How Jericho Writers Helped Me Land a Book Deal

The first time I attended the Jericho Writers Festival of Writing, over ten years ago, I felt out of my depth. I’d written a novel that I thought was decent, and I’d be pitching it to agents that weekend. I didn’t know it then, but I still had a long way to go on my writing journey.

I have so many memories of that festival weekend – meeting other writers, speaking to agents, attending workshops. But what sticks in my mind most was an event called ‘Slushpile Live’, led by Harry Bingham, in which writers could hand in their cover letter, synopsis, and opening pages, and receive live feedback from agents in front of the whole room.

I was too nervous to hand in mine. We went around the room, hearing lots of useful feedback about people’s submissions. Mine was sitting on the desk in front of me.

‘I think we’ve got time for one more,’ Harry said.

But I still didn’t put my hand up.

I didn’t think my heart could take it. The feedback was all constructive, but tough to hear. None of the submissions were ready. It was clear that getting published would be even more difficult than I thought.

Still, I wished I’d put my hand up.

Harry and the agents gave feedback on the final submission.

Harry checked the clock again. ‘Alright, one more,’ he said.

My hand shot up. Harry took my pages. This was the first time anyone had ever seen my work, beyond family and friends. I was ready to run out of the room, to give up on this whole writing thing.

Harry read the opening paragraphs aloud. He paused.

‘That’s pretty good,’ he said. And he proceeded to dissect specifically what he liked about it, what I’d done well, and why it might entice an agent (and readers).

That moment will always stay with me. Because I knew I had something. Even if this novel never got published (and it won’t be), I knew I was on my way. That festival gave me the confidence to keep going, and a direction to get me there.

Over the following years, I used Jericho Writers for finding agents, for submission feedback, for agent one-to-ones. I attended more festivals. I was shortlisted for Best 500 Words and read my work in front of the entire festival. I was shortlisted for Best Opening Chapter, and more recently, Pitch Jericho. Each of these achievements felt like a little landmark – a sign that I was onto something, and that my dream of being published might come true eventually, if I just stuck with it.

I did stick with it. And in 2024 I was lucky enough to win an international writing competition, secure myself a wonderful agent and now I’m being published in multiple countries, with another book on the way.

My biggest piece of advice, which might seem unconventional, is to enter competitions. Of course it’s easy for me to say that – if I hadn’t won the Bath Novel Award, I might not have found my agent. But I also found an agent when I was shortlisted for Best 500 Words (for a novel which was ultimately never published). Always send your work to agents, but competitions are where I’ve found the most joy. Even if you don’t win, you might get longlisted or shortlisted, and you might receive feedback, which is huge for any aspiring writer.

Of course, I still had to put in the work. I had to write several failed novels, read lots of books about writing, and send my novels out in spite of the countless rejections. But by the time I wrote this latest novel, I felt like I knew (for the most part) what I was doing. I felt like I understood stories, and characters, and all the things we love about literature.

For anyone looking to write great stories and become a published author, you need two main things – to write a great book, and to pitch it well. Both of these are much easier said than done. It can often feel like you’re wandering alone through a long dark tunnel.

What Jericho gave me was a torch, a path, and a ray of light at the end.