With our first anniversary under our belt and our first deal just agreed – all very exciting! – it felt like a good time to reflect on our first year as an agency and the ups and downs that have come with it.

The ups are easy to pinpoint – and, thankfully, numerous! Publishers and authors alike have been welcoming and enthusiastic about our new venture. Almost everyone in the world of children’s/YA publishing is lovely. We’ve met lots of fantastic people as we’ve toured the country – one of the highlights of our year – reaching out to writers’ groups around the UK. Huge thanks to you all for welcoming us so warmly (and providing copious amounts of cake!).

Reading a submission and realizing that it is a gem – that really makes your heart race! Sending a book you love out to publishers and hearing them say they love it too! All these things have happened this year and made both Jo and me very, very glad that we decided to set up Skylark.

But of course there have been frustrations and disappointments. The main one on this list is having to reject submissions. Obviously, it goes with the territory, but nobody likes disappointing people and having to send those rejection emails is never fun – especially when we know well how horrible it is to be rejected.

Sending out a manuscript to publishers and getting those first few rejections before the positive responses come in is terrifying and has given us a new respect for authors who put their work – and themselves – on the line every time they send a manuscript to an agent or publisher. By the time we’ve signed an author and worked closely with them to polish and perfect their story, we are deeply and passionately invested and sharing it with the publishing world is downright scary. It’s lucky that all those commissioning editors are so lovely (see note above) even when they are having to say ‘no’!

Doubtless we will become more thick-skinned as time goes by but I hope we will never lose that capacity for feeling anxious when we send an author’s work out on submission. It reminds us of just how it feels to be a new writer awaiting a response from agents (such as Skylark). It reminds us to be kind. And it makes the joy of finding the right publishing home for an author all the sweeter.

To all the wonderful authors out there who are still looking for the right agent, don’t give up and don’t be nervous about approaching agents – just remember that, ultimately, we are all looking for great stories. And, on that note, keep watching this space because we will be running a new Skylark competition soon!

Skylark has been out and about a lot lately, chatting to SCBWI and other writers’ groups as well as having fun at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the SCBWI Agents’ party. Yes, ours is a hard life!

Interestingly the same two questions seemed to crop up time and again. What are you looking for? What are publishers looking for?

Amber and I can give you a simple formula for what everybody’s looking for:

It just needs to be sensational writing with a brilliant, commercial hook. Also, it should be something that’s nice and straightforward for sales teams to categorise. Finally it should be fresh, different and totally original. It’s not a lot to ask, is it?! Off you go, write that for us please.

On a more serious note, it is a tricky question as ultimately it always boils down to the writing. You could write a dystopian novel with vampires (the least desirable thing for the current market) but everyone would still get excited if you’d made it fresh, compelling and totally absorbing. Equally, it may be that you have already written a contemporary romance (which is on my wish list) but if the voice isn’t strong enough it just may not resonate with me.

This question becomes more dangerous when you are asking it because you’re wondering what to write next. Writing to a trend is super-risky. By the time you’ve written the YA thriller that everyone is talking about, then edited it and submitted it, there is a good chance that the market will have moved on, or the person looking for that perfect thriller, has found it, and is now on the hunt for some funny middle-grade fiction instead.

Also, writing to a brief is far less rewarding and enjoyable than writing what you love. When you write what you love, your story will be at its most fluid, readable and wonderful. And when it’s coming from your heart it will also be more unique. We want to read your best possible work, not what you think will fit the market best.

If you are still desperate for a steer, the best thing to do is make sure you have a great understanding of the market so read, read, read what's out there for children at the moment. Look at what is popular and see if it inspires you.

Ultimately agents and publishers are readers. We are looking for something that will sweep us up, make us forget to read with an editorial eye and keep us up all night to finish your story.