After 25 years working in children’s book publishing, Emma Layfield has launched Children’s Books North Agency (CBNA), which is based in Manchester and represents writers and illustrators from the North of England and Scotland.
Children’s Books North Agency (which Layfield will run alongside the Children’s Books North network) will launch in Manchester, one of the UK’s most vibrant cultural cities, and has plans to expand to other Northern cities in the future.
CBNA represents writers and illustrators of picture books, fiction and non-fiction. It is committed to discovering and nurturing new talent, and taking creatives already in the industry to the next level of their careers.
The launch list includes bestselling Michael Whaite from Lancashire; rising star Bethan Clarke from Cheshire; FAB Prize winner Lucy Farfort from Newcastle; Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award winner Rachel Plummer from Edinburgh; Oscar’s Book Prize shortlistee Francis Martin from Lancashire; and exciting debut illustrator Jess Mahy from Yorkshire.
In 2020, the Common People report by Professor Katy Shaw (director of AHRC Creative Communities) recommended that more literary agents move outside of the capital to help break the class ceiling in UK publishing, but very few have made the move yet.
Layfield said: “As publishing continues to expand outside of London and becomes more accessible to writers and illustrators, it is vital that agents do too, so I am delighted to launch Children’s Books North Agency in Manchester. Our tagline is ‘reaching and representing’ and we’re so excited to work with amazing talent across the North and Scotland. We already have a dynamic literary ecosystem here with both Manchester Literature Festival and Durham Book Festival returning next month, and Children’s Books North Agency is delighted to join that community.”
Shaw added: “Talent is everywhere in the North but opportunity in publishing has been scant until now. This vital new agency will forge a new talent pipeline for UK publishing – one of our fastest growing economic sectors – and invest in diversifying who gets to write and illustrate children’s books in the north of England today. Emma’s timely and bold launch couldn’t come at a better time.”
