Sarah Davies is a former senior publisher turned literary agent who built Greenhouse Literary around the cultivation of long-term author careers, with deep roots in middle grade and YA and a transatlantic lens on commercial potential.
In brief
Sarah Davies spent 25 years as a publisher and editor before founding Greenhouse Literary in 2008 — that editorial depth is a genuine differentiator; expect substantive developmental feedback, not just placement.
The core of the list is squarely middle grade and YA fiction, with particular commercial strength in concept-driven, hook-first storytelling; writers with a fresh premise and a distinctive voice are the primary target.
Adult suspense is on the radar but hard to access — Davies takes it by referral only, signaling a nearly closed door for unsolicited adult fiction queries.
Davies's background spanning both UK and US publishing means international co-edition potential is actively considered; a manuscript with global appeal gets a second look that it might not get elsewhere.
The graphic novel interest — especially MG — comes with a meaningful gate: author-illustrators, or author-illustrator teams already assembled, are strongly preferred over text-only submissions.
Lately
Davies has publicly emphasized a strong desire to find a YA novel that captures the atmospheric, morally complex feel of Nordic noir television — a gap they describe as still waiting to be filled in teen fiction.
What Sarah is looking for
Davies's primary hunting ground. Looking for classic, warm-hearted stories that take a protagonist on both an inner and outer journey — contemporary with a touch of magic or magical realism is welcome. Action-adventure with a genuinely original premise is equally sought. Diverse voices and own-voices perspectives are especially encouraged. Unusual structures, formats, and books with illustrative potential stand out.
A focused, specific interest: Davies wants to see the graphic format doing real narrative work — not just illustrated prose, but stories where image and design are inseparable from the storytelling. Ideal submissions come from author-illustrators or from author-illustrator teams that are already paired, with text and visual concept developed together from the start.
Twisty, hooky thrillers with genuine psychological tension. The bar is high — Davies describes this corner of YA as an area where they are being 'very picky.' The vibe sought is clever, not gratuitously violent; a scary setting (an eerie house, a town with secrets) that tips toward horror is welcome if it's more unsettling than slasher.
Smart, charming, freshly told love stories with a strong hook. Diverse characters and specific cultural backdrops are a positive differentiator. Davies is also drawn to dramatic, romantically-charged stories set abroad that feel genuinely authentic and illuminate a real political or cultural context (the Middle East, France, Scandinavia, and similar settings are named as appealing).
Sexy, relatable historical fiction set in a genuinely fascinating period. One hard constraint: US Revolutionary War and US Civil War settings are explicitly not wanted. Everything else is fair game if the period feels immersive and the story is emotionally compelling.
Davies is drawn to stories woven around a specific, deep knowledge base — science, chemistry, forensics, painting, or similar domains — where learning something real is part of the pleasure. Water, snow and ice, plants, and gardens also surface as recurring thematic draws. The feeling Davies is chasing: 'Wow, that's clever.'
A specific gap Davies has named wanting to fill: a YA novel that channels the moody, procedural, atmospheric DNA of Nordic noir television — think slow-burn tension and moral complexity — but written for a teen audience. The market gap is explicitly noted as unfilled.
Hook-driven narrative non-fiction for any age range. Davies looks for a strong commercial angle — either a lesser-known story about a famous subject, or an under-the-radar figure whose story is compelling and market-ready. The critical test: has this particular angle already been covered? If so, it's a pass.
Davies is building this corner of the list, but access is strictly by referral only. Unsolicited queries in this category will not be considered. Do not query cold for adult fiction regardless of how strong the fit appears.
Picture books are handled exclusively for authors already on the Greenhouse roster. New writers seeking picture book representation should not query Davies.
Not the right fit
On Sarah's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Sarah
Lead with your hook — Davies has 25 years of editorial experience and will immediately sense whether a concept is original; state what makes your premise genuinely new in the first line.
If querying MG or YA, name your structural or format choices up front. Davies explicitly prizes unusual timelines, formats, and narrative structures — if you have one, don't bury it.
For graphic novel submissions, confirm in the query that you are an author-illustrator or that you and your illustrator are already working as a team with integrated text and visuals. A text-only proposal will likely be a quick pass.
For YA rom-com or internationally-set stories, make the cultural specificity and authenticity visible in the query. Vague 'foreign setting' is not the same as a story that genuinely illuminates a place and its politics.
Do not query Davies for picture books (new clients), adult fiction without a referral, or historical YA set in the US Revolutionary or Civil War periods — these are firm exclusions.
Davies's transatlantic background means noting if your book has international or cross-market appeal can be a genuine selling point, not just a throwaway line.
The 'knowledge-base' angle is underused: if your YA or MG is deeply grounded in a specific field — forensics, botany, chemistry, art — make that central to your pitch, not a footnote.
Davies has stated a preference for diverse and own-voices writers; if this applies to you and you are comfortable sharing it, including that context can be a positive signal.
Verify the current query status on the live Greenhouse Literary website before sending — no confirmed open/closed date is available from public sources at time of writing.