2024

With our background in editing and acquiring for several major publishers, Skylark was born from our expertise in the Children’s and YA publishing industry. We offer tailored support to all our authors, using our editorial skills and industry knowledge to help them develop their manuscripts and give them the best chance of success. Great writing is fundamental to our business, and we are passionate about finding talented new authors and enabling them to fly on

For me, it is always great writing. That takes many forms – funny, lyrical, poetic – but the common element is they all make me want to keep reading!

I would love to find some books that really grab me! I really love that feeling when I start reading a submission and find that all of my other jobs need to be put aside because this manuscript needs to be read immediately!

Concentrate really hard on polishing those first few chapters/paragraphs/sentences. You should always be leaving the reader with enough information to understand the context but also some questions that they really need to answer, to keep pulling them through the book. Also, read, read, read, particularly books that have come out recently and/or that have had a fuss. It will help your writing enormously.

A novel that shines is one that is truly unique. I want to read stories that I have never come across before, stories that have original voices, or stories that subvert classic tropes! Children's books have to grip the reader from the first page and take them on an immersive arc that continues to engage them throughout - which is no small feat! In addition to plot, tone and emotion is also so important to creating a great novel; some of the best submissions I have read have had me howling with laughter at one point and then sobbing the next. 

For picture books, I am looking for stories that have heart at the core of their foundation that then stay with me for a long time after reading; narratives that subvert classic hooks (e.g. bedtime, new home, friendship) and tell them in a fresh new way and characters that exude warmth and familiarity. I also have a weakness for all things colourful, bold, and shiny!

For chapter books and middle grade, I would love to read any laugh-out-loud funny texts that knock her socks off. I have a special interest in stories with a strong main character that has real brand and series potential. Think James Bond as a suave caterpillar, a Grinch-inspired dinosaur, or a puppy that is a world-renowned rockstar. There are no ideas too weird or wonderful! Please do not count me out for any texts that are a little more on the quiet side with gorgeous lyrical prose and stunning descriptions; as long as they pack a punch and have me grabbing for a box of tissues, I would love to take a look.

For YA, I have a special interest in non-Western mythologies and would love to read new and interesting stories that have previously been unheard; bonus points if there is a romance subplot!

• In your synopsis, please include a very snappy comp for me to immediately visualise your book. These comps do not just have to be from children's books but can also include TV and Film franchises! An example could be: James Bond x Skandar or Twilight with a mermaid twist!

• For picture books - please make sure your texts are paced out in spreads so that I can see where you intend a page turn to be. For reference, the average picture book text is over 12 spreads. 

• Please stay consistent! Many submissions I read are fabulous on the first few pages where authors have clearly poured hours into editing but then the quality tends to trail off. Before submitting, make sure you are happy with every page!

A good book is like a new best friend – you want to spend all your time with it to the exclusion of everything else. It’s the alchemy that happens when a writer’s words connect with the imagination of the reader and something new and magical is created. For me, the books that do this best always have a compelling voice, memorable characters, and most importantly, a story that is bursting to be told. Whether you’ve set your book in the distant past, a spooky house, an alternative reality, a faraway land or on last Wednesday afternoon in the secondary school down the road, I will love it for your irresistible characters and the scary/funny/life-affirming/character-changing situation you’ve put them in. That said, I do have a weakness for stories that combine the everyday with the mysterious, and dialogue that makes me chuckle. 

I would love to see stories set in unusual locations – both real and imagined – and with main characters who aren’t always the loudest, quickest, bravest kid in the room. I love schoolkid sleuths and teenage witches, but I’d like to see them getting mixed up with something fresh – perhaps side-stepping out of their genres, or playing against type. I love books that give me insight into different cultures and alternative teen and pre-teen tribes. I love it when a book or character makes me laugh or swoon, but equally I can take real world issues – especially if they’re balanced with hope and dealt with sensitively.

Get into your story as early as possible. That doesn’t mean you have to put an action scene in the very first paragraph (although, it worked for me!) but be sure to get your main characters on stage early, show us what’s distinct about them, and set up the goal they’ll spend the book trying to achieve. It could be their fatal flaw, their quest or their heart’s desire, but give us a glimpse of it early on. Does your language match your story? Can you get some dialogue in early? An interaction between your character and their friends/family/nemesis is a great way to trigger plot, show character and create that all important ‘voice’ that publishers and agents talk about all the time. Read your work out loud – ideally to a willing listener, but failing that, to yourself. Do you repeat certain words? Are your sentences too long? Is your language appropriate for the age you’re writing for? Ultimately though, this is the only competition of its kind that provides quality feedback, so it’s the perfect testing ground for your book however far along with it you are –so go for it!