M Milburn blog posts

Madeleine Milburn founded the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency in March 2012, and is looking to represent authors of all types of popular and literary fiction including genres such as women’s, psychological suspense, crime and thrillers, comedy, general fiction, narrative non-fiction, children’s books, teen, young adult and cross-over.

My passion is finding outstanding voices in both adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction, and negotiating top deals.  I have a very strong women’s fiction list and I am extremely excited about launching a crime, thriller and psychological suspense side to my client list.  Authors such as Harlan Coben, S.J. Watson, Lee Child, John Connolly, Linwood Barclay, Tana French, amongst others in this area, hugely appeal to me but I am really looking for a strong voice, incredible characters and a page-turning plot. 

I am always on the lookout for fantastic Young Adult novels too and the kind of …

Madeleine Milburn founded the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency in March 2012, and is looking to represent authors of all types of popular and literary fiction including genres such as women’s, psychological suspense, crime and thrillers, comedy, general fiction, narrative non-fiction, children’s books, teen, young adult and cross-over.

There are ups and downs in any writing career.  Sometimes a writer will feel on top of their game - words will flow, stories will be told, and the publishers around the world will be doing a great job.  But other times a writer may experience writers block, their second book might be a lot more difficult to write than their first, or the genre they are writing may not be as popular as it was.  As an agent, I have to be aware of the market at all times and I have to be extremely supportive to my authors.  I have to point them in the right direction and guide them on their journeys.  The agent …

Madeleine Milburn founded the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency in March 2012, and is looking to represent authors of all types of popular and literary fiction including genres such as women’s, psychological suspense, crime and thrillers, comedy, general fiction, narrative non-fiction, children’s books, teen, young adult and cross-over.

What does a literary agent do? Book fairs and trips

I attend all the major international book fairs each year, including the Bologna Book Fair which is specifically for Children’s books, the London Book Fair and the Frankfurt book fair.  I also make regular trips to the US to liaise with publishers.  At the book fairs I will pitch my authors’ work to hundreds of different editors from publishing companies all over the world.  I sit at a table each day and have 30 minutes with each one, starting from 9am through to 6pm with no breaks.  The adrenalin keeps you going!  A lot of work is done in …

Madeleine Milburn founded the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency in March 2012, and is looking to represent authors of all types of popular and literary fiction including genres such as women’s, psychological suspense, crime and thrillers, comedy, general fiction, narrative non-fiction, children’s books, teen, young adult and cross-over.

Deal making – how does a literary agent do the actual deals with publishers?  Negotiating top deals in the UK, US and foreign markets, including film and TV rights, are so important in giving my writers a platform to be successful.  The submission process for each book can be very different depending on whether I am submitting a debut novel, what the book is about, who it’s intended for, and so on.  Once I have read a manuscript, I will already have a strong idea of who I want to send it to.  If I feel that there is a perfect match in terms of an editor and publishing company, I will submit the …

Madeleine Milburn founded the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency in March 2012, and is looking to represent authors of all types of popular and literary fiction including genres such as women’s, psychological suspense, crime and thrillers, comedy, general fiction, narrative non-fiction, children’s books, teen, young adult and cross-over.

Author care – what is involved in looking after my authors?

Writing can be a lonely business, and authors need attention to ensure that they stay on track, write top quality manuscripts and deliver according to their contracts.  I like to handle all the business side of things so my authors can concentrate on writing.  They need an agent to bounce ideas off, to edit their work before it goes to their publisher and to offer valuable feedback at all stages of their writing career.

I like my authors to be as ambitious as I am.  I need them to see writing as a long-term career.  A lot of success only …