I’ve had contact with Darley since the early 2000 when my first book was published.
I got back to him in 2023 with a query, reminding him of our contact almost 20 years previously. He replied with a 30 minute phone call giving me precious writing and publishing advice, telling me what exactly he is looking for (Very highly commercial fiction, which is not really what I write) and issuing me a challenge to write something in that genre. With precise instructions: very short, very simple language.
I did it but found the brief hard as I tend to write long, complicated stories! He requested a few edits through his assistant but in the end rejected.
A thoroughly engaged and personable man, a dream agent in my eyes, but I just don’t write the fast paced stuff he likes. What a shame! His advice is to pick a lane and stick to it, My published books are too varied and too long.

Q: 9/11/25 72k historical fiction
R: 1/12/26 "Thank you for your submission to Darley Anderson and Associates and thank you for your patience whilst your work was under consideration. Whilst we enjoyed your opening chapters, I am afraid that we did not feel quite gripped enough by your work to absolutely fall in love with your concept. As an Agency, we feel that it is immensely important for new writers to have an agent who believes completely in the potential of their work to sell and who can therefore take that enthusiasm to the publishers. Accordingly, we need to feel passionately about a writer’s work before we sign them onto the agency. We receive over 600 manuscripts a week and can only take on a select number of debut writers every year. We specialise in commercial fiction tailor made for the mass market and therefore we have to be confident the work has the potential to be the next bestseller before taking on a new project. The result is that we have to be incredibly selective, so please do not be disheartened. Another agent may well feel differently. I wish you the very best of luck in finding the agent who will be right for you."

EQ 7/26/25
35,000 folk horror

EQ 13/8/21
ER 13/10/21
'We specialise in commercial fiction and non-fiction tailor made for the mass market and therefore we have to be confident of substantial sales quantities before taking on a new project.'