Camille Burns

I joined DKW in Spring 2023, and I am delighted to be building my own list of fantastic writers. I have always loved the ‘science’ of storytelling and am fascinated by the way in which the pieces of a story come together to form something in which readers can lose entire days and feel bereft finishing. As such, I particularly enjoy engaging with narratives on a structural level to draw out their best qualities (I also love interior design and believe my tendency to mentally rearrange the furniture in any room I walk in is not a million miles away).

As I’m in the early stages of building my list and refining my taste, I’m keen to see lots of variety and have attempted to not be too prescriptive in what I do and don’t want.

In MG, I am drawn to stories with lots of heart and written in a lyrical tone which convey a sense of wonder and warmth and which would not be amiss in a modern classic – think Katya Balen, Jenny Nimmo or Cornelia Funke. I am always on the lookout for writers with the inventiveness and world-building skills of Frances Hardinge or Malorie Blackman. I am also very keen to see stories that hover on the cusp between MG and teen, with darker themes and complex plotting, particularly when combined with action-packed sequences and acerbic wit, in the style of Jonathan Stroud’s brilliant Lockwood and Co series.

In YA, I’m open to seeing all genres, whether literary or commercial, but tend to be drawn to stories with a strong romantic component – I always want to feel those butterflies! I love stories set in schools for reasons I’m not sure I understand, but especially if there is a unique twist to the setting, such as the school for teenage assassins in Adriana Mather’s Killing November. I’m also keen to see stories with a strong cast of characters which feel like the TV shows of my teens, such as One Tree Hill or The Vampire Diaries, and which encapsulate the thrill, angst and drama of growing up in the vein of Jenny Han. On the more literary side, I would love to see writers similar to Meg Rosoff, Jenny Valentine and Jandy Nelson.

I am on the lookout for a select few adult fiction projects, particularly romance, fantasy, speculative or historical fiction. I’ve recently loved Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, as well as The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Other adult fiction I’ve enjoyed include Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Such a Fun Age, The City of Brass and The Searcher.

I would also love to see proposals for smart and accessible non-fiction (children’s or adult) which teach us about the world we live in, which shine a light on a culture (including workplace culture etc), which are empowering or which encourage deep thinking and fundamental shifts in perspective. I am not currently looking for memoir unless it is also doing one of these things. Some favourite non-fiction books are: Entangled Life, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, Braiding Sweetgrass, The Gendered Brain, Why We Sleep and A World Without Email.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to https://QueryManager.com/Camille

To submit your work for consideration, please read about what I’m looking for and then submit the first two chapters and pitch letter directly via Query Tracker here, unless accommodations due to disability are required, in which case please email me directly at camille@dkwlitagency.co.uk. I welcome and actively encourage submissions from authors of all backgrounds, including those currently under-represented in publishing. Whilst DKW do consider submissions from international authors, given that we are based in the United Kingdom, we feel that US-based authors will generally be better served by a US-based agent.

Guidelines & Details