SCBWI Exclusive with... Molly Ker Hawn, Agent/Director of David Higham Agency

What was your path to agenting?

I started my career in the children’s editorial department at Chronicle Books right after I graduated from college. Books had always been what I cared about most, and I was so lucky to find a publishing job right in my own backyard. It’s funny to think now that I wasn’t looking specifically for a role in children’s books; I’d always read books I was “too old for” – along with anything else I could get my hands on (and I really do mean anything: Booker Prize winners, Judith Krantz novels, military history, contemporary poetry, Sunset magazine books about do-it-yourself upholstery, Hollywood memoirs, anything). After Chronicle, I worked at Dial Books for Young Readers at Penguin in New York, and then I took a detour into digital media and marketing. But I missed the joy and the challenge of children’s books and I came running back, spending a few valuable years at the Children’s Book Council. Nearly every significant American and Canadian children’s publisher belongs to the CBC, and it gave me a fantastic opportunity to learn about the whole industry and meet many of the people I still work with today.

Then I moved to London, and I joined the Bent Agency in 2012, leading the London office and building a list of clients who primarily write for children and young adults. Last year, TBA UK was acquired by David Higham Associates, where I became a director and brought my authors with me. DHA was founded in 1935 and has a jaw-dropping list of authors and estates, and working with their brilliant, industry-leading team and giving my clients the support of their incredible back office is really a dream come true. 

What are the differences in the market in the US and the UK?

Half of my clients are American and Canadian, and half are based in the UK and Ireland, so I work in all those markets. And there are definitely some big differences between them! I think the most important is that the US still has a comparatively strong library market, which supports a broader range of stories, creators and formats than the retail market does. The market in the UK is almost entirely retail-focused, which leads to a narrower selection of books and sometimes to a resistance to longer, more challenging stories. There are other differences, too; Americans and British readers often have different tastes in humor and illustration. Agents and publishers who work in both markets learn to spot when a project feels ‘too British’ or ‘too American’ to work on both sides of the ocean, though more American YA books work in the UK than vice versa. 

What about a manuscript moves you to want to represent the author/book?

I see thousands of submissions every year, so for me, it starts when I get to the end of the author’s sample and I just want to keep reading. It’s as simple as that. If the pages surprise me, delight me, intrigue me, make me feel something, then I’ll ask to see more. 

As I’m reading, I’ll ask myself: is there a clear hook here? Do I think I understand what the author’s trying to do with this story? Do I have a clear sense of the editorial guidance I’d give them, and do I have the bandwidth to work on the level of revision I think the manuscript needs in order for me to sell it successfully? Can I imagine how I’d pitch the book to editors in a snappy, compelling way? Can I name at least half a dozen editors who I think would probably respond well to it? Do I think the project will appeal to US publishers? Does it have potential in translation markets? It’s a lot of questions, but if most of my answers are “yes,” then I’ll want to talk to the author.

On “the call,” I’ll ask the author about their expectations for their career, and I’ll look for a sense of how they respond to my editorial ideas and how they want to work with their agent. Every writer is different and I really want them to be honest about what they’re looking for. They might have several agents vying for the chance to work with them, so it’s crucial that they ask questions and get the answers they need to feel confident they’re making a well-informed, considered decision. 

What's on your manuscript wish list?

I’m paying special attention to short, high-concept middle grade novels (20,000-40,000 words) and young adult novels (45,000-60,000 words). Publishers are rightly concerned about “reading stamina” and every bookseller I speak to tells me that they struggle to interest young readers in longer books. I’m feeling a little fatigued by high fantasy (it makes up about a third of my submissions), but I’m always looking for smart, surprising speculative stories. I’d love to find a fast-paced YA heist story, and I’m hunting for the right dystopian novel. And funny younger fiction is always on my wish list, whether or not it’s illustrated. 

Submission guidelines: https://davidhigham.co.uk/submissions/