Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency

Here at CWLA, our staff and contributors have a shared goal to create engaging Picture & Early Chapter books for young readers.

Early Chapter Books: I have genuine empathy with parents of children that are reluctant readers, as a mum of two boys myself, it can be incredibly hard to engage some children with reading. I believe there is a real need in the industry to create stimulating children’s content as a key stepping-stone into independent reading with Early Chapter books. This reading age group are very loyal to a ‘good’ series, which is often overlooked by writers and illustrators who either target at a higher age level with more detailed chapter books, or a much younger age group with picture books. Our aim here is to bring a wider selection into the market by ensuring the storylines are engaging, relevant and by offering different formats, easier reading text and just by creating great stories!

Picture Books: As co-founder of one of the leading illustration agencies, I have over 20 years of experience in Children’s Publishing. I understand how important it is to match artwork and text to present an obvious choice to publishers. The enormous goodwill I have built up with 100’s of illustrators, and my reputation for having a high conversion rate, means that we can often produce speculative samples for publishers the same day. Clients benefit from how that translates into a smooth commissioning process.

I also understand the author’s side of the business. As a writer myself, I appreciate the fine balance of creative input with the pressure of deadlines. I really enjoy working with our like-minded authors who share the same passion of bringing immersive and imaginative content to market through young literature.