Becca Langton
Darley Anderson Children's Book Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
Becca is a North American focused agent at the London’s biggest children’s specialist literary agency. She represents everyone from illustrators for the very young to authors writing in the crossover and new adult space and everyone in between. She is also open to creators working across age ranges and is particularly interested in finding exciting author illustrators for picture books, graphic novels and highly illustrated fiction. Becca is looking for storytellers with honest, insightful voices, stories that bring joy and find the heart in every narrative.
DACBA is an agency which is collaborative, creative and focused on finding talent that celebrates a true diversity of voices. The team are always looking for stories that come from historically marginalised perspectives and Becca in particular would like to work with more Indigenous creators writing in the US and Canada.
Becca honed her editorial skills working as a consultant and has carried this breadth of experience into her work as an agent with a focus on deep editorial focus and plot development with authors. As an editorial agent she is particularly keen to work with authors who are looking for a close partnership in developing books from concept to fully fledged manuscript. She is career focused and is always interested in developing talented creators, particularly those writing from marginalised perspectives.
Fun facts about me:
Becca lives by the sea on the Scottish coast, swims all year round and once ran a 100km in one go. She is a bad knitter and has an encyclopedic knowledge of dog breeds.
Submission Guidelines
Becca is open to queries via query manager only at this time.
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Absolutely all of them!, Activism, Contemporary YA, Contemporary Young Adult, Fantasy Romance, Fantasy YA, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels (for all ages), High-concept YA, High-concept YA/MG, Historical Fiction YA, Literary YA, Literary YA/MG, action-packed graphic novels, contemporary MG, diverse
I’d like the next…
The stories I’m in search of are those predominantly suited to the US market. Books that are as as ambitious and exciting as the scale of that market demands. This means I’m looking for stories that have an epic quality – in imaginative ambition, unrelenting plot or in originality of concept.
The stories I’m chasing will have a brilliant hook and then a first line, page and chapter that keeps me reading, right until that final full stop.
As much as I want brilliant writing, I am a sucker for a story with heart. I want a book that packs an emotional sucker punch. Whether that’s tentative first love, epic romance or hideous heartbreak – make me feel something and I’m all yours.
If you have something that doesn’t feel like it fits neatly into any particular box than I am looking for genre bending originality. A horror romance? Sign me up! A family story with a thriller twist – yes please! If your story has got hook and heart, then I want to see it.
A new and exciting way of looking at the world is something I’m always on the search for and particularly so if this story is coming from an underrepresented perspective. I would love to find LGBTQ+ love stories that cover the spectrum of age and experience, from first crush to spicy college romp. I am working to ensure my list is as diverse as the real world and is a true mirror to the readership that we are working to serve.
YA contemporary fiction has my heart. Particularly stories with a gentle humour that represents the breadth and complexity of the teen experience. I want books that are best in show. In romcoms and romance I am all about cosy vibes and a meet cutes. I want stories that are warm hugs and hot chocolates. On the other hand if you have a spooky scare-fest I love nothing more than a haunted house and a proper jump-scare.
More than anything else I want page turners. Stories that have an unrelenting forward momentum and demand just… one… more… chapter…. So if you have the next Thieves Gambit or Inheritance Games… gimme!
In MG I’d love to find more stories that explore what friendship and family means. Quirky narrators, interesting protagonists and furry best friends. I’d love a series set in a stables or school that has offers compelling drama, whether that’s a mystery, murder or magic.
Voice is everything in younger stories and I’m looking for iconic protagonists that will resonate with readers.
I would love to see more work by illustrator authors across all age ranges, from illustrated fiction for first readers to more complex ideas in the YA space.
Please do not send me Cli-Fi stories or works with a strong religious moral.
My favorites include…
TV
The Bridge (the Danish/Swedish version), Greys Anatomy (up to Season 17), Slow Horses, This Country, The OA, True Detective (Season 1)
Music
I’m in the top 0.1% of Sigrid’s Spotify listeners
