Ask an Agent: MADDALENA CAVACIUTI

Ask an Agent: Maddalena Cavaciuti from David Higham Associates

Peggy Lee

Peggy Lee

3 May 2024

Maddalena Cavaciuti joined David Higham Associates in 2017 as Junior Agent Assistant to Lizzy Kremer, now Managing Director. After two years of working with Lizzy on her author list, Maddalena became an Assistant Agent and began to take on her own clients. She was recently promoted to the position of Literary Agent and is actively seeking authors, particularly within the genres of romance, fantasy and crime/thriller. In this Q&A, Maddalena gives us an insider’s view into the workings of the agency and reveals what it is that draws her to a writer. She also shares whether the author living abroad and not in the UK is a turn off… or quite the opposite.

 

    Take us through a typical day as an agent at DHA.

    When I tell anyone outside of the publishing industry that I work as a Literary Agent, I think they assume that I spend all day reading. I wish that were the case!

    A typical day is more likely to involve a lot of time spent in my inbox. This could include answering queries from editors and authors, feeding back on copy or covers, or negotiating deal points. It could be writing up editorial notes, organising events like our DHA Open Days or untangling a tricky contractual question. Some days I might read submissions, have calls with editors to discuss publication plans or meet with DHA’s wonderful Translation Agents to talk about international opportunities for my authors’ books. I might go for a lovely lunch with a new client… but most days I’m doing admin.

    It’s the boring things like spreadsheets, contracts and timetables which help me ensure my authors are paid on time. Happily I’m a big fan of a colour-coordinated spreadsheet.

     

    Your DHA profile says you’re looking for romance, romcoms and women’s fiction, young adult, new adult and adult fantasy, crime, thrillers and mysteries. Is there a particular submission you’re hoping to find in your inbox right now? If so, what is it?

    I’m a hungry reader of genre fiction, particularly romance, fantasy and crime/thriller. I am therefore always looking for books which lean into the classic tropes and structures of these genres. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of enemies-to-lovers romcoms or secluded-cabin-in-the-woods thrillers if they’re done well.

    What I’m specifically looking for right now are authors who take these tropes in directions I haven’t explored yet. Or offer characters who feel less familiar than those I’ve read about dozens of times before. The author I signed most recently has written an enemies-to-lovers romcom about a woman trying not to fall in love with the devil. It’s brilliantly written, incredibly sexy and just wildly fun.

    I’m looking for fun reads in all genres right now, including crime. I would be so, so excited to find a thriller which unravels a mystery in a clever, ambitious new way. Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister and Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi are two of my favourite books which do this. If you’re writing something similar, please send it my way!

     

    “I’m a plot and pitch focused reader so tend to be drawn towards writers with good, hooky ideas first and foremost.”

     

    What draws you towards a writer?

    I’m a plot and pitch focused reader so tend to be drawn towards writers with good, hooky ideas first and foremost. If the elevator pitch for your book focuses on the voice, the setting or the themes then it’s likely not the book for me – I want to know What Happens.

    When it comes to the writing itself, it’s the authors who highlight something new or interesting about human nature that I find myself gravitating towards time and time again; the writers who understand their characters – their faults, their motivations, their background, their ambitions, their pressure points – inside and out. I love small gestures of affection in romance, poignant acts of revenge in fantasy and the tiny tells which mark a murderer in crime.

    Ruth Ware does this with seemingly effortless skill in her thrillers. Emily Henry does it beautifully in her romcoms.

     

    Are you hands on editorially with your authors?

    Yes. I think it’s important not to take risks on an author’s behalf, so if I can see an area in which the manuscript could be improved – the romance isn’t quite sparking; there’s a plot hole in the murder mystery; the opening chapters aren’t gripping enough – I’ll do that work with the author before submission to make sure our sub has the best chance of cutting through. There’s nothing I love more than getting really stuck into an edit. For some manuscripts this might be light marks on the page. For others it can mean longer editorial letters where I offer notes on the structure, the character arcs, the motivations. If I believe in the author and the idea, then I’m happy to do however many rounds of edits it takes to get it right.

     

    “I’m keen to find new takes on existing tropes and story arcs and one way to do this is to find writers offering a different perspective because of where they are in the world.”

     

    Do you handle film and TV rights?

    Not directly, but I’m very lucky to work for an agency which boasts its own Film and TV department. Every DHA author is assigned a Film/TV Agent when they sign with us. My wonderful colleagues handle conversations about those rights. I work closely with my authors’ Film/TV Agents to make sure they have all the ammunition they need for their submissions.

     

    Do you take on authors from outside the UK?

    I do! Lots of the brilliant romcoms that I’ve read recently were written by authors based in the US. I’m happy to consider submissions from anywhere in the world as long as they’re in English. I’m keen to find new takes on existing tropes and story arcs and one way to do this is to find writers offering a different perspective because of where they are in the world.

     

    “I’m looking for fun reads in all genres right now, including crime.”

     

    Is length of career an important factor when deciding to take on an author?

    For me, not at all. Some authors on my list wrote and published a number of books before they signed with me. Others are entirely green to publishing and working on their debut novels. As long as I love the idea and the writing style, I’m in.

     

    What are you currently excited about (be it on your list or relating to the market)?

    On my list I am very excited to have my first non-fiction project publishing on 9th May. The title is Into The Taylor-Verse by the mastermind that is Satu Hämeenaho-Fox. It’s a beautifully written and illustrated deep dive into the life and discography of Taylor Swift. I’m also excited to discover my next addictive romance series, either in my submissions or already published. I’ve just finished the last of Elsie Silver’s Chestnut Springs series and can’t wait to find out what’s going to sweep me up next.

     

    Follow Maddalena on Twitter at @maddalenacav and submit to her on the David Higham website. If you would like some help polishing your submission package (opening 15,000 words, cover letter and synopsis), then do contact us at info@bluepencilagency.com. 

    Peggy Lee

    Peggy Lee

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