery at its heart
  • an epic family saga that spans generations
  • stories that explore human connection and how people cope in difficult times

Agency submission guidelines

Submissions are made through the forms on the agency website: Adult Fiction, Non-fiction, or Children's and YA, addressed to the agent who best suits your work. Submissions are not accepted by post or by direct email; only the website forms are read. Format: manuscript and synopsis in Word, 1.5 or double spaced, with only one attachment per form. Adult fiction, and only when the manuscript is complete: an introduction with a one or two-line elevator pitch, up to three comparable books or authors from the past ten years, a compelling blurb and any relevant information about yourself; then a one-page synopsis and the first three chapters or first 10,000 words in a single attachment. The synopsis should tell the story, with spoilers. Non-fiction, sold on proposal, so the book need not be complete: a covering letter introducing yourself and the project, then one document containing a writing sample of about 5,000 to 10,000 words and a proposal. The proposal should cover what the book is about and why it needs to be written, where it sits in the market against similar titles, why you are the person to write it, and a chapter outline with a paragraph or two per chapter. Children's and young adult, only when the manuscript is complete: the same shape as adult fiction: an introduction with an elevator pitch, up to three comparable books or authors, a blurb and relevant information about yourself, then a one-page synopsis and the first three chapters or first 10,000 words in a single attachment. Picture book submissions are not currently considered. Worth knowing: the agency takes up to twelve weeks to consider a manuscript and cannot reply to everyone; no reply after twelve weeks means no. A receipt email confirms arrival. After an unsuccessful submission you may try a different agent after twelve weeks, flagging who you first sent it to. The agency does not accept scripts, poetry or picture books, and agents only ever email from a madeleinemilburn.com address. If another agent requests your full manuscript or offers representation, tell the agency by email.

Agency AI policy

Does not accept submissions of material generated by artificial intelligence.

Links

Clients include

  • Nita Prose
  • Charmaine Wilkerson
  • Gail Honeyman
  • Ashley Audrain
  • Elizabeth Macneal
  • Emma Stonex
  • Holly Bourne
  • C.L. Taylor
  • C.J. Tudor
  • Mark Edwards
  • Jack Jordan

Other agents at Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency