Laura Cecil started her pioneering agency for children’s books in the 1970s.
At that time no other agency in the UK represented children’s authors and artists exclusively. 

Laura’s interest in children’s books came from her enthusiasm for illustration and visual storytelling, as well as for fiction. No other area of publishing covered such a wide range, from wordless picture books to teenage fiction, and she was especially attracted by this variety.  There was a growing  market for children’s books, and picture books were increasingly successful, but few agencies were interested in them.  So it seemed an ideal opportunity to start a specialist agency.

One of her first big breaks was to be invited by Edward Ardizzone, a childhood hero of hers, to represent him.  She also had early success with children’s fiction when she became Diana Wynne Jones’ agent soon after starting the agency.  Laura has continued to represent both authors and artists, with bestsellers such as Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy and the
Blue Kangaroo series by Emma Chichester Clark.

The agency is small, with roughly equal numbers of authors and artists. This ensures that the representation provided by Laura and her assistant is a ‘bespoke’ one for the clients' needs.