WE ARE CLOSED TO PROPOSALS FROM 1st NOVEMBER 2023 TO 31st JANUARY 2024
We welcome proposals and are keenly on the hunt for talented writers and illustrators.
For those who are mid-career, we can offer advice on building success, exploring new paths where appropriate and maximising income.
For debut authors and illustrators we have the excitement of maximising opportunities from the outset.
What we do for our clients
We intend to be an enabler, advocate, adviser and negotiator for our clients, not an intruder in the relationship between author and publisher. These are some of the things we do, but every author and illustrator is unique and will call on us in different ways.
- Place work with an appropriate publisher, carefully assessing financial terms and marketing commitment
- Negotiate advances
- Negotiate royalty rates with particular attention to areas such as high discount royalty rates and ebook rates
- Advise on career paths, suggesting new directions where appropriate
- Keep in touch with commercial trends in print and electronic media
- Exploit rights in all media including film, television, stage, multi-media and electronic
- Sell translation rights and rights in America
Our basic commission rate is 15% on advances and royalties in the home market and 20% for translation, US sales and film and television.
WE ARE CLOSED TO PROPOSALS FROM 1st NOVEMBER 2023 TO 31st JANUARY 2024
How to send work to us
- Send the work by email to info@carolinesheldon.co.uk, addressed to Caroline Sheldon or Millie van Grutten. Please do not send to Caroline or Millie's individual email address.
- In the subject line of the email put PROPOSAL/[Title of Work]/[Your Name]
- Include a three-sentence synopsis of your work at the top of your email
- In your email, include any relevant information about yourself, such as your experience, your ambitions as a writer, or if you’ve been previously published
- For authors:
- For adult and children's chapter books, attach a one-page synopsis of your work and the first three chapters or the first 10,000 words, whichever comes first. If your work is shorter than 10,000 words, please attach the whole manuscript
- For picture book proposals, please send the text only. You can send us up to three samples of your work if available.
- Please ensure all attachments are in .doc or PDF format
- For illustrators:
- Send samples of your work as JPEG or PDF attachments. Alternatively give a direct link to your online portfolio
- Please do not send us original work by post
- Please make sure all attached files are clearly labelled with your name and the title of your work
- Have a look at our Pet Hates for a list of things we find unhelpful when receiving proposals
We prefer to receive proposals by email, but for postal proposals please follow the above guidelines and send work to Caroline Sheldon at 71 Hillgate Place, London, W8 7SS. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope with correct postage if you would like your work to be returned to you after reading. Due to the current situation with Covid-19 there may be a delay in responding to any postal proposals.
We do not want to receive original manuscripts or illustrations and cannot be responsible for such material.
We do not send confirmation of receipt, but when we are open to new proposals, we aim to respond to all proposals within 4-6 weeks.
We do not charge a reading fee.