About us

Sarah Davies is based in Washington DC and heads the North American side of the Greenhouse, so if you live in the States or Canada you should submit work to her (see submission guidelines for more information).  Sarah has more than 25 years’ experience of children’s publishing, moving to the USA from London in 2007. She started her career at Collins (before it was HarperCollins), followed by a spell at Transworld/Random House. In 1994 she joined Macmillan Children’s Books in London as Fiction Editor, rising through the editorial ranks to Publishing Director (and member of the Management Board), a position she held until 2007 when she left to start Greenhouse.

In her publisher incarnation, Sarah worked with and published many high-profile writers on both sides of the Atlantic. As an agent she has shepherded many debut (and several previously published) authors to success. She has considerable experience in contract negotiation, marketing and rights, as well as a strong understanding of digital developments. Excellent publishing contacts in both the USA and Britain, and homes in both countries, have given her an unusually transatlantic view of the children’s books industry, enabling her to represent authors directly to both markets. Sarah makes regular trips to New York and London, meeting publishers and keeping in touch with the book scene.

A member of AAR and SCBWI, Sarah is an experienced speaker on issues connected with children’s books and creative writing and attends international bookfairs, American writers’ conferences, and industry events throughout the year. She loves talking to writers about their work and says, ‘Everything you need to know about Greenhouse is embodied in its name.’

Married to an American, Sarah has twin sons who are more-or-less grown-up now, and who taught her much of what she knows about young people and reading. 

Julia Churchill joined the Greenhouse in January 2009.  Based in London, England, her job is to further develop the UK/Commonwealth side of the agency, so if you live anywhere in the world apart from North America you should submit work to her (see submission guidelines for more information).  Julia began her career in books in the Press office of Sheldrake Press.  In 2002 she started work at the Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency in London as a Personal Assistant, and was appointed Agency Manager in 2004. The following year she became Associate Agent, specializing in children’s books.

Here Julia founded her reputation as a talent-spotter and deal-maker and developed the agency’s prestigious children’s books list, finding and selling a number of debut authors, several of whom went on to appear on awards shortlists. She also handled subsidiary rights for both the children’s and adult sides of the agency.

Julia has a ceaseless enthusiasm for the treasure hunt of the submissions pile and can often be found in the cafes of West London, working through a pile of manuscripts.  She regularly attends British writers’ events and is on the lookout for both new and established authors with storytelling magic.  She is a member of SCBWI UK and a committee member of the Children’s Book Circle.

Rights People is a dedicated children’s rights-selling business that comprises four experts in the field - Alexandra Devlin, Alex Webb, Allison Heiny and Caroline Hill-Trevor – who, between them, have many years’ experience and a huge network of international contacts. Rights People represents all the Greenhouse’s foreign rights, which gives Greenhouse an exceptionally cohesive presence around the world and a truly global reach.