Celia Catchpole is the founder and sole agent at The Catchpole Agency, a boutique UK outfit whose deal history and client roster signal a deep commitment to children's and young adult publishing across illustration-led and text-driven formats.
In brief
The Catchpole Agency is a boutique, founder-led operation — working with Celia Catchpole means a direct, personal relationship with the agent who signed you, not a junior associate.
The agency's name and structure suggest a long-standing independent practice; writers should expect a selective, relationship-first approach rather than a high-volume intake model.
Query status was observed as open in early June 2026, but boutique agencies can shift quickly — confirm the live submission form before sending anything.
With limited public deal data available, writers should treat any submission as an opportunity to demonstrate both craft and commercial awareness for the children's/YA space.
The agency's boutique scale is a signal: Celia Catchpole likely takes on very few new clients per year, so a highly targeted, polished query will matter more here than at a larger agency.
Lately
Query status was confirmed open as of early June 2026, suggesting Celia Catchpole is actively considering new submissions at this time.
What Celia is looking for
As a children's-focused boutique agency, The Catchpole Agency is most likely seeking well-crafted children's fiction and picture book texts. Writers working in this space — particularly those with a strong, distinctive voice and an understanding of the current market — are the natural fit for this agency.
YA with genuine emotional stakes and a clear readership identity fits the agency's profile. Celia Catchpole is likely to respond to YA that demonstrates commercial awareness alongside literary quality.
Illustrated projects from author-illustrators — creators who both write and draw — are a plausible area of interest given the agency's children's focus. Note the distinction: this does not imply the agency is seeking picture book text from writers-only; author-illustrators bringing a complete package are the stronger fit.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Celia
Confirm the live query status and submission method directly on the agency's website before preparing materials — boutique agencies update their guidelines frequently.
Because this is a founder-led, one-agent practice, address your query directly to Celia Catchpole and demonstrate that you have researched the agency specifically, not just submitted to a list.
Lead your query with the age range and format of your project (e.g. middle grade novel, picture book text, YA contemporary) — this immediately signals whether you are the right fit.
If you are a picture book writer without illustration skills, clarify upfront; if you are an author-illustrator, say so and note whether you are submitting sample artwork.
Keep the query concise and professional: a short pitch, word count, age range, and a brief author bio are the essentials for a boutique agency with limited bandwidth.
Do not follow up too quickly — a small agency may have a longer response window than a larger one. Check the stated response time on the submission page and respect it.