On Friday 27th February at 5.45 pm at Laurels, Stephanie Glencross and Maddalena Cavaciuti, literary agents at David Higham Associates, will talk about what an agent does for authors, what agents are looking for in a submission and how to pitch your work effectively!

Maddalena and Stephanie both represent crime / thriller authors at DHA and are experienced in spotting emerging commercial fiction talent. Agenting can seem a little mysterious so Stephanie and Maddalena will spend some time briefly setting out what an agent (and the wider agency) does for their clients.
Agents get a high volume of submissions every week so they will also talk about their top tips for helping your manuscript stand out, and to get yourself and your work across most effectively.
As part of this discussion they are inviting audience members who wish to do so, to send in a pitch of your ms ahead of time*. Towards the end of the event they will select a handful of pitches and give live feedback on the idea and commercial potential.

The event will last approximately 45 minutes and Stephanie and Maddalena will remain in the bar afterwards until Noir at the Bar starts to meet authors and answer any further questions.

*please email reception@davidhigham.co.uk between Monday 1st December 20205 and Friday 6th February 2026 with the title, tagline and elevator pitch (no more than 50 words) of your idea/ manuscript. Pitch submissions should be for crime/ thriller manuscripts only. In the subject matter please state BAY TALES 2026 PITCH. The selected pitches will be discussed anonymously on stage. Thank you!