Hi there! Welcome to the brand-new site of the Greenhouse – and to my blog. On the site’s pages you can read all about the agency and what we’re aiming to do over the coming months and years. By being in on it from the start, you can follow what has been and still is a truly epic personal and professional adventure. Am I exaggerating? Well, let me tell you that when you decide to dive out of your comfort zone (in my case, a 13-year-stint with a major and very successful London publishing house, an apartment, my family and friends) and into a brave new world (marriage to an American, living in Virginia, and setting up a brand-new British and American literary agency) you will find yourself challenged in most areas of your heart and mind. It’s like sailing up the James River looking for a place to land, or heading West in a wagon train – you don’t know what lies ahead but it sure is exciting. For me, the Greenhouse is about everything I’ve achieved and assimilated over my entire career – how to work with authors, what constitutes a great book, what publishers are looking for – and how to walk time and time again into roomfuls of people you’ve never met before and convince them you have something to offer (other than a funny English accent).
I’m looking forward to making the journey with my authors (not least, the three who are already my co-pioneers), with all the fabulous publishers I know in New York and London – and with you, my blog-friends.
I guess you should know what I’m reading: Just finished Sherman Alexie’s terrific ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN (editor – the lovely Jennifer Hunt at Little Brown) and Patricia Cornwell’s BOOK OF THE DEAD (I’ve been a huge Scarpetta fan for years; but what on earth will happen to Marino? OK, he’s an idiot but we still love him . . .) – not a vintage one. Just started on OUT STEALING HORSES by Per Petterson – beautiful lyrical writing. Let me know what you’re reading and enjoying?