It\u2019s not easy wowing literary agents. With one email, just a letter, a synopsis, and your first chapters to go on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A great literary agent submission pack makes a difference, but agencies in London are often inundated and it\u2019s not uncommon for writers to not hear back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UK literary agents are<\/em> looking for new writers, though \u2013 and you\u2019re that bit harder to ignore face-to-face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (It\u2019s not to say you can harass agents. You couldn\u2019t phone an agent to ask a meeting unless you were a client \u2013 nor is it an idea to thrust a manuscript under a nose at first chance. Nor send gimmicky gifts to UK literary agents\u2019 offices. This has happened.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n What you need is a chance to connect authentically, in a professional setting. With an agent there who is open and expecting to talk to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how to make the most of the Festival of Writing in York and meet literary agents for yourself \u2013 plus an incredible story from one author who had several UK literary agents jumping to represent her after her time at the Festival of Writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve got a manuscript written and want to publish \u2013 and you\u2019re ready to talk to editors, agents and book doctors about it \u2013 the Festival of Writing is for you. And whilst you\u2019ll find great workshops on improving writing and craft (as on publishing topics), agent 1-to-1s are part of your ticket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the focus is on publication, whether it\u2019s traditional or self-publishing you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll be a writer looking to pitch an unpublished manuscript. You\u2019ll be able to send competition entries on time for judges to review, opening chapters in time for your chosen agent to look at before the day. It means you\u2019ll get full value out of your Festival ticket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re also pondering self-publishing (our Festival workshops cover self-publishing), professional feedback is still vital before you self-publish a book. A literary agent, book doctor or editor 1-to-1 at the Festival can give that feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you\u2019re not from the UK \u2013 that\u2019s okay. We\u2019ve had many writers fly in for this event. Just bear in mind it\u2019s literary agents from the UK you\u2019ll meet at the Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve just started writing, or you haven\u2019t got a manuscript ready, or you couldn\u2019t get it ready in time for the next Festival, this is an annual event, and one to plan for \u2013 you\u2019ll want to have your writing ready as it can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It could be the sort of event to write towards in a year. And you can follow us on Twitter<\/a> or join our mailing list for \u2018earlybird\u2019 updates each year, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n On one hand \u2013 there\u2019s no need to be worried about presenting your agent pitch. The only thing that ever persuades an agent is the quality of your manuscript. Think of the pitch simply as a gentle way of introducing the rest of the discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1-to-1 sessions are also the most formal part of proceedings, but we hope you will chat to agents over tea or in the evening, as well as other writers. Some of the best contacts can be made this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All the same, you\u2019re investing in your writing career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from 1-to-1s, you\u2019ll enter writing competitions (deadlines before September), and shortlisted entries are read out for literary agents in the room. Past Festival visitors have been offered representation because of these things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your agent submission packs also need to be with your chosen agents before the Festival itself, so they need time to read your work over before 1-to-1s. So it\u2019ll help you to prepare at least a few months in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be as prepared as you can, because the Festival of Writing gets you noticed \u2013 as happened for author Tor Udall<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tor came to the Festival of Writing in 2013 and A Thousand Paper Birds<\/em> went on to be published with Bloomsbury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The truth is I was terrified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My comfort zone is a quiet room with only my characters and words for company, so the idea of spending three days with hundreds of writers I didn\u2019t know felt challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from having to face industry professionals, there was also the prospect of the Gala Dinner. When I followed participants on the forum discussing dresses they were going to wear (taffeta was mentioned), I definitely wobbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I was determined to do something radical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had been writing for 15 years, been close to publication a couple of times, but the overall message I was receiving was \u2018you have talent, you write beautifully, BUT\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hearing I had potential in my early twenties was lovely. Hearing I still had potential 15 years later was frustrating and I realised that if I was going to cross that golden threshold I had to do something different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had submitted my third novel to 5 agents in June 2013. After receiving silence, I booked my place at York. The week before the Festival, three of the original agents got in touch, saying they were interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I arrived at #FOW13 on a high and had an absolute blast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I learnt so much from the workshops and loved meeting writers from other genres. The biggest discovery was that I actually ENJOYED \u2018small talk\u2019 if it was about books. I was in my element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the weekend, I met two agents who both asked to read the manuscript. I returned from the rollercoaster, proud that I had pushed my courage to the limit, and as I sat there on the Sunday evening I had no idea that the real ride was only just beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The agents from the Festival read my manuscript within 24 hours and both offered representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I then returned to the original 3 and they offered representation too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overwhelmed, I contacted two people I had met in York: the wonderful book doctor, Andrew Wille, and the fabulous Francesca Main from Picador. Both offered advice without being directive and both suggested that I contact other agents too. This led to a ridiculous number of agents saying yes and my diary became unrecognisable with daily meetings. I was in the centre of a \u2018buzz\u2019 and I realised that people were now reading the manuscript differently with a starting point of \u2018how can I help make this work?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n The doors I had been knocking on for 15 years were crashing down around me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I now had a new problem. Who was I going to pick?<\/p>\n\n\n\n All the agents were smart, passionate, experienced and a delight to be with. I would have happily worked with each of them as they all brought something unique to the book and showed great insight. By this point, several successful writers were also getting in touch to recommend their agent or offer advice \u2013 and I remain stunned and humbled at the support I received from so many professionals who took time out of their busy schedules to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it did get to a point where I was scared to look in my inbox to see which celebrity was there that morning: \u2018BOO!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n However the overall message I received was clear. I needed to listen out for that infamous \u2018click\u2019 \u2026 and to trust my instincts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I walked into the ANA offices, Jenny Savill led me into the boardroom where I found a pictorial homage to my book spread out on the table. There were not only photographs of the novel\u2019s location, but print-outs of music I mention and images of motifs that proved to me she understood the subtleties of what I was trying to do. She then introduced me to her colleagues and they had read the book too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite being in the hectic run up to Frankfurt, each of them stopped to meet me and I was so overwhelmed that I walked into a glass door. A classic Bridget Jones moment. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Had I heard a click? There had been a symphony of castanets. But still I wasn\u2019t sure. How could I possibly turn down the others who I also adored? But I kept coming back to Jenny who had shown me that she understood the book, and what I\u2019d been trying to do, better than I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key moment came when I drove past a poster of an NME cover showing David Bowie surrounded by origami birds. Both of them key motifs in the book. It was the strangest synchronous moment \u2026 and the first person I wanted to call to was Jenny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that was that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was hard to let the others down \u2013 all who had put so much energy and belief into the book \u2013 and of course I would have loved to mesh them into one uber-agent! But this was the real world and after all the excitement, my suitors rode into the sunset to find other books to fall in love with, other writers to court. In the ensuing silence, I was left standing opposite the one I had chosen, the two of us looking into each other\u2019s eyes, thinking of the years and challenges ahead of us and saying. \u2018Okay, let\u2019s make this happen.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n So then I had the draft of my life ahead of me. But I was back in my \u2018happy place\u2019, playing around with words and asking these wonderful, frustrating characters to reveal themselves to me just a little bit more. And as I worked, I didn\u2019t only have the brilliant support of Jenny \u2026 but all the agents\u2019 wise voices in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I feel hugely supported and blessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n None of this would have happened without the Festival of Writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They were the spark that lit the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also can\u2019t thank Andrew and Francesca enough for their unbiased support \u2013 I couldn\u2019t have got through the rollercoaster of these crazy months (or had so much fun) without them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are still many more hurdles to jump. But I have learnt an important lesson \u2026 and ironically, it\u2019s a lesson I needed to learn for my characters too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you do the thing you\u2019re most frightened of, you might just get what you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about the Festival of Writing<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A Thousand Paper Birds <\/em><\/strong>(Bloomsbury) was longlisted for the Author\u2019s Club Best First Novel Award and has been translated in six languages. The paperback was released 3 May 2018. You can follow Tor\u2019s journey on Twitter<\/a> and at <\/strong>her website<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not easy wowing literary agents. With one email, just a letter, a synopsis, and your first chapters to go on. A great literary agent submission pack makes a difference, but agencies in London are often inundated and it\u2019s not uncommon for writers to not hear back. UK literary agents are looking for new writers, though \u2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[27486],"class_list":["post-489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agents","tag-get-published"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWho\u2019s The Festival Of Writing Really For?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Prepared Should I Be For The Festival Of Writing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tor Udall\u2019s Story (Warning: Attending The Festival Of Writing Could Seriously Change Your Life)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
11 Tips For Making The Most Of The Festival Of Writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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