SPOTLIGHT FEATURE: Introducing the Kowal Stannus Agency, and founder Angharad Kowal Stannus.

Good morning everyone!

Today I am excited to introduce you to Angharad from the Kowal Stannus Agency.

Angharad founded the Kowal Stannus Agency in 2017 in order to spend more time with authors and illustrators on the development and execution of their work.

Angharad has a strong background in publishing and licensing, having spent the first 10 years of her career at Simon and Schuster in New York as Rights Director, and setting up and heading the London office of major NYC literary agency, Writers House LLC, in 2008. She uses this experience to inform her role as an agent, and has a vast history of managing lists of award-winning and bestselling authors, across childrens, adults, and non-fiction titles.

As an American based in the UK, Angharad prides herself on having in-depth knowledge of the British, American and International markets. At KSA, Angharad represents authors and illustrators of fiction and non-fiction across all ages, and looks after a wide array of genres – there is very little she won’t represent.

Angharad was kind enough to take the time to chat with us about her submission wish-list, favourite authors and books, and advice for prospective clients.

Check out some highlights from our interview with Angharad below.

Good morning Angharad, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us today. We would love to know more about what you’re looking for in submissions, and some advice for writers and prospective clients.

Q. What’s currently at the top of your fiction wish-list?

I really want more fiction on my list generally; I tend to read more fiction and I’m sometimes a little more passionate about it (I would include young adult and strong middle grade in that list as well). Right now I have a lot of children’s clients – which I adore, so I still want to see children’s authors and illustrators – but I would love some really strong authors on the adult side. I will look at most genres, but I would love some quality commercial fiction and literary fiction. In the literary direction I would particularly like a really good story underpinning it, with a tight plot, and something where you’re either immediately connected to the voice or it’s really interesting from the beginning. I will look at more atmospheric literary fiction, but what I really love is something a bit more pacey and perfect for the quality book club audience. When it comes to children’s books I tend to go slightly more high-end on the illustration side, and dip into quality commercial; commercial but with a lot of personality, or something distinctive.

My literary experience has been so broad and I love elements of that, so I’m never going to be the agent that focuses on one thing. In today’s day and age there’s so much crossover in writing; so many people who have written adult books are writing a children’s book, or people who are YA authors are branching out into adult, and this is just one area where my skillset can really help a client.

Q. What are you looking for in non-fiction submissions?

I would love some really strong narrative non-fiction. For example, I used to work with Michael Lewis and I would love someone I could put next to him. I also like big idea non-fiction, whether that’s some crossover into popular science, or some political and social big ideas. Anything that feels really contemporary – the kind of things we’re all talking about these days.

Q. In your submission requirements you ask for authors to send you their full manuscript. Is there something that makes a piece of work stand out in the first few pages that makes you want to read the whole thing?

I do think there’s something really special about that first read – the magical feeling when you’re discovering somebody new and you’re really excited, and you just want to dive in. I think every agent knows, within a short space of time, whether it’s something that interests them and if it’s something they want to read more of. So I like to see the whole manuscript because if I’m enjoying it I hate to stop reading; just like any reader I want to be able to plough through it. When I’m reading I look for that immediate connection to the book, either to the voice of the writer, or something that really pulls me in and interests me from the very beginning. And by that it doesn’t have to be a very dramatic start, people sometimes misinterpret that; I just want that connection early on.

Don’t hesitate to check out the interview, in full, on her AgentMatch profile.

In the meantime, if you’re struggling with your query letter and synopsis, do check out our free resources on our website. We have lots of info to help you on your way. Or, better still, if you’re a Premium Member with us, our lovely Writers Support team will be happy to offer you a free query letter review!