When Jack Lutz first came to us as a mentee, then as a student on the Ultimate Novel Writing Course, it was clear that his writing was something special.

Jack is now represented by Jordan Lees at The Blair Partnership, and his first novel, 'London in Black', was published in June 2022 by Pushkin Vertigo. Prior to publication, we sat down to chat about his writing journey, and the practical ways you can narrow down your shortlist and find your perfect agent.

JW: Could you tell us a little bit about your journey as a writer? When did you start writing, and where are you with publication now?

JL: I was rummaging around in some old boxes recently and unearthed a short story I wrote when I was eight - a murder mystery set in London. So I suppose writing’s something I’ve always done, or at least always wanted to do...but it was mostly just bits of novels I’d start then immediately scrap. Never enough time, or I’d second-guess the idea and stop. And then in 2019, I buckled down and actually finished a novel for the first time (with mentoring help from Jericho Writers' Daren King). But I worried it wasn’t strong enough so rather than submitting it to agents, I set it aside and signed up for the Ultimate Novel Writing Course, in order to write another.

That second novel, 'London in Black', will be published next June by Pushkin Vertigo. It’s a near-future police procedural set in 2029, two years after terrorists release a novel nerve agent at Waterloo Station with catastrophic consequences. Our hero is DI Lucy Stone, a cop with crippling survivor guilt who must hunt a killer and recover a stolen nerve agent antidote (that may or may not be a figment of her imagination). So - a murder mystery set in London, just like when I was eight!

We’ve just finished copyediting, and at the moment I’m waiting to see first pass page proofs.

JW: In what ways did being a student on the UNWC help to shape your writing?  

JL: Lots of different ways - the course material was instructive, the Q&As useful - but the thing that I’m most grateful for is the mentoring. I was assigned a brilliant writer named Craig Taylor as my mentor, and we had periodic phone calls throughout the course. The mix of tailored feedback plus support and encouragement was unbeatable. I felt challenged, which I loved because it meant my writing was being taken seriously.

JW: How did you find your agent? 

JL: I was very fortunate! At the end of the UNWC, Craig (in an act I’ll be forever grateful for) sent a note to Harry Bingham with some kind words about my manuscript. Shortly after that, I received an email from Jericho’s wonderful Rachael Cooper, telling me that she was willing to send a manuscript recommendation out to an agent on my behalf - and did I have any thoughts on who? 

Determined not to waste the opportunity, I turned to Jericho Writers' AgentMatch. First, I ran a search for agents actively looking for crime/thrillers, which spat out about ninety names. I looked them all up and narrowed the list down to about twenty who seemed really focussed on the genre. I read any interviews I could find online, then went on my Kindle and downloaded free chapters from books by each agent’s clients, hoping to get a feel for whether my writing style might appeal. 

At the end of all of that, the agent I hoped would be the best fit for me and my book was Jordan Lees at The Blair Partnership. Rachael sent off the recommendation, and later that day Jordan wrote back asking for the full manuscript. Two weeks later, Rachael forwarded on a note from Jordan asking if I could have a chat with him - and that chat was the Call: an offer of representation. 

The mix of tailored feedback plus support and encouragement was unbeatable. I felt challenged, which I loved because it meant my writing was being taken seriously.

JW: Were there any surprises along the way, or anything you wish you had been prepared for?  

JL: My given name’s ‘John’, and I’ve never really used a nickname. But it turns out that there’s already a (quite prolific!) thriller writer named John Lutz, which meant I suddenly needed to pick a new name for myself. I wasn’t expecting that! 

I looked them all up and narrowed the list down to about twenty who seemed really focussed on the genre. I read any interviews I could find online, then went on my Kindle and downloaded free chapters from books by each agent’s clients, hoping to get a feel for whether my writing style might appeal.

JW: What advice would you give to a new writer working on their first draft?  

JL: My favourite ideas tend to pop into my head when I’m somewhere other than sitting in front of my laptop. If that’s true for you, too, my advice is simple: whenever you have an idea -- for a scene, a snippet of dialogue, a word, whatever - write it down as soon as you possibly can.  

At first, I only used notebooks, but that got to be a problem when I came up with ideas in the middle of the night…half the time, I couldn’t decipher my scribblings the next day. And then carrying a notebook everywhere wasn’t very practical, either, so I wound up switching to the notes app on my phone (simple, but works great!). But no matter how you do it, don’t put it off. I’m sure I would’ve forgotten the best of my midnight ideas if I’d waited until morning to write them down.  

From Rachael Cooper, Head of Resources & Projects at Jericho Writers

Working with John was such a pleasure. Not only was this the first recommendation to come from the Ultimate Novel Writing Course but it came with a glowing recommendation from John’s mentor. So naturally, I made myself a tea and started reading. To say I was blown away by the opening chapters would be an understatement. I immediately sent John a very frantic/excited email saying that 1) I’d love to work with him to find an agent, and 2) very cheekily asking him to send me the full manuscript so I could read on!

John and I spent a couple of weeks fine-tuning his submission pack. We even had a transatlantic call mid-pandemic to perfect his elevator pitch for the query letter. When that was ready and John had been able to explore AgentMatch and research his agent shortlist, we decided Jordan Lees could be the perfect match. Before I even had time to cross my fingers, we got a reply from Jordan requesting the full manuscript. This was the quickest response I’ve had from an agent to date.

There’s something about helping talented and dedicated authors achieve their dreams, however small a part we play, that makes this job so special.

When we heard the news that 'London in Black' had been picked up by Pushkin Vertigo for publication in 2022, the whole Jericho team were over the moon. There’s something about helping talented and dedicated authors achieve their dreams, however small a part we play, that makes this job so special.

About Jack

Jack Lutz is a writer and a lawyer. He lives in London with his wife and young daughter. His debut novel, 'London in Black', was published by Pushkin Vertigo in June 2022.

Buy 'London in Black':

From Bookshop.org

From Amazon

Audiobook

The Bookseller, "Pushkin swoops for Lutz police procedural debut."

AgentMatch

All writers face rejection. But what if you’ve sent your book to well over fifteen literary agents or small publishers and still aren’t getting anywhere? What do you do?  

As a writer who has faced exactly this MANY times, I want to let you know that this doesn’t mean it is over. Not by any means. There are things you can do to continue working towards publication, even if that doesn’t feel possible right now.  

So – let’s look at the options available to you.  

Option 1: Edit The Crap Out Of This Book

So maybe you have an idea here that agents seemed to be excited about, but you were getting feedback on something like ‘unlikable characters’, or ‘lack of voice’.  Fortunately, this is something that can be fixed with some hard work and perhaps even a bit of help from other people.  

The first thing to do is to identify what parts of your book as it stands aren’t really working. This can be difficult in itself because a lot of agents don’t have the time to deliver feedback. You could be getting standard rejections, with no idea why.  

This is where something like a Manuscript Assessment might come in handy. An experienced editor will read your entire book and give you a detailed report on what is working and what isn’t. You can then use this as a base to look at your book as objectively as you can, and ask yourself if that is something you are able, or willing to fix. This is a REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION that we’ll explore a little more in the next section.  

But let’s say your feedback is mainly that your idea is brilliant, but your execution needs work. And you think you are able to do that work. What next?  

Now, the real work begins. And it’s worth knowing from the off that re-writing a book is hard. First drafts are a doddle compared to it, because you have a blank page and a whole world of opportunity to write something awesome. So my personal tip for big re-writes is exactly that – start a new document. Learn from your old draft (and copy/paste some sections if they are working), but give yourself the space to write the book you are trying to write, rather than getting bogged down with what you already have.  

There are people who can help at this stage, too. JW's brilliant Self-Edit Your Novel course was created specifically for this purpose. You can work with a tutor and a small group of writers in the same boat as you to identify and fix the issues with your book. With 1-in-5 alumni now published, it’s fair to say that it works! 

Once you have something you are pleased with, send it out again to new agents, or any agents who have asked to see any changes again. You can also test it out with some competitions and see how far you get this time! Or if it's help with your submission pack that you're looking for, then try our agent submission pack review.

Option 2: Write Another Book  

This is my personal favourite option. I found myself in this very position three times before my debut novel was published, and I 100% stand by my decision to ditch every single one of those three books.  

The thing was, that although each of those three lost books were good, they just weren’t good enough. The writing in my first book was dire – but then it would be – I was completely new to writing and I hadn’t learned the basics yet. My second book I think might have been a masterpiece, but wow – was it problematic. That book will never find a publisher because it couldn’t be marketed. And my third novel was fun, but I knew before I’d even finished that it just wasn’t special.  

Your book needs to be absolutely mind-blowing to stand a chance in this market. It needs to have an original concept, brilliant characters, a striking voice and a plot that will keep readers turning pages. Nothing less is good enough.  

I mentioned earlier that there was a REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION you needed to ask yourself. And that is: ‘Is this book really good enough? Or can I write something better?’  

I know it can be hard to say goodbye to a project without really seeing an end to it. But it isn’t wasted time. Every book you write will take you one step closer to one that will launch your author career. So write another book. And if that’s not right, write another. And know that once you get published, you will keep needing to write, write and write some more – it never stops.  

But that’s okay. Because we’re in this because we enjoy it, right?! 

For anyone wanting to write another book and ensure their idea is marketable right from day one this time, then I recommend joining the Ultimate Novel Writing Course. This is ultimate for a reason.  

Option 3: Self-Publish 

Now this one comes with a big BUT. Self-Publishing IS an option, BUT it is NOT a last resort because you couldn’t get a traditional publishing deal.  

Self-publishing takes a great deal of time, passion and dedication if it is going to work. It only works if you are willing to write book after book (preferably in the same world/series) and you accept the fact that you probably won’t sell any of this first book until after your third or fourth have come out.  

To self-publish properly, you need to be a writing machine. You also need to learn everything you can about what it takes to become an indie author. You need to invest time and money into it, and so you need to be 100% sure that you are willing to do that.  

If you are, then great. This is a fantastic option that should have perhaps been your option 1. You’ll earn more money from your books, have more of a say in how they are presented and engage with your readers in a way traditional authors can’t.

Whatever option you choose, know that rejection doesn’t mean the end. If publication really is something you want, then get ready to roll up your sleeves and work for it. Read everything, learn everything and write the best book you possibly can. If you want it, you’ll get there.  

Sample Query Letter & Template Included

You want to know what a great query letter to literary agents should look like? We’re going to show you a perfect sample letter in a moment.

But we’re also going to figure out what your query letter needs to do – and how you’re going to write it.

This blog post will give you everything you need – and I promise that if you are talented enough to write a book, you are EASILY capable of writing a strong, confident query letter.

OK. We’ll get stuck in in one second.

But I should probably tell you that I am a real author describing a real book. The query letter below pretends that this book is a first novel and I have no track record in the industry. That's obviously the case for most people reading this, but if you DO have a track record of note, then for heaven's sake tell agents about it. Boasting is good!

What A Query Letter Should Accomplish

Your query letter needs to accomplish the following goals:

1. Introduce the purpose of your letter (ie: to secure representation).
2. To define in a very concise way the manuscript that you’ve written (ie: title, genre, word count).
3. To introduce your work at slightly more length – so you say what it is (setting / setup / premise / main character).
4. To give a sense of the emotional mood of your work – what is the emotional payoff for the reader?
5. To give a hint of your book’s USP or angle.
6. To help the agent understand where your book would fit in the market by including comparable titles and agent personalisation.
7. To say something – not much – about you.

The Structure of your Query Letter

Here's the structure that most query letters should take. There are some exceptions (notably non-fiction and literary fiction), but for most purposes your query letter should comprise the following:

1. Introductory sentence – include your purpose for writing (you’re seeking representation!) book title, wordcount, genre.
2. 1-2 paragraphs about your book – what your book’s about and why a reader will love it.
3. A brief note about you – who you are and why you wrote the book.

We’ll expand on these things shortly.

A sample query letter

First up, however, here’s a query letter of a sort that would make any sane agent want to start reading the manuscript in question:

Dear Agent Name

I’m writing to seek representation for my first novel, TALKING TO THE DEAD, a police procedural of 115,000 words.

The book opens with news of a murder: a young woman and her daughter have been found dead in a rough area of Cardiff, Wales. The house where they’re found is in poor condition, but in the corner of the room is a platinum bank card belonging to a local millionaire. A millionaire who died in a plane crash some nine months previously. New recruit, Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths is assigned to the investigation.

Puzzling as this crime looks, it’s not the heart of the book’s mystery. It becomes rapidly clear that Fiona Griffiths herself is a very peculiar woman, who is withholding crucial secrets from the reader. Who exactly is her father? What was her childhood illness? And what is it with her and corpses?

I currently run my own small consultancy business, and this is my first novel. I look forward to writing further novels in the series.

I enclose the first three chapters and a synopsis. I hope you like what you see and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours,

Harry Bingham

Simple right? And you can do it, no?

Here’s that query letter again with my comments highlighted in bold:

Dear Agent Name [probably Jenny Smith, for example, rather than Ms Smith or just Jenny. But do check spellings, please! Someone called Jon may be annoyed to be addressed as John.]

I’m writing to seek representation [the purpose of you getting in touch] for my first novel, TALKING TO THE DEAD, a police procedural of 115,000 words. [title, genre, word count – all defined fast and clearly.]

The book opens with news of a murder: a young woman and her daughter have been found dead in a rough area of Cardiff. The house where they’re found is in poor condition, but in the corner of the room is a platinum bank card belonging to a local millionaire. A millionaire who died in a plane crash some nine months previously. [This sets up the basic premise of the crime story. Already, the agent has the basic co-ordinates she needs to navigate, including location. I haven't explicitly mentioned that this is a contemporary novel, but if it's historical or speculative you certainly need to spell that out.] New recruit, Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths is assigned to the investigation. [Introduce main character – clearly and succinctly.]

Puzzling as this crime looks, it’s not the heart of the book’s mystery. It becomes rapidly clear that Fiona Griffiths herself is a very peculiar woman, who is withholding crucial secrets from the reader. Who exactly is her father? What was her childhood illness? And what is it with her and corpses? [This hints nicely at the book’s mood and USP. It starts to suggest the emotional payoff – a mystery to do with the book’s central character. In effect, this is where you deliver something like the book's elevator pitch - the reason why the agent has to know more.]

I currently run my own small consultancy business, and this is my first novel. I look forward to writing further novels in the series. [A line or two about me. Confirmation that I understand I’m writing a series – an important touch for this kind of fiction. If you are writing in any genre that expects a series (eg: plenty of children's genres) make it clear that you understand that expectation.]

I enclose the first three chapters and a synopsis. I hope you like what you see and look forward to hearing from you. [Wrap it up. The whole letter easily fits onto one page. And yes, I know you’ll be sending an email, but you know what I mean.]

Now you know what you’re doing, we’ll get into a slightly more specific analysis.

The Components of Your Query Letter

The 1 Sentence Summary

1. You need to say why you’re writing. (You’re seeking representation, right? So say so.)
2. You need to give the title of your book, either underlined or (better) in italics, please.
3. You need to give the word count of your book, rounded to the nearest 5,000 words. (And one word of advice: just be sure your word count is approximately right for the market. Advice here.)
4. You need to give the approximate genre or territory of your book.

If you do those things, the agent can instantly understand what you want and what you’re offering. You will also, by the way, prove yourself to be a swift, professional writer.

It's absolutely fine to model your sentence after the one I've given you above. It's my copyright, but I don't mind a bit of plagiarism.

What's your genre?

It's all very well for me to tell you to define your book's genre: my books have a really clear, easily named genre. But that's just not true of lots of books. If you're writing a historical novel involving a cross-cultural romance amidst the wars of the 18th century Ottoman empire - what is that book? A romance? A war story? Historical fiction?

The simple truth is that it's all of those things and agents aren't that fussed about putting things into neat boxes, because fiction has never come in neat boxes.

So just describe the book, in 1-2 sentences. "The novel follows Ali, a caliph in the 18th century Ottoman empire and his romance with Anya, a Balkan servant girl. The novel centres on the XYZ war and has its climax during the 17xx siege of Dubrovnik." Now, I've just made that up - I don't know if there was a siege of Dubrovnik, but you can see that I've explained what kind of book this is without needing to reference a genre. If your book doesn't fit any neat category, then just do the same.

The 1-2 Paragraph Introduction To The Book

First, it’s important to say what this is not.

You are not writing a back-of-book blurb. But nor are you writing a detailed outline of your story. (That’ll come in the form of your synopsis – get more synopsis help right here.)

What you are doing is explaining what your book is and why a reader will feel compelled to read it.

That ‘what’ element will typically be a matter of presenting some facts. You need to give some more information about your settings, your premise, your characters and so on. You don’t need to be as salesy as a cover blurb, and you don’t need to be as dry as a synopsis. It’s almost as though you were chatting to your best friend and telling her about the book you’ve just been reading.

The ‘why’ element is equally crucial. Here, you are conveying something about emotions. What is a reader going to feel as they read the book? What kind of atmosphere will they inhabit? What kind of emotional payoff or challenge is likely?

Comparable Titles

Including comparable titles is a clear and simple way to help authors understand where your book fits in the market. It's important to query agents who specialise in your genre, and comparable titles help them get a sense of where your book would fit in with their list. Some people choose to include this in the introduction of their query letter, while others add it in later on; you can place it anywhere that suits you.

The standard advice is that you should try to include two or three comparable titles. You could reference them by saying 'readers of x, y, and z would love (your book)' or 'x meets y in (your book)'. Make sure that you also describe why your book is unique and detail the extra elements it adds to the books you reference.

Personally, I'm a little sceptical that agents always need this kind of triangulation. Done badly, and it can seem a bit crass - a bit unsophisticated.

For this reason, and if you do choose to go the comparable title route, it's important that the titles you use are genuinely similar to your book. Though it can be tempting to reference books you admire, it's helpful to show an understanding of the market you're writing in and give the agent a sense of the overall tone/style of your book. The titles should be commercially successful and contemporary (ideally from the last two years or so) to show your agent why you think your book will sell in the current market.

Oh yes, and don't just pick the current genre bestsellers as your comps. That's a bad idea for two reasons: first, everyone else will do it, and second, it's actually important you pick the books and authors that really do give the agent a real clue as to what you're all about. That could be the book currently at the top of the NYT bestseller list ... but it probably isn't.

Agent Personalisation

Agent personalisation is a very brief part of your query letter, but it's an important one. Lots of writers eagerly send query letters to lots of different agents, and agents want to know that you put some thought into deciding to contact them specifically. As with comparable titles, this is a section which can go anywhere in your query letter.

Providing an agent with a specific reason why you chose to query them will help make your query letter stand out, and it also shows that you've done your research.

Maybe they represent an author in your genre who you're a big fan of, and that's how you found out about them. Or perhaps you discovered them on Twitter, or went to an event they took part it where something they said really resonated with you. Let them know! Including this element of personalisation will make your letter more memorable.

Again, don't do this on auto-pilot. If you genuinely have a particular reason for writing to this particular agent, say so. If not, keep silent. Most agents have 2-3 big name authors and a horribly huge proportion of the query letters coming to those agents say, "I am writing to you because you represent Famous Author X and I think that my book ..."

Yeah, right.

If in doubt, just keep quiet.

A Brief Introduction To You, The Author

About you

Luckily, agents don’t care too much about you. Nor should they. They should care about the book, and only the book. That’s a fine, honest, meritocratic approach. May the best book win!

That said, agents are obviously curious about the person behind the manuscript. So tell them something about yourself. It’s fine to be human here, rather than resume-style formal. It’s also OK to be quite brief. For example:

“I am a 41-year-old mother, with three children, two dogs, one husband, and the finest vegetable garden in the southwest.”

That's much better than "I spent twelve years as an ACPO-registered bookkeeper with a variety of small and medium enterprises by way of clients. I was nominated for the New Mexico Young Bookkeeper Award three times, and was successful on one occasion (2003)."

Believe me, agents don't care - and nor should they. Your manuscript matters. You don't ... much.

Why you wrote the book

If there is a real connection between who you are (a shrimp fisher, let’s say) and the book you’ve written (something to do with the sea and fishing) then it’s worth another sentence or two to tease that out a bit.

But don’t feel compelled to do that. In my case, I wrote a crime novel, just because I wanted to write one. I’m not a cop or ex-cop. I have no forensics expertise. I have no legal expertise. Or anything else relevant. And that doesn’t matter, of course – what matters is the quality of the book.

So if you have something good to say, say it. If you have nothing to say, then say nothing and don’t worry about it.

Your previous writing history

If you have some real background as a writer, then do say so. For example, you might have written a textbook or similar on a topic relevant to your own professional area. Or you might have won or been shortlisted for a major short story prize. Or perhaps you work as a journalist or copywriter. Or something similar.

If anything like that is the case, then do say so.

But if it’s not – don’t worry! We’ve seen a lot of agent query letters that say things like “I haven’t had much writing experience, but my English teacher always used to say that I would be a writer one day . . .” And, you know what? It just sounds feeble. So don’t say it.

Agents know that most slushpile submissions will be by complete newbie authors. And that’s fine. JK Rowling was a newbie once . . .

Writing a series?

If you are writing a series, then you should say so, much as I did in that sample letter above. Agents will like the fact that you recognise the series potential of your work and that you are committed to taking the steps needed to develop it.

What you don’t want to do, is sound overly rigid or arrogant. (“I have completed the first four novels in my Lords of the Silver Sword series, and have got complete chapter outlines for the next 11 titles. I am looking for a publisher who will commit fully to the series.” — if you write something like that, agents are likely to reject you out of hand.)

How Long Should Your Query Letter Be?

Your overall letter should not run to more than one page. (Except that non-fiction and literary authors can give themselves maybe a page and a half, maybe two). And that’s it.

If you've written your query letter, and would like some feedback before querying agents, why not purchase an agent submission pack review from us.

We can help YOU get published.
Did you know, we have a complete course on getting published? The course covers absolutely everything you need to know: how to prepare your manuscript, how to find agents, how to compile your shortlist, how to write your query letter and synopsis – and much, much more besides.

That course is quite expensive to buy . . . so don’t buy it. The course is available completely free to premium members of Jericho Writers. Not just that course. You get our Agent Match tool for finding literary agents. You get our awesome How To Write course. Plus our members get regular opportunities to pitch their work live online to a panel of literary agents.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? So hop over here and find out more about joining us.

Query Letters: The Exceptions

OK, there are a few exceptions to the above rules. Of those, the two most important ones you need to know about are:

You Are Writing Literary Fiction

If you are writing genuinely high end literary fiction, agents will want you to strut a little, even in your query letter. So if you were writing about (Oh, I dunno) a fictional nun in 14th century Florence, you might talk a bit about the themes of your work and what inspired you to pick up this story.

This kind of thing:

“I got the idea for this story, while working as a game warden one winter on the Hebridean island of Macvity. I was all alone and with a deeply unreliable internet connection. It occurred to me that my solitary life had its religious aspect and I became very interested in female monasticism. Blah, yadda, yadda, blah.”

(Sorry for the blahs, but personally I like books that have corpses in them.)

The idea of this kind of approach is that you are selling the book (its themes, its resonances), but also you’re selling yourself – you’re showing that you can walk the talk as a literary writer.

You Are Writing Non-fiction And You Have A Remarkable Platform

Let’s say you are writing a cookbook and you have a couple of million people who subscribe to your YouTube channel. Or you are writing a book about motorcycle repair and you have a motorbike-themed blog with 250,000 monthly readers. In those cases, you have to delineate your platform in enough detail to convince an agent (and ultimately a publisher) that you are the right person to write this manuscript.

In those cases, then your query letter does need to outline your platform in sufficient detail. You may even want to kick that outline over into a separate document. However you handle it, the “one page query letter” rule can safely be binned. Your prospective agent wants to know what kind of platform you can supply – so tell her.

Oh yes: and having a website is not a platform. Having 10,000 followers on Twitter is impressive, but means nothing in the context of national or international marketing. In short: if you are going to make a big deal of your platform, your platform itself needs to be a big deal. That means having six- or seven-figure numbers to boast about. Nothing else will really cut it.

You Are Writing Non-fiction And You Have Extraordinary Authority

Much the same goes if you are (let’s say) writing a book of popular psychology and (like Daniel Kahnemann) just happen to have a Nobel Prize to wave around.

If you bring amazing authority to a topic, then you need to cover that, either in your query letter or a separate bio. Again, the one page rule just doesn’t apply.

Literary Agent Etiquette

So. Let’s say you’ve got a shortlist of agents. You’ve checked those agents’ websites for their specific submission requirements – probably opening chapters + query letter + synopsis.

You use our query letter sample and write your own perfect query letter. You avoid any weak language, misspellings or grammatical howlers, of course.

You use our advice to put together your synopsis (advice right here). You don’t spend too long on writing the synopsis either, because if you use our techniques, that process is simplicity itself.

You read the opening chunk of your manuscript one last time – and follow our simple rules on manuscript formatting.

And then – well, you send your stuff off.

You light some candles, pray to your favourite saints, tie a black cat into a knot and throw a mirror over a ladder. (Or under it? Or something to do with a wishing well? I’m not sure. Superstition isn’t my strong suit.)

Anyway. You get your stuff out to at least 6 agents and preferably more like 10-12. You wait an unfeasibly long amount of time – but let’s say 6-8 weeks as a rough guide.

What happens next? Well.

Rejections do happen, and are likely to happen even if you’ve written a great book. (Because agents have their hands full. Or just like a different sort of thing. Or have an author who is too directly competitive. Or anything else. It’s not always about you or your book.)

But if you send your material out to 10-12 agents, and find yourself being rejected, then you have to ask yourself:

• Am I being rejected because I’ve chosen the wrong agents?
• Am I being rejected because my query letter / synopsis are poor?
• Am I being rejected because my book isn’t up to scratch?

Truthfully? The third of these issues is by far the most common.

If you’ve written a great book, and a rubbish query letter, you can still find an agent. The other way around? Never.

If you are confident that you’ve gone to the right agents, and have been rejected by 10+ people (or heard nothing after 8 weeks, which amonts to the exact same thing), then the probable truth is that your book is not yet strong enough for commercial publication.

And, you know what?

That’s not a big deal.

All books start out bad. Then they get better. So getting rejected is really just a signal that you still have further to travel down that road. (Find out about the type of rejection letters to look out for here.)

Remember that getting third party editorial advice is the standard way of improving your work. We offer outstanding editorial help and you can read all about it here.

Alternatively, join the Jericho Writers family, and you can get a ton of help absolutely free within your membership. Free courses on How To Write. Free courses on Getting Published. Free access to AgentMatch. And so much more. Find out more here.

Happy writing, and good luck!

So, you’re well on your way to completing your book on travel, and have a cracking book proposal that you can’t wait to share with agents. Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Travel Non-Fiction

Travel writing is not as simple as it sounds, and far more varied than you may think. You can have travel memoirs, travel guides, and everything in between. Whether your book is narrative and personal, or fact-driven, it’s important that it appeals to readers and is an interesting read. 

What makes your personal memoir interesting to the average reader? What makes you qualified to write a food-driven travel guide? Do you want your books to inspire people to travel, or just be a light Sunday read? These are the questions you should ask yourself and be ready to answer in your book proposal when querying agents.  

Some well-known travel books include Eat, Pray, Love (which was even adapted to film), A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal, Into the Wild, Under the Tuscan Sun. Look at what makes each of these books successful, and find where your own book fits in the market.  

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of travel book-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of UK agents for travel non-fiction is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. travel non-fiction), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

UK Agents For Travel Non-Fiction

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 UK agents looking for travel non-fiction: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!    

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Have you just finished your novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Romance Fiction

Romantic fiction is one of the most popular of all genres, usually following the romantic relationship between two or more people, and often having a happy or satisfying ending.  

There are many different types of romance fiction that just happen to share this umbrella term but can be very different in how they are presented. While you can get contemporary romance novels where the entire focus of the novel is on the relationships presented within, there are often crossovers with other genres. These can include historical romance, and paranormal or fantasy romance. This means that each genre is equally important in the novel, creating a unique story. 

Finding the right agent is a long process but at the heart of it you need an agent who is not only qualified to work with your book, but also loves the genre/s you’re writing in.  So if you have written a historical romance with fantasy elements, for example, you should look for an agent that expresses an interest in both genres, not just an agent looking for romance novels. This may seem like a daunting task but that’s where AgentMatch can help.  

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of romance-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for romance novels is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. romance), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Romance

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for romance novels: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!    

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Have you just finished your novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Crime, Thriller, And Action

Crime and thriller is one of the most enduringly popular genres of all time, from Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to Gillian Flynn, Stephen King, and our very own Harry Bingham. Readers have always loved reading about crime and mystery, whether it’s more psychological and full of suspense, a police procedural drama, or full of gore and death.  

These stories have always captivated us as readers and remain one of the most popular genres. Because of this, it’s important to make sure your book is unique and stands out. Crossover novels can be incredibly successful, whether you’re adding historical or speculative elements to your story, and this can help in creating that USP (Unique Selling Point) when approaching agents.  

All you need to do is make sure you have a polished manuscript and a standout submission pack. After that, you’re ready to start doing your agent research and creating a shortlist. And that’s where we come in. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of crime novel-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for crime and thrillers is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. crime, thriller, and action), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Crime, Thriller, and Action 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for crime and thrillers: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

So, you’re well on your way to completing your book on a popular science topic, and have a cracking book proposal that you can’t wait to share with agents. Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Popular Science

Popular science as a genre is the exploration of scientific topics in an accessible way for the average reader. The work should be interesting and understandable to a non-expert, and focus on topics that will be of interest to the general public. 

Popular science topics can include space, nature, biology and the human body, climate change, mental health (which can here have the crossover with psychology), time, data, and many more. These are topics that grasp the interest of the average reader, discussing the history of the universe, or genetics, or the history of the human race, in a way that is accessible to anyone who picks up the book. They remain a popular genre, particularly those books that follow on with current scientific discoveries and trends. 

Authors of popular science and psychology are more popular than ever. Stephen Hawking, Oliver Sacks and Michio Kaku, to name a few. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of science-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for popular science is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. science), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Popular Science 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for popular science: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

So, you’re well on your way to completing your book on food and cookery, and have a cracking book proposal that you can’t wait to share with agents. Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST?
CLICK HERE

Food And Cookery

This is a market dominated by full-colour, hard-copy books. The eBook revolution has done little to change the basic market. Which is good news.  

The bad news is that this means the market dynamics are challenging for debut authors in this area. A sure-fire way to get a cookbook published is to have a TV show first. Or a column in a national newspaper. Or, you’re a celebrity. But for ordinary cookery writers it is hard to get published. It can be hard to get publishers interested enough to invest in a book because the high production quality means that a book needs to shift a lot of copies to break into profit.  

There are still opportunities for new debut writers. Especially if you are an expert in an under-explored area of food and drink. Having a strong platform with demonstrable interest in the area of food and drink that you’re writing about will only make your submission pack look even stronger. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of cookbook-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for food and cookery books is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection.

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. food and cookery), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews.

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch.

US Agents For Food And Cookery Books

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for food and cookery books:

More Resources 

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!  

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!  

Congratulations! You've finally finished your manuscript and now you're looking for a literary agent who represents writers like you. The good news is that literary agents positively want submissions. Most really big authors, from Hilary Mantel to JK Rowling, arrived via the slushpile, and there's no reason why you shouldn't do the same.

But where do you start?

There are hundreds of literary agents in the UK, and this article lists pretty much all of them: well over 400 UK-based agents. That list is available at the bottom of the piece and you can jump straight there - or read on for an in-depth guide to how to get and work with literary agents.

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE COMPLETE AGENT LIST?
CLICK HERE

Literary Agents: All You Need To Know

In this article we're going to guide you through everything you need to know about finding a UK literary agent - from agent submission guidelines to fiction submissions, how to write a covering letter to understanding genre when it comes to choosing your agent.

Here are the 7 simple steps you need to take when searching for a UK literary agent:

1. Understand what an agent does
2. Know your genre
3. Decide who to approach
4. Create a shortlist
5. Write a synopsis
6. Write a query letter
7. Check out our links to the UK's top agents and start making notes!

And if you actually want a list of US literary agents, then you need to be here instead.

Is it worth getting a literary agent?

Literary agents are the gatekeepers of the book world. This can be a bitter sweet reality because, although they weed out books that aren't a good fit for traditional publishing, they are also the people standing between you, a top publishing house, and your dream of becoming a bestseller.

When it comes to traditional publishing - especially the Big Four (Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, and the Hachette Book Group) - no editor will look at an author's book proposal unless it comes from one of many reputable literary agencies.

So if you have fantasies of your novel making it to Waterstones shop window, or for sale in supermarkets and airports, or if you want to be a Sunday Times Bestseller with your story turned into a movie via a film agency, then you will need to be with a big publisher.

And if that's the case, you need an agent.

Literary agents are salespeople - they take you on (not just for this book but YOU as an author) and they cheerlead you all the way to the editors who they feel will suit you and your work best. The idea is that they will help shape your career, you will work together for many books to come, so this relationship needs to work. Yes, you pay agents something for their work (more about that shortly), but the value agents add should multiply your total income many-fold. In short: if traditional publishing is what you want, getting an agent is a no-brainer. Just do it.

How do you get a literary agent?

Check your Genre

Most agents are fairly eclectic in their tastes. My own agent handles high-end literary fiction, some very serious non-fiction ... and some very successful commercial women's fiction writers ... and crime fiction ... and some fun, light non-fiction too. He's actually typical, rather than unusual.

That said, agents - like any readers - do have their passions and it's no use at all sending your speculative fiction to agents who just don't handle the genre.

But be creative. If you're writing a thriller set in northern Norway, then somebody with a passion for all things Scandinavian may well be a good option, even if he hasn't sold many thrillers.

An agent near you?

The fact that there are over 400 literary agents in the UK can be overwhelming. Where do you begin? (Remember, you can jump straight to our list of agents or keep reading.)

In term of location, don't worry about finding an agent near to where you live. For one thing, most UK agencies have a London office - because that's where most publishers are. There are good agents also in Dublin and Edinburgh, but not a lot outside those places. That just doesn't matter. Zoom exists. Phones exist. Trains exist. If you have a great agent, living a long way from you, but close to all the publishers that matter - that's a win.

Finding agents open to submissions

You need to approach literary agents who are keen to hear from people like you. It’s pointless wasting your energy on the rest. That means you want UK literary agents who:

• Are open to submissions in your genre
• Welcome submissions from new writers via their slushpile (this sounds scarier than it is, it just means adding your submission to their large pile of other unsolicited applications)

You can just Google around, or you can use our AgentMatch tool. Our tool is comprehensive, but the result is that your longlist is likely to be at least 100+ names long. So let's whittle it away further...

Finding agents you want to work with

Take your longlist and pick out any UK literary agents that you especially like the sound of:

• Maybe they represent some of your favourite authors in your genres.
• Or they represent a favourite author in a different genre.
• Or they don’t represent a particular favourite writer of yours, but they have commented admiringly on that author.
• You have particular reason to like or admire the agent’s literary agency.
• They share a passion of yours.
• They made a comment in a blog / on YouTube / at our Festival of Writing / or anywhere else . . . and for whatever reason that comment struck a chord in you.
• And it’s OK if your reason is dumb. Maybe you like an agent’s face (never underestimate a gut instinct)!

Really, you’re just looking for points of contact that make sense given your (relatively scant) information resources.

How many literary agents should you approach?

The best number of agents to focus on, at the beginning, is 12-15.

Fewer than that you're not giving yourself a chance (some agents may LOVE your book, but it may be too similar to something they already have or they simply don't have the time).

Conversely, if you keep submitting after more than 15 rejections, with no concrete feedback and no full requests, it's almost certain that your manuscript isn't yet ready to sell - in which case you need to find out what's wrong, then fix it. (Our manuscript assessment service will help with that.)

Submission Guidelines

Whether you write diverse fiction or popular science, commercial or non fiction, the best way to be rejected by any literary agent is to not follow their guidelines.

Most agents ask for a Word document or pdf. They're unlikely now to demand a particular font - but don't be weird, or too small. A Times New Roman font at 12pt won't go wrong. I use Garamond. But anything normal is fine ... so long as you're within the agency's own guidelines.

Some will ask for sample chapters, others just the first few pages. Some are still accepting submissions via post, most are by email or their own online forms. Make sure you tick all the boxes!

Write A Synopsis

I'll keep this brief (we have many blogs on how to write a synopsis) but this is an important part of the submission process. A synopsis is a summary of your entire book, preferably over two pages or 600-or so words.

You can't get your whole novel into this kind of space, so don't even try. Simply, ensure your synopsis focuses on the main characters, and the keys plot beats. In nearly all cases, your synopsis should, as well as noting the names of key characters, summarise:

1. Status quo
2. Inciting Incident
3. Developments
4. Crisis
5. Resolution

Don't worry about if your synopsis seems boring: it will be dull. This document is a working tool - an outline, only - and it's not meant to be exciting.

Write A Query Letter

In short, a query letter (or 'covering letter') is a simple introduction to what you're looking for, a brief summary of your book, and some info on you.

• Explain that you are looking for representation and why this agent is the right fit for you and your book.
• Add your one line book pitch and an intriguing premise. Including why you were inspoired to write it.
• Outline some relevant info about yourself (this is where you highlight any relevant writing experience, awards, education, background that adds strength to your writing career).

For a more comprehensive guide on writing the perfect query letter, read a sample query letter and get all the advice you need.

And if you STILL have questions...

Case Studies

No two journeys to acceptance by a literary agent are ever quite the same, so we’ve gathered together a few different stories of paths to publication by a few of our successful clients. Please feel free to browse these case studies for inspiration, support – and a reminder that this road can be long and winding ...

Dominic Brownlow – Helen Parusel – Isabel Costello – Sally-Anne Martyn – Joanna Cannon.

Agent Interviews

We have an excellent selection of interviews with leading literary agents. They’ll tell you what they really looking for, the things the bother them the most and much else. Reading these interviews is also a brilliant way to remind yourself that agents are human, genuinely keen to uncover talent – and are every bit as passionate about books and reading as you are. We’ve got a lot of interviews on the site, but here are a few to get you started:

Stephen Fraser - Megan Carroll - Paige Wheeler - Anne Perry - Camilla Bolton

Comparison with digital-first publishing

These days, the publishing world is much more diverse than it used to be. You can have publishers that are traditional (in the sense that they’re highly selective about what they take on) but operate “digital-first”, meaning that books appear as ebooks or online-print only. These publishers can be independent or operate as autonomous arms within larger publishers, such as HarperCollins for example. While you can approach these publishers via an agent, you have to have an agent at all – you can submit directly.

One case study of a client of ours who succeeded in this way can be found here. Another, really inspiring case study (from 28 rejections to a 2-book deal) can be found here.

In our view, it's quite wrong to think of digital-first publishing as in any way a second class option. On the contrary, it's simply the right approach for the kind of books whose audience will mostly be found in ebook rather than via print. That might well include your book.

Comparison with self-publishing

Equally, there’s a real opportunity now to self-publish. That’s such a huge topic, we’re not going to discuss it here, except to say that indie authors have a real opportunity to make money, build a career and attract readers. It’s probably true to say that there are more self-pub authors earning any given level of income from writing than there are traditional authors in the same bracket. (Not convinced? Check out our video here.) That’s a stunning fact and one that doesn’t get enough media awareness.

Needless to say, self-pub (or “indie”) authors don’t need a literary agent. To learn more about self-publishing and whether it’s right for you, check out this resource. For a case study of self-publishing success, check out Peter Gibbons’s experience and Tim O’Rourke’s remarkable story.

International markets

A UK agent can sell your book overseas. Likewise, if you are a US author, for example, your American agent will be able to sell worldwide. In some cases, those overseas rights will be sold by the agency directly. In other cases, your agent will work using a network of overseas partners. And sometimes, if an agent sells world rights in a book to a publisher, then that publisher will itself make overseas sales on your behalf.

If you want to know whether to query US or UK agents, check out our guide here.

But don't overthink this. Any agent you pick will have ways to sell you internationally. Your focus now should just be on picking the agent who loves your work and is best placed to make that first crucial sale.

How much does a literary agent cost?

Literary agents are fantastically good value, because you never pay them anything. Or at le3ast, you should never pay an agent out of your own pocket. They work purely on commissions (generally 15% for domestic sales, 20% for film and abroad). they don't earn a penny from you until you earn.

And don't think of that 15% as "lost" money. Any halfway good agent should make you multiples more on your behalf than you could possibly make for yourself. It's a good deal, and be happy with it.

Industry trends

Publishing is always changing. An important recent trend is the (horribly overdue) embrace of more diverse voices in publishing. But there’ll always be industry tittle-tattle about (for example) the rise and falls of such things as misery memoirs, paranormal romance, domestic noir and so on.

On the whole, though, we’d suggest that you don’t get too swayed by such things. Publishing is a basically conservative industry because readers are quite conservative themselves. If you write a wonderful book, people will want to read it. Quite honestly, and unless you are a professional agent or publisher, that’s the only trend you really need to deal with.

Submission Success Tips

The only really key rules here are:

1. Write a great query letter. This really shouldn’t be too hard for you. It’s a one-hour job and no more. Keep your query down to about a page, or maximum two. Make sure the agent knows what the heart of your book is – the USP, the thing that makes it special. It’s good to personalise your letter to a given agent, where possible. More information here.
2. Write a great synopsis. The trick here is to build upwards from the structure of your book rather than trying to precise the book itself. More information on writing your synopsis can be found here.
3. Choose agents with care. We recommend AgentMatch, which is our proprietary search tool available to our Premium Members. The trick is to make sure that the agents you approach handle your genre (in AgentMatch, that’s as simple as selecting a filter button) and ideally some sort of specific overlap as well.
4. Choose 12 or so agents in total. Oh yes, and the most important rule of all ...?
5. Write a good book.

That last part is the hardest part, of course, but it’s also the only bit that truly matters.

Agent Response Etiquette

OK, we’re writers ourselves and we think that agents should always handle themselves with normal professional courtesy when dealing with writers. In reality, of course, agents are busy and not always professional, so the rules of etiquette that matter are:

1. Submit your work according to the instructions on the agent’s website. Minor deviations from those instructions are OK, but nothing huge.
2. Wait at least four weeks for a response. Better to wait 6 weeks. You can add a week if your query period runs over Christmas or the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.
3. At that point, you can nudge, once. “Have you had a chance to look at …?” that kind of email. But only one nudge, and honestly I wouldn’t even advise that. Treat a silence as a “no.”
4. If an agent requests your full manuscript, that’s great news. Send it. Be friendly. Be professional. If you hear nothing after that, you should definitely nudge – again after, 4-6 weeks. But again: one nudge per agent, maximum.
5. If one agent requests your manuscript, it actually makes sense to contact any others you have live submissions with. The gist of your email will be “I wanted to let you know that another agent has asked to see the full manuscript. Please let me know if you would like it as well.” Basically, you’re telling agents that you’re getting Valentine’s cards from someone else and trying to make them jealous. It sounds childish, but I promise you the tactic works very well.
6. If an agent offers you representation, then definitely tell everyone else you have a live submission with. If you can get a kind of auction going, that’s ideal. The best situation is that you end up talking with 2-3 agents and going with the one you have the best chemistry with.

Don’t ask agents for feedback. That isn’t their job and there’s no reason why they should do it unpaid. If you want paid feedback direct from an agent, then read the next section heading.

Getting feedback from literary agents

If you want to get feedback direct from an agent, you can. You can book it through us right here. Just remember that agents are salespeople, first and foremost. You won’t get a full manuscript assessment from them and they wouldn’t be the best people to do that anyway. If you want your full manuscript assessed by a pro editor, then we can do that for you. More information here.

Legal and contractual aspects

Publishing contracts are long and complicated. Agent contracts can – and really should – be very sweet and simple: a two-page letter written in clear English. The two key elements of that contract are:

1. If an agent does a deal on your behalf, they’ll continue to accrue earnings from that deal, and for the lifetime of the deal, even if you terminate your relationship with the agent. In my view, that’s a perfectly fair arrangement.
2. You’ll pay 15% on any domestic deal (ie: a sale to your home market) and 20% on anything else – overseas sales, film and TV rights, and so on. Again, given that any competent agent should be adding way more than 15-20% to your total earning capacity, we think that’s a perfectly reasonable deal.

You can learn more about literary agent fees and so on here.

Writing communities and building networks

OK, so this point isn’t quite about literary agents, but any serious amateur writer will do themselves a huge service by getting involved with a writing community and especially one that’s very well networked with agents and publishers and professional authors generally. That’s us. We’re here precisely for writers like you. We have a huge community of writers like you, loads of success stories and we are intimately involved with the worldwide publishing industry.

You can join us for free and get a lot of support. Or join us as a premium member and get so much support, you’ll get a nosebleed. Either way, your journey to a literary agent starts here.

Literary Agents: The Complete UK List

The list below is a complete list of the top UK literary agents. Simply click on the links and discover the profile summaries for each agent. To get complete access to all data, click here and sign up for your FREE account.

Jericho Writers is a global membership group for writers, providing everything you need to get published. Keep up with our news, membership offers, and updates by signing up to our newsletter. For more writing articles take a look at our blog page or join our free writer’s community. 

So, you’ve written a travel memoir and you’re ready to find an agent to represent it? Or maybe you’ve written a travel guide and can’t wait to get it out there.  

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Travel Non-Fiction

There are many different forms of travel writing, and it’s important to figure out where your book places in the market before you start querying authors. A travel memoir is very different from a travel guide, and something narrative will have a far different appeal than something more fact-driven. 

If you’re writing a travel book, it also needs to set itself apart from others like it in the market. Take a look at Into the Wild, Eat Pray Love, or Under the Tuscan Sun, what sets them apart and makes them so appealing to readers? Bear this in mind when querying agents, and show them what makes your book unique. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of travel book-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for travel non-fiction is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. travel non-fiction), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Travel Non-Fiction 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for travel non-fiction: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writer Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

So, you’re well on your way to completing your book on politics and current affairs, and have a cracking book proposal that you can’t wait to share with agents. Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Politics And Current Affairs

Political non-fiction includes topics such as governments, current affairs, and political figures or situations. They cover a range of topics that will be accessible and of interest to the mass readership, and often intend to educate readers on things they may not otherwise know. It is important to remain current and up-to-date on what is going on in the world when writing political non-fiction, particularly if it relates to your own book. The political and social worlds change at such a pace that something that was of relevance 6 months ago may not pick up the same level of readers today. An understanding of the political world would therefore be required in order to predict and be aware of trends. For example, a book about the American voting system (or a presidential election) would likely be most successful in the year leading up to the election (as candidates take on the lengthy campaign process), and then immediately afterwards.  

Very niche topics will be difficult to find an agent for, as they simply won’t sell as well as something very commercial or broader topics that will appeal to a wider range of readers. If your book is very niche you may be best going directly to publishers who specialise in that topic. 

Literary agents may have a more broad interest in political non-fiction and be happy to receive anything within the genre, others may have more specific tastes or interests. You should look closely at their wish-lists in order to find the best agent for your book. There may even be an agent who is especially interested in receiving the exact book you are writing, which would be perfect. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of agents who love political works, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for politics and current affairs is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. politics and current affairs), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Politics And Current Affairs 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for politics and current affairs: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

This post has (at the bottom) a complete and regularly updated list of the literary agents active in the United States. By clicking through to each agent, you will also find which literary agencies they belong to.

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE COMPLETE AGENT LIST?
CLICK HERE

If you want a list of agents active in the United Kingdom, you’re on the wrong page. Hum God Save The Queen, throw a Union Jack round your shoulders, and teleport over here instead.

Want A Quick Reminder Of How To Get An Agent?

Finding a literary agent to take on, edit, sell and champion your work is a career-defining moment for any traditionally oriented writer. But it’s career-defining partly because it’s hard to achieve.

So let’s try to keep this simple. Here’s what you need to do to attract a literary agent:

Step 1: Write a wonderful book.

That’s hard, admittedly, but you’re on this page because you’re serious.

Step 2: Compile a longlist of qualified literary agents.

A qualified literary agent is one who is (A) in the right country, (B) open to your genre, and (C) reasonably open to taking on new work and new clients. Once you have that longlist – which could easily run to 100+ names – you can start to filter it.

Our AgentMatch tool, which is a literary agent database, allows you to select agents by genre at the click of a button. You can search by literary fiction, women’s fiction, crime thriller, romance, fantasy, science fiction, non-fiction, young adult, and pretty much every other genre you can think of – including all major non-fiction genres. It's a great tool for helping you decide which agents to query. Learn more about AgentMatch.

Step 3: Narrow down to a shortlist of 10-12 names.

Once you have your longlist, you need to work to find the ones who jump out at you – normally because you find a point of contact. You’re looking for something that seems to connect the kind of reader that agent is with the kind of writer you are.

A shared favourite author. A passion for steampunk. Book set in your agent’s childhood state. Shared passion for the ocean. The point of contact doesn’t matter. Just find agents who sing to you.

Step 4: Write a brilliant query letter.

Sounds hard, but it’s really easy. All you need to do is read our amazing query letter advice – and follow it.

Step 5: Write a sizzling synopsis.

Sounds very hard, but it’s also very easy. There are two big tricks to writing a successful synopsis fast and easily. We tell you what they are (and with some bonus tips included) in our synopsis article.

Step 6: Give your manuscript and opening chapters a last check.

Look: I’m not about to tell you how to write a book. But you probably want to check your opening chapters meet the basic requirements for professional manuscript format. You will probably also be interested to learn what we think are the most common mistakes made in the kind of manuscripts that go out to literary agents.

If you want a properly complete guide to getting an agent, you can get that here. Phew!

Literary Agents: All You Need To Know

1. Agents sell manuscripts to publishers
2. All the agents in the US are listed on this page
3. You need to shortlist 10-12 agents
4. Write a synopsis
5. Write a query letter
6. Submit your work to your shortlisted agent
7. Keep your fingers crossed

How To Use Agentmatch To Find Your Literary Agent

AgentMatch gives you a complete, easily searchable list of all literary agents in the US – and all those in the United Kingdom too.

Our English-speaking, graduate researchers have put together profiles of all literary agents out there, making use of ALL publicly available information (not just that on the agent’s website.)

Then we make it incredibly easy to search:

• By country
• By genre
• By experience
• By level of interest in acquiring new writers
• Size of literary agency
• And much else

Each agent has a detailed profile, including photo wherever possible – so you can complete an entire search process in a swift and completely non-haphazard way.

Sounds good right? Except presumably we’re going to ask you for a ton of money.

Except – no.

We’re writers too, so we offer a free trial of Agent Match . That gives you access to ALL the data, not just profile summaries. You can also get access to our search tools, which allow you to compile your agent longlist in about 20 seconds . . . and compile a really effective shortlist in the time it takes to drink a couple cups of coffee and maybe eat a croissant too.

And “free trial” means just that.

We don’t ask you for any payment details. We don’t restrict your usage of the site. Any data you collect, you are welcome to retain and use for your own purposes. (We’re nice like that!)

You can get your free trial here.

We hope you love it!

Meantime, we promised you a complete list of every literary agent currently active in the United States so that you can embark on the next step of your publishing journey. So scroll on down and knock yourself out.

Or actually – don’t. Knocking yourself out? Ouch. Just scroll.

US Literary Agents: The List

Have you just finished your novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Women’s Fiction

As genres go, women’s fiction is one of the hardest labels to describe. It tends to be a rich and broad market, covering a variety of sub-genres, such as domestic noir, romance, and literary fiction. The publishing world tries to class women’s fiction as writing predominantly for women, about women. But women’s fiction is much more complex than that. 

So, it’s important to be careful how you choose your book genre. Is it really a book club type of novel (i.e. accessible and literary)? Is it romance? Erotica?  

Just because your book may be about a woman and her relationships (not necessarily romantic ones), it doesn’t mean that you should be describing your novel as women’s fiction. Instead think more about what kind of book it is and what type of agent you’d like. 

Once you’ve clearly defined your genre and where your book sits in the market, it’s time to put together your agent shortlist. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of women's fiction-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of UK agents for women's fiction is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. women's fiction), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

UK Agents For Women's Fiction 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 UK agents looking for women's fiction: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Have you got a new and exciting work of non-fiction on the go and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Non-Fiction

Non-fiction is any literary work with the goal of providing information for the reader. It is fact-based and requires a level of knowledge and expertise of the author, in order for them to be an authority to educate on the chosen topic. 

When literary agents are looking for non-fiction, they are often looking for the topics that will sell. If something is too niche, you may be better off going directly to an appropriate publisher. The most popular non-fiction genres include: 

• Historical non-fiction 
• Memoir, biographies, and autobiography 
• Popular science 
• Politics and current affairs 
• Celebrity-led projects, anything written or endorsed by a celebrity  
• Interesting travel stories 
• Motivational and self-help works 

One of the most important things to remember as a non-fiction author is that your work should always be entirely rooted in truth and fact, and that you should be qualified to write on your chosen topic. These are things that not only readers are looking for, but literary agents too. You need to be able to demonstrate why your book is special and why you are the person to write it. 

Few agents focus solely on non-fiction projects. Most agents will build a fiction and non-fiction list, just as they would cultivate a literary and commercial list. The important thing to remember is that it’s the quality of the agent that really matters, not whether they specialise in a particular genre.  

How Do You Know What Literary Agents Want? 

This can be split into three categories:

• Firstly, know what you need to query agents with.  

For fiction submissions, you need to have written the whole book before querying agents. With non-fiction submissions, you can often get away with sending a book proposal, which is basically an outline of the book you intend to write, first.  

If your book is story-led (think memoirs), then it would be worth writing the whole book before you submit to agents.  

But if your non-fiction is subject based, then it‘s fine to start with the book proposal.  

• Secondly, deliver a saleable manuscript.  

As I mentioned above, the only thing agents are really looking for is a manuscript that will sell well and make money. This means you need:  

Strong, popular, entertaining writing – even if your subject is interesting, if the writing is poor no one’s going to want to read it!  

To write for the market. Obvious, yes, but a surprisingly high number of non–fiction authors don’t know who their intended market is. So, if you don’t know yours, then go to a bookstore or local library and find out.  

• And finally, get professional help.

If you keep getting agent rejections or just want to perfect your manuscript first, then it’s time to ask for help. There’s lots of information out there. We’ve helped non-fiction authors in their writing journeys, and we can help you too. So, get in touch. 

Non-Fiction Genres

Let’s look at the most popular non-fiction genres a little closer:

History 

Historical non-fiction is any piece of literary work that looks at a specific time or event from the past. This could be delivered in a very fact-based way, or in a narrative way (such as The Five by Hallie Rubenhold), and can explore very wide and general topics (such as the Romans, or the Elizabethan era) or a very specific person, event, or niche topic (even something as obscure as salt – no really, it exists. Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky). 

Food And Cookery 

Non-fiction that focuses on food and cookery is a staple of many households. Recipe books would be the most common form of this genre, but it can also include crossover books that explore the history of food (such as Scoff by Pen Vogler), or food-based memoirs (such as Stanley Tucci’s Taste, or Grace Dent’s Hungry). This is a varied and diverse genre, full of useful tips and interesting facts. 

Memoir 

Memoirs can encompass a wide range of books, from the food-based memoirs I mentioned above of celebrities Stanley Tucci and Grace Dent, to a memoir of a postman (Please, Mister Postman by Alan Johnson). If you have an interesting story to tell, then there is space for you on the memoir bookshelf. That’s not to say it isn’t difficult to get there. If you’re not a celebrity, then you need an incredibly interesting story and a true way with words in order to reassure a literary agent that your book will sell. 
 

Mind, Body, Spirit 

This genre is an interesting one. It spans topics of mindfulness, meditation, astrology, the paranormal, and much more, and can be quite divisive (depending on an individual’s beliefs). Whether you are a doctor writing professional advice (Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? By Dr Julie Smith), or you’re writing based on your own experiences (The Wim Hof Method by Wim Hof), it’s important to demonstrate the value you bring, not only to the genre as a whole but to the readers picking up your book. It is likely that readers of Mind, Body, Spirit want to learn something new about themselves, or how to approach the world we live in and our daily lives.

 
Politics, Society, & Current Affairs 

Politics and current affair books can cover many things, from political history to a focus on an individual, or a deep-dive into a specific political event. Bestsellers like Owen Jones’ The Establishment (exploring British politics), or Watergate: A New History by Garrett M Graff, explore popular topics at the time of their publication. One of the most important things to remember when writing political non-fiction is to remain current and relevant, unbiased (unless your work is biased, in which case it’s important to make that clear), and to ensure your book is fact-based (as far as facts are available at the time of publication).  

 
Popular Science 

Popular science is a genre that makes current scientific discoveries and theses accessible to the average reader. Anyone should be able to pick up your book and come away with a greater understanding of the topic than they did coming into it. Popular science can cover any topic (especially ones that are of particular interest or relevance at the time of publication), from space, psychology and medicine, to astrophysics and our understanding of death. Anything that is current and of interest to the general population. Once again, one of the most important things when writing in this genre is to have demonstratable expertise, and to be able to explain why YOU are the person to write this book. 
 

Travel 

Travel writing can encompass everything from a travel guide to a travel memoir (Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert). Books in this genre can do a deep dive into a specific city, or they can give general advice for camping or backpacking. They can be food based (One More Croissant for the Road by Felicity Cloake) or based in history (Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton). Whatever your expertise or experience, it’s important that the writing of your book lines up with it’s aim. If you are writing a guide it should be informative, whereas if you’re going for a more narrative interpretation it should be able to strike the balance between fact-based and interesting.  
 

Popular Culture 

Popular culture is those topics, beliefs, themes or objects that are dominant and widely known in society. This can encompass books, film, music, art, fashion, and much more. Chuck Klosterman’s The Nineties: A Book does an excellent job of capturing the popular culture of an entire decade, while Matt Alt’s Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World focuses on an entire nations historical influence. The importance when writing works of pop culture is to remain current and relevant, alongside the emphasis on being fact based. You can deliver a serious discussion on a topic, or a more tongue-in-cheek satirical view, but whatever you do it’s important once again to demonstrate your expertise and why it will be of interest to the mass readership. 
 

Narrative Non-Fiction 

Narrative non-fiction describes a piece of literary work that is fact-based at its foundation but presented in the style of a fiction novel. Take Hallie Rubenhold’s The Five. This is a book that explores the history of the victims of Jack the Ripper, providing facts and citing her sources. Hallie takes creative liberties in her presentation of this story, using the facts to create a fleshed-out narrative of the lives of these women; in this way the narrative element suits her book as she seeks to humanise them. When writing narrative non-fiction, it is important to strike this balance between fact and fiction. Your book should read like a story, but remain entirely fact-based. This form makes the writing accessible and interesting to the mass readership, and they can go away having learnt something new (sometimes without even realising it). 
 

Business And Finance 

This genre can provide business advice, explore historical aspects of business and economics, look at finance analysis, marketing and management, or encompass cross-genre books such as politics (Butler to the World by Oliver Bullough), or memoirs (We Can All Make It by Sara Davies). Where you are an expert in your field or have personal experience to draw on when writing your book, you should demonstrate not only that you are the best person to write it, but that there is a space and interest for it. 
 

Health & Lifestyle 

This genre focuses on all aspects of health and lifestyle, from dieting and working out, to mental health, relationships, and careers. Whatever your focus is, it’s important to make sure your book is relevant, well-researched, and that there is space for it in the current market.  

Self-Help 

Self-help falls into similar categories to Mind, Body, Spirit, and Health and Lifestyle. These books all focus on the individual and encouraging personal development, but self-help sits apart as more of a guide. Marie Kondo’s Spark Joy and James Clear’s Atomic Habits provide information and advice for how the reader can go about making the relevant changes in their own life. They are there to evoke a positive response in the reader and to provide them with something that will remain even when they put the book down. Once again, relevance and expertise are required when writing in the self-help genre. 
 

Sports 

Sports non-fiction covers everything from guides to biographies. They cover any and all sports you can think of, and can either be an interesting read or a tool for the reader to develop their own skills. Whether you’re considering the social influence of sports, specific individuals, or the history of sport, it is important that you can demonstrate your knowledge and whether there is interest for your book.  

Arts 

This genre covers a wide range of topics, including art, photography, fashion, music, film, crafts. They can work incredibly well as coffee table books, or as an exploration into an individual (A Life of Picasso by John Richardson) or a movement. They can provide a collection of creative work, a historical exploration (The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair), or offer advice for beginners (Read This is You Want to Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll). 
 

Women's Issues 

Also categorised as Gender Studies, this genre explores a variety of topics, from feminism to medicine, history to race. Books that focus on women’s issues attempt to evoke change, and often look at social discrimination and inequality. Books like Caroline Criado-Perez’s Invisible Women and The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart use data and facts to inform the reader, and offer up ways we can make change for the future. 
 

LGBTQ+ 

This is a very broad genre that encompasses a variety of topics and crossovers. From memoirs (What if Feels Like for a Girl by Paris Lees), to essay collections (Gender Euphoria by Laura Kate Dale), and from histories (The Pink Line by Mark Gevisser), to guides (Queer Up by Alexis Caught). The aim of this genre is to inform and to evoke change, both for those readers who are queer, and for those who aren’t. From appeals for change to uplifting real stories, this genre is as diverse as its authors and topics. It is important when writing in this genre to remain relevant (is there a market for your book), fact-based, and to have personal experience of your chosen topic and be able to demonstrate why you should be writing it. 
 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of agents who love non-fiction, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for non-fiction is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. your non-fiction genre), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Non-Fiction 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents generally looking for non-fiction: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Written a thriller or work of crime fiction and need a literary agent?

You’re in the right place.

AgentMatch has a complete list of every agent in the UK with full detail about who they are and what kind of work they represent.

So here’s what you do.

1. Head over here.
2. Click on the “select genres” box and choose “Crime & thrillers” from the pop-up list.
3. You’ll find that there are a huge number of agents who represent work in this area. (Basically: most of them will happily represent crime; there are just about no agents who specialise only in that area.) So you’ll need to filter your list some more. Use our other search tools to bring your selection down to a manageable total.
4. Then dive into individual agent profiles and read what each agent says about themselves.
5. Make your final shortlist selection

The twist in the tail

All you need to access all our lovely data and search functionality?

Jericho Writers is a global membership group for writers, providing everything you need to get published. Keep up with our news, membership offers, and updates by signing up to our newsletter. For more writing articles take a look at our blog page or join our free writer's community. 

Have you just finished your novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Historical Fiction

The historical fiction market is a wonderfully diverse and rich genre to be writing in.  

It is comprised of award-winning authors like Hilary Mantel, upmarket commercial talents such as Kate Mosse and Phillipa Gregory, and the thrilling talents of Conn Iggulden and Robert Harris. This includes crossover books, which pair historical fiction with romance, literary fiction, young adult, and more.  

It’s important to find an agent who works with the specific genre and theme that you’re writing in. Such as an agent who loves WW2 fiction, or who loves queer historical fiction, or enjoys historical fiction with a speculative twist. The reason this is so important is because this will be the best agent for you, because historical fiction can be so broad. Make sure to take a closer look at your novel and decide what the USP (unique selling point) is and what else an agent might find in it to interest them.  

Once you have polished your manuscript and completed your submission pack, it’s time to start researching agents and putting together your shortlist. And that’s where AgentMatch comes in. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of historical fiction-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for historical fiction is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. historical fiction), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Historical Fiction

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for historical fiction: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Have you just finished your memoir and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Memoirs And Autobiographies

The market for memoirs is easy, if you’re a celebrity that is. However, if like the rest of us you find that you’re not a celebrity, then things can prove a little harder.  

Memoirs and autobiographies are typically non-fiction narratives, based on the author's personal experiences and memories. Similar to a novel, a memoir progresses its storyline through detailed plots, scenes with action and dialogue, exchanges, and character development.  

But what will make your memoir stand out from the crowd? Quite simply, it will need to dazzle your readers, and show that you have been part of something remarkable. Not my-friends-think-it’s-amazing remarkable, but the kind of remarkable that will captivate a perfect stranger, like Cheryl Strayed’s Wild.   

The ability to transform those remarkable experiences into excellent prose is also a requirement. To hook an agent, you need to be able to bring to life the things you’ve seen and done. Have your experiences, the drama, fear, laughter, love and loss jump off the page and engulf your reader. Masterpieces like The Hare With Amber Eyes and Empire Antartica are great examples.  

Whatever your story, there’s sure to be an agent out there who can’t wait to read it. So, where to begin?   

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of memoir-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for memoirs is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. memoirs, true story, and autobiographies), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Memoir, True Story, And Autobiographies 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for memoirs: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Have you just finished your novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Erotica

It feels like only yesterday that E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey series was released, changing the perception of erotic fiction. No longer are publishers and literary agents wary – or dare I say snobby? - towards the genre. No longer do they fear that erotic manuscripts are not marketable or that the genre would not pay for itself. 

The years following E.L James’ trilogy have seen a huge turnaround in the perception of erotic fiction. Just look at Helen Hoang (author of Kiss Quotient) or Helen Hardt (Follow Me Darkly) to see how popular this genre has become. Literary agents and publishers have learnt the value of this genre; we can see that in the most high-brow literary agents who are now accepting submissions of erotic fiction. 

Although, of course, erotic fiction has always been popular to the masses. We only have to look at Mills & Boon’s client list for a who’s-who of romance and erotic writers.  

So, what does this mean for you? It means there’s competition. To secure the right representation for your novel, make sure it is ready before you even consider querying an agent looking for erotic fiction. Prepare your query letter and synopsis to the best of your ability.  

You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make yours count. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of erotica-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for erotica is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. erotica), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Erotica

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for erotica: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

So, where to start on the road to publishing? I think, and this is only my opinion, that we should start with ‘The Dream’.

Set your sights on a dream and run with it. Make sure it’s big enough too, and I mean aim high! Shoot for the stars and even if you miss, the trajectory should carry you somewhere good and the view will have been great.

But what do I actually mean? Well when I set out on my writing journey in earnest, I did a number of things:

1. I started acting like I thought an author should act. I started writing a book every year, setting my own deadlines and sticking to them. I sought help from readers and other writers for feedback and I submitted my completed books to agents.

2. I started networking. I went to events, super events like the Festival of Writing where I met more writers, readers and, of course, some agents and publishers too (usually in the bar, long after Cinderella’s ride was being carved into a scary face). I pitched my novel when asked, or when it was polite, but really, I just wanted to be recognised and known as someone who was serious about writing, so that when my next manuscript hit their desk, they knew the face behind the words.

But I think the next is the most important one (so important, I split it in two).

3. I started treating getting published as though it were a project. I gathered intelligence on what I’d need to do, who I’d need to submit work to, exactly how they wanted it submitted, what books they liked and had bought or taken on, where the good places were to meet them etc. I created a plan that I thought would offer me the greatest chance of success – then I stuck to it.

4. I decided in my own mind what ‘success’ looked like for me, and defining this can be hard to do. I decided that, for me, success looked like this: a ‘top’ agent from a major British agency and a publishing deal with a ‘Big 5’ publisher.

There, I said it! Outrageous, but that was the target I set myself. This was what success would look like in my project, the stars I was going to aim for.

Now, let’s not be silly about this. This is a target, the ultimate end goal, but there could be steps along the way. I’m not saying I’d have turned down almost any agent in the beginning, I simply wouldn’t have, and I’m a loyal person so it’s unlikely I would leave an agent I liked and trusted, but this was The Target and I’d urge you all to identify yours and stick with it.

If it’s to be a massive self-published success story, then go for that too, whatever your goal is, get at it with vigour and verve and don’t let any set-back, upset, rejection (I’ve had loads of them!), or dismissal put you off.

‘Publishing is broken! They don’t take debuts anymore! I submitted to five agents and got rejections from all of them!’, etc., etc. (Ring any bells?)

If you submit your work to five agents and then give up, then you lack the tenacity for this business. I submitted my work through the usual channels – the slush pile – and got well over thirty rejections. (Some weren’t even rejections, they simply didn’t even acknowledge me at all and never have.)

I kept going. I wrote six novels. The first four are pants, some not even that good. The fifth started getting noticed. I had some requests for the full manuscript and got some valuable feedback from great agents (and even a hint of an offer of a very small publishing deal with a small press), then I wrote Tenacity and submitted that. It got nowhere.

I had easily twenty rejections and had all but given up, even though it was still out with some other agents. I was already writing my next novel, when I got an email from Curtis Brown – the office of Jonny Geller – yup, there are some agents who are so super that you’re allowed to swear in the middle of their name – Jonny ‘Freaking’ Geller called me.

Excited doesn’t begin to cover it.

Then, in the same day, more agents showed interest, more great ones. Suddenly, I was in business and that aim, that definition of success, didn’t look so outrageous after all.

I signed with Jonny, having been picked up from the slush pile, and my debut novel Tenacity was published by Headline on July 30 2015. I also sold very quickly in the US, too.

So my message is hopefully clear. Decide what you want to do, set out a plan to do it, and hang on to that plan as though your life, and the lives of everyone you hold dear, depend on it.

Grit your teeth, be ready for rejection, but know absolutely where you want to go. If you want it bad enough, then show the world that you have the Tenacity to get it. And I love that word, Tenacity, so much so that I made it the title of my debut novel, and it’s hopefully one of the strongest traits you’d recognise in my lead character, Danielle Lewis.

She doesn’t give up, ever, and neither should you.

Have you just finished your YA novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Young Adult Fiction

In recent years, Young Adult (YA) fiction has become a prominent and big-selling genre. Novelists like Stephanie Meyer and Suzanne Collins (whose trilogies were so popular they were turned into Hollywood blockbusters), and Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series made it acceptable and even popular for adults to read and enjoy children’s fiction.  

What followed was the emergence of a spectacular list of YA authors. Think Holly Jackson’s A Good Girls’ Guide to Murder or Sarah J Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses. These new and engaging authors carried on the tradition and continued to attract a wider audience of adult and young readers. 

What was the key to their success? Good character development, a fast pace, and a touch of danger. 

The fact that so many young adult books are selling means that agents are inevitably interested in the area and keen to take on outstanding work. However, it also means that agents will be picky: they’ll be looking for novels that can compete with the big names. To make sure you give yourself the biggest chance at success, you need to target the right agents. So do your research and perfect your opening chapters before you start querying agents. Don’t waste your chance by rushing into it. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of YA-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for YA fiction is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. young adult fiction), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Young Adult Fiction 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking YA fiction: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Have you just finished your novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Paranormal Romance

While certainly not the first, one of the most well-known paranormal romance stories of the 21^st century has to be the Twilight series. With millions of fans and a multi-billion pound franchise, the success of this series cannot be ignored. While there were many works of paranormal romance before this, the success of Twilight marked a sudden boom and demand for this type of novel. Many of these novels are directed at YA level readers, though there are absolutely examples for adult readers. 

Paranormal romance is such a successful genre because it follows the long-established love of a romance novel and combines it with the excitement of whatever fantasy world the writer chooses to explore. This paranormal aspect can focus on, well, anything. It’s important, however, to avoid cliches and plots that have already been done many times. Just because a story is successful once does not mean it will be again. Make sure you have that USP (Unique Selling Point) to really make your story stand out. 

It is important, when clarifying your genre, to remember the ‘rules’ that come with genre romance. For a book to be classified as romance, or in this case paranormal romance, one of the primary focuses of the story should be this romance. There are many books out there that may suit a fantasy or urban fantasy genre better, as the romance exists as more of a sub-plot in the story. It’s important to take a close look at your novel and make sure that you have chosen a genre that best represents it. 

Once you’ve done that, it’s time to begin searching!   

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of paranormal romance-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of UK agents for paranormal romance novels is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. paranormal romance), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

UK Agents For Paranormal Romance 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 UK agents looking for paranormal romance novels:

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Have you just finished your sci-fi novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Science Fiction

Science fiction is a rich and varied market. With an eager adult and young adult market, and plenty of opportunities for crossover and idea-driven explorations of fiction, it’s an ever popular genre. One of the most popular crossovers is science fiction and fantasy (also written as sci-fi fantasy, or SFF). 

As a genre, science fiction remains rich. You can even argue that literary novelists like Margaret Atwood and David Mitchell have published science-fiction novels. George Orwell and Aldous Huxley are certainly renowned for their sci-fi masterpieces. While authors like Iain Banks and China Mieville, who aren’t traditionally considered as literary novelists, have produced some excellent examples of challenging, bold, and thoughtful fiction.   

One of the most important things to do when establishing your genre for querying, is look really closely at your novel and make sure you are choosing the genre that best represents it. A novel can use sci-fi ideas and techniques and still be better sold as another genre. For example, maybe your novel is intelligent and better sold as a literary novel, or perhaps it has more of a crime and thriller focus and can be marketed as that, with sci-fi elements.  

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of science fiction-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for sci-fi novels is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. science fiction), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Science Fiction 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for science fiction novels: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writer Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Guest author and blogger Lexie Elliott is author of The French Girl and shared with us how she met her literary agent en route to our Festival of Writing. Find her on Goodreads, on Facebook, or on Instagram.

I like contradictions.

I like it when there’s a round hole and a square peg that somehow fits it, I like it when things that should be black and white have shades of grey (erm, not those shades. Unless that’s your thing, in which case go right ahead).

The exception to the rule always pulls my attention. There’s a story in there, I find myself thinking. How might it unfold?

And because I like contradictions, I also like serendipity. The word itself has become a contradiction: in the original tales of the three princes of Serendip, the princes achieve success not merely through chance, as the modern day understanding of the word suggests, but more importantly using logical deduction.

And that’s how I met my wonderful, inspiring, supportive agent Marcy: it was serendipitous, but I’d deliberately stacked the odds.

I met Marcy just as the train we were both on pulled into York. I noticed a lady waiting to exit the carriage holding some papers emblazoned with Festival of Writing, realised we were going to the same place and somehow eschewed my usual British reticence in order to make small talk. She was having difficulty with her luggage, so I helped her with that and then we shared a taxi to the venue.

It was only during that taxi ride that I discovered she’s that most important of creatures – an agent, no less – and, moreover, an agent representing writers in my genre (psychological suspense, since you ask).

I plucked up the courage to ask if I could send her some material. Thankfully, she liked what she read, and we started down a path that has thus far led to an enormously exciting two-book deal with Berkley and the sale of the TV and movie rights for my first novel, The French Girl.

Like I said, serendipitous, certainly – but it you want to meet an agent by chance, you must surely have a far greater probability of success if you go somewhere where there will actually be agents.

I count that particular Festival of Writing as a pivotal point in my writing career, and not only because I met Marcy. I also met lots of other authors, agents (I got far down the line with a couple before settling with Marcy), book doctors, presenters, panellists. I learnt a huge amount about the craft of writing (or in some areas, relearning what I had forgotten). It was a deliberate investment, both in terms of time and money, in my fledgling writing career and an important psychological step to take: just registering for the Festival of Writing felt like a public acknowledgement that I was serious about my writing.

I went to York entirely on my own, which forced me to get out of my hermit-like comfort zone and actually start up conversations with people, and I was warmed to find that those people were unfailingly friendly, polite and interesting. As a writer with a young family and a part-time job, I don’t have, well, any free time at all, actually, and certainly none to spend tapping into a nearby community of writers; it was heavenly to spend time talking about writing with people who weren’t either gently bemused by the compulsion to do it (my husband) or rather miffed that my stories don’t contain sword-fighting and/or spies (my sons).

I returned from the Festival with a good idea of what was wrong with my current writing project, and a decent plan of how to go about putting it right. More importantly, I returned with a better understanding of my own creative process and a renewed enthusiasm for... wait for it... actually writing.

Because, a lot of times, sitting down at the laptop can feel like hard work.

It’s much easier to spend that time watching Netflix, or reading the result of someone else’s hard work. Sometimes it can even be easier to tidy the house and do the laundry than to write (admittedly, those are dark days). But those bolts of inspiration, that supposedly come from the blue to strike like creative lightning in the minds of aspiring writers, don’t really strike unless your mind is open to them. You must put in the thinking time and the writing time. You must make yourself into a lightning rod. It turns out that inspiration takes work (just another of those contradictions that I like).

The Festival of Writing won’t do the work for you, but it will help you figure out how to get it done. And if you already have something that’s ready for the world to see, you have a pretty good chance of finding just the person to help you get it out there.

Good luck!

May the force of serendipity be with you.

Serendipity (noun); the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

Have you just finished your novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Fantasy Fiction

The fantasy fiction market has been incredibly successful over the years, and publishers have made a lot of money from it. As have the film and television industries. 

The flexibility of this genre means that authors are able to explore the many facets of not only their characters but also the world they’ve built for their readers. 

There have been some excellent authors who have written in the genre, China Mieville, Neil Gaiman, and Iain Banks to name a few.  This means that there are plenty of agents looking for the next big thing in fantasy to come their way.  

To make sure your fantasy novel stands out from the slushpile try reading this article on world-building. You’ll also find this piece by published author Geraldine Pinch on how to write a fantasy novel useful, too.  

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of fantasy-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for fantasy novels is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. fantasy), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Fantasy 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for fantasy: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Have you just finished your novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Horror

Horror has been an enduringly successful and popular genre for many many years, from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, to Stephen King’s entire writings. With the ever-increasing fascination with being scared, and the adaptation of books to films, television, and even stage, the horror genre continues to be popular.  

There is such a variety in the way that horror novels are presented that not only is there something out there for every reader, but it broadens the possibility for authors. Crossovers with history and crime and thrillers mean that every novel looks entirely different from the next. With writers like Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House) and Susan Hill (The Woman in Black) demonstrating a more classic representation of horror, and authors like Gracey Hendrix (Horrorstor: A Novel) showing that you can have fun with the genre. You really can do anything.  

The most important thing to remember when writing horror is that it is intended to scare, whether that’s through disgusting imagery, psychological elements, eerie atmospheres, or exploration of the supernatural.  

Whatever your story, there’s sure to be an agent out there who can’t wait to read it. So, where to begin?   

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of horror-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for horror is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. horror), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Horror 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for horror: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

And how to get a book deal yourself …

You’re at that scary submissions stage. Your manuscript is edited right down to the very last comma. It’s time to go out into the big wide world and GET THAT BOOK DEAL.

But – uh – what exactly do you have to do … and what are the odds of success?

How To Get A Book Deal

You want a book deal? So here’s the formula. This formula works for anyone wanting to be traditionally published (with a publisher, that is, rather than self-publishing via Amazon.) It also assumes that you are writing fiction or mainstream non-fiction – the sort of stuff you might find on the front tables of a larger bookstore.

If that applies to you, then the formula for getting a book deal is:

What Are The Odds Of Getting A Literary Agent?

Those odds are somewhat scary.

A typical agent in NY or London receives approximately 2,000 submissions a year. They are likely to accept 2-3 writers from that deluge. Some agents will accept fewer.

So, as a rough rule of thumb, and allowing for plenty of variation, the chance of getting an agent are about 1 in 1000.

That sounds frightening, but you can and should apply to more than one agent, so the 1 in 1000 is perhaps more like 1 in 100.

And, in any case, it’s not about the odds. If your book is blindingly good – if you’ve written a The Hunger Games, or a Gone Girl, or an All the Light We Cannot See – your odds of getting an agent are essentially 100%. So don’t focus on the odds. Focus on your book.

That’s the only part that you have any real control over.

What Are The Odds Of Getting A Book Deal?

Well, you can look at this in two ways. From the agent’s end, it’s probably true that a good agent at a top class agency will sell approximately 2 books for every 3 they auction. That is, the odds of a sale are about 67% – which is why most writers, correctly, think that getting an agent is the most significant hurdle between them and publication.

But that’s to look at it from one end only.

I spoke recently with one editor, who has a key job at one of London’s best publishers (a major part of a Big 5 house). In effect, that editor is as selective as it gets.

These days, he receives, via literary agents, about 12 submissions a week. Those 12 submissions equate to about 600 manuscripts crossing his desk each year.

And of those 600 manuscripts, he takes on maybe 3-4 new writers a year. (As well as, of course, continuing to publish the work of his existing stable of authors.)

In other words, he buys less than 1% of the work being offered to him. Yikes!

These stats are frankly terrifying, but they need to be taken in context. In particular:

• A smaller or less prestigious publisher will be less selective. There are many smaller publishers out there, but they're smaller and less selective than the big guys. They’ll offer much smaller advances to authors and they won’t have the marketing heft of their larger rivals – but if you get an offer from them, it’s still a massive compliment to your work. It’s a real publishing deal and you should be elated.
  
• It’s also wrong to conclude that if you have an agent, you have only a 1% chance of getting a top-ranked publisher. It isn’t so. If agents are looking to auction a manuscript, they’ll typically send it out to 8-12 publishers – that is, to all the bigger publishers in town. So while an individual publisher might take just 1% of work submitted, that means an overall success rate of more like 10%. Something similar, of course, applies with submissions to agents.
  
• The better the agent, the higher that success rate will be. A top agent will reject any work that doesn’t come up to the right standard, will seize hold of any work that does come to the right standard, and will do so with a strong expectation of selling it. Even then, no agent I know has a 100% record, but the best agents will have a strike rate of well over 10%.

So why does my Big 5 editor reject so much of what comes his way? In his opinion – and also mine – agents (mostly less well established ones) are sending work out before it’s properly ready.

You don’t want your work set out early, which means it’s time to consider …

How To Think About Getting A Book Deal

In the end, though, the conclusion has little to do with odds or stats. The 2012 British Olympic team contained 541 athletes. The US Olympic team is that little bit larger.

Either way, those numbers are larger than the number of debut novels being listed by elite UK or US publishers today. So you need to be (at least!) an Olympian-of-writing to make the grade.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is simply this:

If you are in the world’s top 20-30 sprinters, you will get selected for the Olympics. If you’ve written one of the best espionage novels of the year, you will get published.

In brutal market conditions, the standard required by top publishers is rising all the time, but the best work still gets selected, still attracts advances and investment, still gets published. What you need to worry about more than anything else is the quality of your work. A promising book will not do, a dazzling book is essential.

One further conclusion. At Jericho Writers we’ve always been against writers sending their work to dozens & dozens of agents. Our own rule of thumb is that if you can’t attract a Yes from an agent in 8-12 (intelligently chosen and properly presented) submissions, then your manuscript is not yet good enough. There will always be exceptions to every rule, but for the most part the rule is a very good one. If you send submissions to 200 agents, your chances of hooking an agent improve, but I’d say that your chance of getting a publisher remains the same as before. About 0%, if the first 8-12 agents turned you down.

A Little Bit Of Boasting

At Jericho Writers we have helped many writers not only find their perfect agent, but go on to become bestselling authors! Through our Agent 121 meetings, and our AgentMatch service (available to members)we help make those author dreams more attainable. And that’s not because we’re miracle workers, but because we focus relentlessly on the quality of your work and ensuring you know where to look for the perfect match.

So keep honing your craft and ensure your story is tight, make sure you really understand what the market is looking for (and therefore agents and editors too), get your query letter polished to perfect, and get your list of ideal agents just right. Once you have that all in place, you're on your way.

After all, the only way you can fail is by never giving it a good try in the first place!

The first in a regular new blog series, Paul Braddon takes us through his journey to finding a literary agent.

My Writing Journey

The writing bug first bit as a teenager when I entered a sixth-form essay competition run by Barclays Bank and shocked myself by winning a runner’s up prize.  Heady stuff! But the real surprise was how much fun telling a story could be when I wasn’t being told what to write. Anyway, I was now sold on a career as a novelist and the only sensible step was to study English Literature at university... although unfortunately, after three years of Dickens, Wordsworth and the major works of Shakespeare, I was no nearer to being published.

My biggest hurdle was thinking I knew everything just because I’d read a few novels. I spent years on a lovely story titled The English Witch – a sort of Sabrina meets Harry Potter (all before JK Rowling put pen to paper) set in the 1930s – that I couldn’t interest agents in, although my friends were generous. ‘Better than Tolkien’, one told me, although that isn’t as great as it sounds because he was no lover of Tolkien.

After The English Witch, I wrote an historical novel about a piano-playing German girl and with it made my first sensible decision – I commissioned editorial feedback. Nervous as to what I was paying for, I opted for Jericho Writers (Writers’ Workshop as it was then) on the basis that the offer included a follow up ‘conversation’, a guarantee in effect that the editor would have to do a half-decent job. In the event I got lucky and was allocated the truly excellent Liz Garner, who wrote me several extensive assessments, each followed up by a long phone call.

I took my now much-improved piano-playing German girl manuscript to the York Festival of Writing but failed to interest my chosen agents in it. However, one of these agents was the fantastic Joanna Swainson, who was eventually to sign me, so not all would be lost, although of course I could not know that at the time.

By now fed up with historical fiction, I was willing to do almost anything to succeed and turned my hand to a contemporary thriller set in Finland. The process of leaving my comfort zone was like casting off heavy boots and this book – The Butterfly Hunt, was my best work to date. Three of the first four agents I queried (including Joanna) requested the whole manuscript but the feedback I received was consistent, that although the first third worked, I needed to rewrite the rest. Which unfortunately was easier said than done! I think the lesson I learned is that when you change significant elements of a carefully structured plot, you can end up twisting it completely out of shape and end up with less than what you had before.

In early 2018 I started on The Actuality, a further genre shift, this time into speculative fiction. The Actuality is set a hundred years in the future and could be best described as a cautionary tale of friendship, love and advanced bioengineering.

My approach to writing The Actuality came from my experience on previous projects. My method has become to first plan out an overall structure, getting the main beats in place and when I’m happy with all of that, I dive in to see how I do. If this appears to work, I merely keep writing, filling in the plot details and editing chapters as I go, and if all continues to go well, in four or five months I have a reasonable first draft. That’s the plan anyway, but in the case of The Actuality it wasn’t so simple.

In fact, it was a massive struggle and this was because I grew to believe that the story of an AI living with her ‘husband’ at the top of a Thames-side high-rise complete with rooftop garden was almost certainly unpublishable. In the end, after rushing through the last couple of sections, I did make it to the finish line, but the word count barely scraped 62,000.

Anxious as to what I had created, I only sent it to Joanna, hoping I could trust her not to laugh. To be honest, if she had, I would have shelved it. Instead, amazingly, she actually liked it, and liked it enough to chat about it and encourage me to expand it to a commercial length. Confidence regained, this I did, adding 18,000 words, and shortly after that in October 2018, she took me on!

Last Piece Of Advice

I think, if I was passing on any advice, it would be three things. Number One (and I think most readers will have worked it out for themselves by now) – Seek Professional Advice, whether that is through courses, editorial assessments or reading up on the craft – don’t spend years thinking you know everything. Two – Escape Your Comfort Zone – perhaps try a completely different genre, you can always go back, you never know you may not want to. And Number Three – Don’t Be Afraid of Trying Something a Bit Different, if that’s what you fancy – different will stand you out from the crowd if nothing else and if there is passion behind it, that will make a huge difference too.

Are you on the lookout for representation? If so, why not check out AgentMatch, our database recording all UK and US literary agents.

Or, are you about to embark on your first round of agent submissions? If you are, then you’ll probably find this article really helpful!

Did I Always Want To Be A Writer?

I’ve always wanted to write a novel, but didn’t do it until I was 44 when a friend bullied me into it. She told me to write a chapter a week and send it to her. Clocking in with her was a great incentive, although I realise a lot of authors like to write the whole thing before they let anyone see it.

About 30,000 words in, I panicked: I DON’T KNOW HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL, I thought (constantly) and – realising I needed help – I bought Harry Bingham’s book: How to Write. I read it cover to cover and quickly discovered I wasn’t alone in any of my thoughts – neither the negative ones (I CAN’T do it) nor the positive (I CAN do it). As well as practical support, that book provided the emotional support I needed. I read it and went back to my novel, and – with steam coming out of my ears, and springs coming out of my head – I finished it. I commissioned a really useful editorial report via Jericho Writers, and submitted it to a few agents. But ultimately I shelved it.

A year later I wrote my second novel, Spacehopper, the one that’s going to be published. I was in a better place to do it, because this time I had some tools in my belt before I started: the ones I didn’t have until I was 30,000 words in the first time round: I’d read How to Write, been to a JW Getting Published Day and used the resources I found on the JW website.

What I Learnt And How I Learnt It

I learnt a lot from reading books about how to write. Not just Harry Bingham’s book, but the famous On Writing, by Stephen King, and other books like that. Reading about writing inspired me and made me believe I could do it; I needed that. Mind you, the feeling would wear off quickly, it wasn’t long before I’d start thinking I can’t do this, again. It was like a drug I had to keep topping up to get the same effect, so I kept reading.

Reading novels also helped. I found I was reading more attentively now, really looking at what I loved best in novels, so I could more knowingly make an impact on readers through my own writing. I took out a month’s membership at Jericho Writers as a birthday present to myself, it was a luxury I found hard to afford – it is fantastic value, but I was skint – so I made the most of it: joined up when I knew I could make best use of the online videos. I immersed myself in the information, made notes, and soon felt like I had a bag full of stuff to help me get through the writing process.

Unfortunately, at that stage, it did feel as though I was simply trying to get to the finish line, rather than enjoying the process. I’m an impatient person, and novel-writing isn’t ideal for the impatient. Now, I’m getting there: learning to enjoy the process. With my new novel, Gabriel’s Cat, my agent asked for a synopsis early on, something I’d never done until the book was finished. Being clearer about where the story was going has helped. I feel less frightened about what will happen next when I sit down to write. I have never enjoyed writing more.

I learned a lot at a Jericho Writers Getting Published Day. There were lots of really interesting and practical sessions during the day. I left with more inspiration, and was buzzing because I’d spent a blissful succession of hours with people who could talk all day long about writing novels, without glazing over once!

My First Draft

It took me four months to write the first draft of Spacehopper and I gave it to four friends to read in chunks. These were the same friends who read the novel I cut my teeth on the previous year, and this time was different. They didn’t really have any criticism, just wanted me to get on with it, so they could find out what happened next. This boost to my ego was essential: much as I wanted honest feedback, I think I would have crumbled, possibly stopped, if the feedback had been bad. I wanted them to be honest, but I wanted them to honestly love it. Spacehopper has a big twist; I didn’t think of it until I was more than halfway through writing the novel, and as soon as I decided on the ending, I couldn’t write fast enough. I wanted to hear what my readers felt about the ending. When I made them cry, I punched the air.

When the first draft was done, I did the same as last time, and commissioned a full editorial report through Jericho Writers, from the same editor as last time. It was a stretch on my finances, and I knew I would only be able to afford one round of feedback. The report I got back was worth every penny, not only in its practical suggestions, but because the editor said she was certain it was a novel that would be published. Hearing that from a professional, gave me the confidence to keep going, make a few adjustments and start to get ready to submit to agents.

I think I would have enjoyed writing Spacehopper more if I’d planned out the story in more depth before starting, and followed more of the plot structures that make stories work. Not just because there is something nice about knowing where you’re going with a story, from beginning to end – indeed I truly believe you can know too much about what’s going to happen in the novel you’re writing: things that you don’t plan will be some of the best bits. But when you understand the plot structures that make stories work – even if you don’t follow them strictly – you will surely have more confidence that your story is going to be better told. Understanding what makes stories work, makes us better storytellers.

From First Draft To Final Version

The editor who conducted a full editorial report, via Jericho Writers, suggested I make some changes. I’ve looked back in my notebook and I see I made 39 changes to Spacehopper based on her recommendations. It might sound like a lot, but the majority were fairly straightforward. Essentially the novel remained unchanged (in comparison, when I made changes to my previous novel, it was a huge task and I felt I had a different book by the time I’d edited it).

I worked for a couple of weeks tweaking Spacehopper, and after that, without the finances to put it through another round of editorial revision, I started getting ready to submit to agents. I didn’t give it to anyone else to read at this stage. As I mentioned, patience is not my strength, and I had to get it out.

How I Got My Agent

In September 2018, I put together my submission pack to agents. I trawled resources online and in books, to make sure my letter was just right and I used Jericho Writer’s AgentMatch to look up agents that might like my type of novel. A problem for me was that my novel includes time travel, but it’s not science fiction, or fantasy, it’s about love and grief and what we would say to those we loved and lost, given the chance. But it’s hard for people to see beyond the time travel element.

I put my synopsis together and finally decided that I needed to get a submission pack assessment done: I didn’t want to mess up my first impression with agents before I’d left the starting blocks. Again I commissioned this via JW, and after that I began submitting with confidence that my submission pack, at least, was as good as it could be.

I’d read enough to know I needed to brace myself for rejection. It was a rite of passage, everyone said so, and even if I was to get an agent one day, I knew I would have to taste rejection first. But knowing you’ll get your heart broken, doesn’t make it any easier when it happens. The first time I saw the name of an agent in my email inbox, I held my breath. I was at work, and I stopped everything: the email wouldn’t open. I trotted to another part of the college trying to get a connection, all the time thinking what if they want me?? When the email opened and I saw it was a rejection, I realised I wasn’t really prepared for the disappointment; the way it stuck in my throat and made it hard to swallow, the way I teared up because this email had been the difference between my dreams coming true and my dreams basically, not coming true.

And then I got another rejection, and another, and another, each one feeling like a shovel full of dirt being thrown over me, until I felt buried. Fourteen rejections between October and Christmas brought me to an all-time low, which I managed to hide from most family and friends. I remember thinking that if I couldn’t write, then I couldn’t do anything I really wanted to do. Plus I’d made the mistake of telling everyone that I was submitting to agents. One of my friends who’d read my book and loved it said he would help me self-publish, and I said I’d think about it. But first I needed to get myself into a better place. I’m usually a happy person and I was so down. I needed to get back up. Over Christmas and January 2019, when I’d put Spacehopper in a drawer and locked it, I convinced myself that I’d been happy before I wrote this novel, and therefore I could be happy again. Eventually I started to come to terms with the idea of not getting published, even though I still believed so strongly in this novel that I’d locked away.

Then a little bit of fate stepped in. Last year – before I started submitting to agents – my ex-husband’s fiancé asked in passing if she could read my novel, and after some deliberation, I agreed. Then in February this year, I got a message from her saying I just read a book that makes me feel a bit like your book did. That’s nice, I thought. The next day I happened to be in Waterstone’s and picked that book up, wondered if the agent was mentioned in credits. She was. Maybe – I thought – maybe I’ll try just one more agent – Judith Murray, at Greene and Heaton. And I did.

I submitted my letter, synopsis and manuscript to her in the middle of February. When I got an email saying that Judith was loving Spacehopper and could I send the rest of the manuscript, I wasn’t prepared: by now I was only prepared for rejection. I sent the manuscript, and held my breath for three days. She rang me, and on March the 1^st I found myself meeting Judith in a restaurant in Borough Market in London. At last I felt I had opened the wardrobe door and stepped into another world. Meeting Judith was one of the most delightful experiences of my life, hearing her thoughts on my novel, getting to know her and that feeling that I’d met my fairy godmother and she was going to do everything she could to get me to the ball.

My Author-Agent Relationship

After we met, Judith and I talked about making changes to my novel that she thought would give it its best shot at being an attractive prospect for publishers, and she gave me a set of notes to work from. Everything she said struck a chord, and I enjoyed working on the edit. Where the changes were trickier to come to terms with, Judith explained why they would work, and by Jove, she was right! By the beginning of April, Judith was ready to submit to publishers.

She told me that waiting to hear back from editors/publishers could be nerve-wracking (why does everything about this business have to be so bloody nerve-wracking!) and Judith clearly knows that some authors need more support than others during this stressful process. She was always there at the end of the phone or email and did what she needed to do to help me not lose heart. I always felt she was there for me, even though I knew how busy she must be with other authors and all those submissions. She kept in touch regularly during those early days of submissions and we talked on the phone weekly, or more if necessary.

Even though we now have a deal and things are calm at the moment, we still talk and email. She is an utter joy to work with, and I feel incredibly lucky that I found her, and that fate led me directly to her door. I trust her completely, she is wise, and kind and life is better for knowing her. And if that sounds over the top, don’t forget she’s negotiating on my behalf to make my dreams come true.

Last Piece Of Advice

I have two pieces of advice I would give to anyone who wants to get published (I have more, but am sticking to two, as I’m well over my word-count limit!). The first is to listen to anyone who says your novel needs changes. If they are professionals, in particular, I think that for the most part you should trust that they’re right. You might not want to change things in the way they suggest – no problem – make changes in your own way, but certainly, listen to their advice and act on it. Similarly if your friends or family feel that something doesn’t work, even if they’re not professional writers or readers, they are still readers, and if they feel something’s not working, then they’re probably right.

Secondly, targeting the right agent is key. You know that, I knew that, I’d read it a million times. But while the information available on agents’ likes and dislikes is useful, in the end, for me, it was finding a novel that felt something like mine that led me to the right one. If you can read a lot of books and find out which agents are likely to go for a story like yours, then hopefully, you will hit a bullseye. For more information, try our article How to Get Your Book Published.

Having shared insights with Festival of Writing 2017 attendees, three agents – Catherine Cho, Sandra Sawicka, Susan Yearwood – sat down with us for an interview on getting agent submissions right, what they’re most moved by, and what they’re looking for in the slush pile.

What sort of books do you love receiving?

Catherine: I love books that are transportive; with layers and depth, with a compelling story at its heart, those are the novels that I remember.

Sandra: I love reading about things I don’t know. It could be a particular setting that is foreign to me, or a character with a weird profession, or completely different set of experiences … worlds for me to explore and learn.

Have you ever opened a new manuscript, read a single page, and thought ‘I’m going to end up making an offer on this’? What was it about that page which excited you?

Sandra: Yes, first line in fact. It was Paul Crilley’s Poison City where a talking dog tells his owner off for not providing his favourite tipple (sherry). I immediately thought – this is mad, I need to tell everyone.

Catherine: I have read manuscripts and been drawn in from the first page – usually from an incredible voice that immediately pulls you in. It’s an exciting feeling, especially after reading so many submissions and to discover something amazing, it’s a bit like falling in love.

Are you most drawn to beautiful writing? Or a wonderful plot? Or a stunning premise? Or anything else?

Susan: I’m drawn to writing that engages so completely that I’d rather read the submission than do anything else during the course of the day. A good plot and premise are difficult to realise fully without a good sense of place and character in any genre.

Catherine: Plot and premise are very important. What I notice is that often, first-time novels don’t have a strong narrative drive, and we need that central conflict or narrative momentum to create a compelling story.

Do you need good personal chemistry with your authors?

Sandra: I mean, it helps. I usually meet authors before I offer to represent them, to see whether we are on the same page about the edits but also to talk about how I work.

Tell us how you like writers to submit work to you and how you’d like them not to submit work?

Catherine: I prefer to receive my queries by email with the cover letter, synopsis, and first 3 chapters in the body of the email.

Susan: I prefer to see the initial 30-50 pages of a script (or a book proposal with a sample of writing at that length in the case of non-fiction submissions). The covering email (or letter if it’s impossible to send the submission by email) should be brief, with a line about the book, an explanatory paragraph with more detail about the script then a few lines about yourself.

Do you have any pet peeves about cover letters?

Catherine: I have a couple of pet peeves on cover letters (Dear Sir, in particular), and this is a personal one, but unnecessary autobiographical details. I think a novel, even if it is inspired by personal experiences, should stand for itself.

The grim stats: how many submissions do you get per week (or year)? And how many new authors do you take on?

Susan: I receive about 80-100 per month, depending on the month. How many new authors I take on depends on the submissions I receive. I am looking to take on more writers in adult fiction and non-fiction than I currently represent and introduce 9-12 age range children’s fiction and teen/YA fiction to my list.

Catherine: As I’m building my list, the majority of my writers are from the slush pile or writers I’ve approached from anthologies and writing journals. I receive 50-80 submissions a week, and because I read them all on my own, it means that I’m constantly behind!

When did you come into agenting? What did you do before? And why agenting?

Susan: In 2007, I founded Susan Yearwood Literary Agency (now Susan Yearwood Agency), having spent part of the early to mid-90s at Virago Books and Penguin. I spent some time outside of publishing and came back to books via agenting to represent the type of writer I enjoyed reading, which, I feel, is the most exciting part of being a literary agent.

Catherine: I came into agenting in a roundabout way. After university, I went to law school and tried working in the corporate law world. I then shifted to lobbying and worked for a lobbying firm in Washington DC. After a year at Capitol Hill, I realized that I’d rather lobby for something I believed in, and I decided to try and move to publishing. I hadn’t heard of agenting before, and I initially planned to find a job in editorial. I slept on friends’ couches in New York and had many coffee meetings with different people, and someone suggested that I try to find a job with a literary agency. It sounded like a dream job, and as a bonus, it would mean that I’d also be able to use my legal background. I was lucky enough to become a literary assistant and contracts manager at Folio Literary Management in New York, which was a great introduction to the industry. And then when I moved to London, I joined Curtis Brown as a literary assistant and have been working on building my list.

If you had one bit of advice to give to new writers, what would it be?

Catherine: My advice to new writers would be to keep writing! Writing and querying is a very subjective business, and the most important thing is to keep going, to keep learning and improving your craft.

Read more free advice on submitting to literary agents!

It’s 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’s not uncommon for writers to not hear back.

UK literary agents are looking for new writers, though – and you’re that bit harder to ignore face-to-face.

(It’s not to say you can harass agents. You couldn’t phone an agent to ask a meeting unless you were a client – nor is it an idea to thrust a manuscript under a nose at first chance. Nor send gimmicky gifts to UK literary agents’ offices. This has happened.)

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.

Here’s how to make the most of the Festival of Writing in York and meet literary agents for yourself – 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.

Who’s The Festival Of Writing Really For?

If you’ve got a manuscript written and want to publish – and you’re ready to talk to editors, agents and book doctors about it – the Festival of Writing is for you. And whilst you’ll find great workshops on improving writing and craft (as on publishing topics), agent 1-to-1s are part of your ticket.

So the focus is on publication, whether it’s traditional or self-publishing you’d like.

You’ll be a writer looking to pitch an unpublished manuscript. You’ll 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’ll get full value out of your Festival ticket.

If you’re 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.

And if you’re not from the UK – that’s okay. We’ve had many writers fly in for this event. Just bear in mind it’s literary agents from the UK you’ll meet at the Festival.

If you’ve just started writing, or you haven’t got a manuscript ready, or you couldn’t get it ready in time for the next Festival, this is an annual event, and one to plan for – you’ll want to have your writing ready as it can be.

It could be the sort of event to write towards in a year. And you can follow us on Twitter or join our mailing list for ‘earlybird’ updates each year, too.

How Prepared Should I Be For The Festival Of Writing?

On one hand – there’s 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.

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.

All the same, you’re investing in your writing career.

Aside from 1-to-1s, you’ll 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.

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’ll help you to prepare at least a few months in advance.

Be as prepared as you can, because the Festival of Writing gets you noticed – as happened for author Tor Udall.

Tor came to the Festival of Writing in 2013 and A Thousand Paper Birds went on to be published with Bloomsbury.

Tor Udall’s Story (Warning: Attending The Festival Of Writing Could Seriously Change Your Life)

The truth is I was terrified.

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’t know felt challenging.

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.

But I was determined to do something radical.

I had been writing for 15 years, been close to publication a couple of times, but the overall message I was receiving was ‘you have talent, you write beautifully, BUT…’

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.

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.

So I arrived at #FOW13 on a high and had an absolute blast.

I learnt so much from the workshops and loved meeting writers from other genres. The biggest discovery was that I actually ENJOYED ‘small talk’ if it was about books. I was in my element.

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.

The agents from the Festival read my manuscript within 24 hours and both offered representation.

I then returned to the original 3 and they offered representation too.

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 ‘buzz’ and I realised that people were now reading the manuscript differently with a starting point of ‘how can I help make this work?’

The doors I had been knocking on for 15 years were crashing down around me.

I now had a new problem. Who was I going to pick?

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 – 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.

But it did get to a point where I was scared to look in my inbox to see which celebrity was there that morning: ‘BOO!’

However the overall message I received was clear. I needed to listen out for that infamous ‘click’ … and to trust my instincts.

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’s 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.

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. …

Had I heard a click? There had been a symphony of castanets. But still I wasn’t 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’d been trying to do, better than I did.

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 … and the first person I wanted to call to was Jenny.

And that was that.

It was hard to let the others down – all who had put so much energy and belief into the book – 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’s eyes, thinking of the years and challenges ahead of us and saying. ‘Okay, let’s make this happen.’

So then I had the draft of my life ahead of me. But I was back in my ‘happy place’, 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’t only have the brilliant support of Jenny … but all the agents’ wise voices in my head.

And I feel hugely supported and blessed.

None of this would have happened without the Festival of Writing.

They were the spark that lit the fire.

I also can’t thank Andrew and Francesca enough for their unbiased support – I couldn’t have got through the rollercoaster of these crazy months (or had so much fun) without them.

There are still many more hurdles to jump. But I have learnt an important lesson … and ironically, it’s a lesson I needed to learn for my characters too.

If you do the thing you’re most frightened of, you might just get what you want.

11 Tips For Making The Most Of The Festival Of Writing

1. Be brave. As Tor said – if you do the thing you’re most frightened of, you might just get what you want.
2. Make sure to locate the front desk. This is where you’ll check in and can ask your questions during the weekend.
3. Write down your 1-to-1s and keep these with your programme. This way you have your map, timetable and 1-to-1s all in one place!
4. Be professional. We’ve mentioned it before, but it’s very important! First impressions really do count, and although this is a fun weekend, it’s the opportunity to meet UK literary agents with whom you may want a working relationship – so don’t just thrust your manuscript at them! They are people, too, so have a chat.
5. Make the most of tea breaks, meals and drinks. These are all great times for networking and if you’re professional and polite, industry professionals will enjoy talking to you.
6. Bring bottled water. Although there’s plenty of tea breaks, it can get hot and you’ll be going between workshops and 1-to-1s. Make sure you’re properly hydrated!
7. Wear comfy shoes. Between workshops, panels and 1-to-1s, there’s lots of walking around. Make sure you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing!
8. Take a walk if you need a few quiet minutes.
9. Bring a bag with some empty space. There’s the opportunity to buy books over the weekend and maybe even have them signed by their authors. Leave some room to take your books home!
10. Remember to ‘dress to impress’ for the Gala on Saturday! We’ve had kilts, black ties and ball gowns. On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve also had jeans, nice shirts and tops. Wear whatever you’re comfortable in to bring a bit of sparkle to your evening.
11. Have fun and enjoy your weekend!

Find out more about the Festival of Writing!

A Thousand Paper Birds (Bloomsbury) was longlisted for the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award and has been translated in six languages. The paperback was released 3 May 2018. You can follow Tor’s journey on Twitter and at her website.

Those first few days of January make everything seems possible. Finishing your book. Getting a literary agent. Then something will happen that will make that seem less doable. Usually something life-related, but it can also be hitting a wall with edits, or perhaps a rejection email.

Ignore it.

Getting a literary agent is definitely possible. And this really could be the year. How? Well, let’s say you’ve just finished the first draft of your novel.

Here’s how you might have a literary agent before the end of the year.

January – Read Your Novel Through.

February – Re-plan Your Structure.

However much you planned your novel before you started, chances are that it doesn’t look exactly the same now it’s done.

That’s okay – it doesn’t need to. What your plot does need to do, is make sense.

1. Make notes on what your plot does at the moment.
2. Read this guide to classic plot structures – does yours match them?
3. Identify the parts of your novel structure that aren’t working as they should.
4. Re-plan your structure. Post-it notes can be really helpful for this part. And use the snowflake method, or you’ll probably go as crazy as a barn owl.

March – Implement Your Structural Changes Until Your Plot Is Spot On.

Don’t be afraid to delete scenes, or even entire chapters at this point. You can always move them onto another document for use again later, if needs be.

1. Take each new plot point in turn and think about what needs to change with your original draft to make it fit.
2. Make the changes to a new draft document.
3. Again, don’t get bogged down in the details. At this point, you’re really just looking at the bare bones of your plot structure. As you swap things around, you might realise that has ramifications further on in the book – that’s okay. Make a note of them to come back to later.

April – Read Your Novel Again, Focusing On Your Character Development.

All novels centre around characters that change, and the successful ones emerge from intensive character development work that takes place (ideally) before you start writing your novel.

1. What does your character want in the beginning?
2. How does this change as they go through the novel? Is that believable?
3. What does your character learn at the end? What is the character arc?
4. And what about your secondary characters?

If your character journeys don’t quite match up just yet, then go back to the drawing board and ensure your plot makes that happen. Remember – most stories are driven by their characters, not the other way around.

Do also remember to check that your key scenes are shown, not told – that is, you need to make sure you have dramatised them on the page in (the fictional version) of real time. Third party reports of what happened aren’t nearly so enticing, to put it mildly. More on showing and telling here.

May – Give Your Novel To Another Writer, Or An Editor You Trust.

Once you have your structure sorted, it can be really useful to have another pair of eyes on your work.

1. Make sure they know to read only for the plot and not the language.
2. Ask them if they found the characters believable (yes – even elves need realistic character arcs).
3. You don’t need to agree with every comment they make, but it’s worth asking why they made it. If they didn’t like your protagonist, perhaps you need to make it clearer why they should?

Once you get your feedback – such as stunningly good quality feedback from our Jericho editors – make the changes you feel will make your novel better.

June – Look At The Language.

Okay, so now it’s okay to start doing a copy edit. Still, park your typo hunt for the time being and instead focus on some of the larger language issues:

1. How are you telling the story? First person? Past tense? Is this the best way for this story to be told?
2. Is your voice consistent? Write a set of voice rules, such as syntax and grammar. Are these followed throughout?
3. Are your sentences as tight as they could be? Every word you use should have its place in your sentence. If you have any lines that aren’t pulling their weight – get rid of them.

Our material on prose style, writing descriptions and dialogue will help remove your worst mistakes – and start giving your whole manuscript a gleam as if of gold …

July – Give Your Novel To An Editor, Or Beta Readers.

An editor will do wonders for your book. They will spot things you’ve missed in structure, character, dramatisation and things you probably haven’t given much thought to before. This is their job, and they’re good at it.

Alternatively, sending your book to family, friends or writing groups can be a good way of getting this feedback. As before, remember that you don’t need to change everything for everyone, but it’s worth thinking about why a reader said what they did.

August - Proofread.

Your editor or beta readers may well have pointed out a few errors already, but there are always more, hidden away.

1. Try printing your manuscript off. This will help your eye spot the mistakes on the page.
2. Look for inconsistencies. Check your language rules again. Do a ‘Find’ and ‘Replace’ for any mishaps.

This stage doesn’t matter as much as you might think. Of course, it’s important that your writing is of a high standard before it’s sent to agents. But it’s much more important to get the story, characters and language right, than it is spotting every typo.

September – Start Putting Your Work Out There.

Yes – this is the scary bit. But there are ways you can ease yourself in, first.

1. Come to the Festival of Writing. This will tell you everything you need to know about taking this next step and even give you a little help along the way, perhaps via one of our Friday Night Live sessions, or a literary agent 1-2-1.
2. Enter writing competitions. The Bath Novel Award, or the Mslexia Novel Award, perhaps? Even being long-listed for these awards can be a huge boost – not only to your writing CV, but also to your confidence.

October – Learn How To Submit To A Literary Agent.

If you came to the Festival of Writing, you might already know this stuff. Otherwise, ensure you read everything you can on the rules of submission. There are rules and you do need to follow them to ensure you’re taken seriously.

1. Learn how to write a synopsis, and have a go at making a few of different lengths.
2. Polish up the first five thousand words of your manuscript.
3. Learn how to write a professional query letter.

And of course, you’ll be following (rigorously!) our guide on getting literary agents … and using our massive agent FAQs for any questions you may still have.

You’ll also be needing our (comprehensive and up to date) lists of US agents and UK agents.

November – Submit To Literary Agents.

1. Make a longlist of literary agents who will take your work (try searching for genre via this).
2. Make a shortlist of agents who you like the best – perhaps because you’ve met them at an event, or because they represent books that are similar to yours.
3. Send to the first five of these agents, making sure you follow all the rules to submission.

December – Land Your Literary Agent.

Sometimes, it can take a while to find the right agent for your book. When you do find the right agent though, they will often know from the very first page that they want to represent you. When this happens:

1. Email the other agents you are waiting to hear back from, letting them know you’ve had an offer of representation. You want to be in a position to choose your favourite, if you can.
2. Meet with the agent(s) and ask them questions about what they can do for you and your book.
3. Sign a deal with the literary agent of your dreams.

You’ve probably noticed that the majority of your year will be spent working on your novel. That’s because writing a brilliant book is the best thing you can do to ensure you land a literary agent. The rest, is really just knowing the rules of submission and getting it out there.

So – are you ready to ensure this is the year you get an agent? Then let’s go.

Success starts now.

To see how we could help you get a literary agent this year, have a look round our site.

More than ready to get the ball rolling with agents, but just need a little push? Or perhaps you’ve had a few rejections but aren’t sure why? Our Agent Submission Pack Review gives you detailed professional advice on how to perfect your submission and increase your chances of securing an agent.

How To Find A Good US Literary Agent

We receive lots of questions, but two of the most common must be: how do you find a literary agent? Do you know literary agents who are taking on new, first-time writers? 

There are plenty of ways to figure out which agents represent your genre but finalising your shortlist can be a painstakingly long, dull task. Unless you’re using AgentMatch, that is.    

We’ve done all the hard work for you: scoured the four corners of the web for every interview, interesting fact, and noteworthy quote, it’s all there. So, why not take out our 7-day free trial to get complete access to all the US literary agent profiles.  

After selecting your country (we advise that US based authors query US based agents), genre or non-fiction subject, you’ll receive a personalised list of suitable agent profiles. Save your search results and work through them one by one, at your own pace. Here’s some names to get you started: 

Lauren Bieker 

Amelia Appel

Joquelle Caiby 

Sonali Chanchani

Jennifer Kim

Kiana Nguyen 

Quressa Robinson

Need more information? We break everything down in our guide to finding a literary agent – it’s invaluable for all querying authors!

How Do You Find An Agent?

Nearly all agents take on new authors. If they didn’t, they’d go out of business. It might not happen straightaway, but eventually they will. 

It’s important to remember that all agents need to submit to the same group of editors. They’re a small group at that: most books are pitched to 8-12 publishers in the first round of marketing. So, all agents are looking for quality manuscripts. If they find one, and love it, they’ll take it on. If they don’t, they won’t. 

It’s somewhat easier to secure a new up-and-coming agent than a giant of the industry. That’s not because quality standards are different – because they’re not – but because newer agents are actively seeking submissions and are prepared to work hard to grow their client list. If you went to such an agent, with a manuscript that was dazzling but still imperfect, then they may be prepared to work with you to fix it. However, a more established agent with an already long client list may regretfully turn the book down. 

If you’re looking for an agent who genuinely welcomes first-time authors, rather than just accepting them, it’s a good idea to approach those who don’t necessarily have an established client base. So, you’re looking for agents new to the role, or those who have come into the profession from somewhere else in the industry. 

Don’t just query smaller agencies, there are plenty small agencies that already have an extensive client base. Also, larger agencies tend to have more new recruits hungry to build their list. Try not to rule anyone out until you’ve done your research. 

As always, these guidelines should be balanced against everything else. Ultimately, you’re looking for an agent who genuinely loves your book and believes they can sell it. The fact that the agent may work for a small or large agency, or maybe new to the game or well-established, doesn’t matter. 

You, the book, the agent. If these three things gel, then nothing else matters. 

If you keep getting agent rejections or just want to perfect your manuscript first, then it’s time to ask for help. There’s lots of information out there. We’ve helped hundreds of authors in their writing journeys, and we can help you too. So, get in touch. 

In 2014, I came across a rejection letter from a, once half-decent, literary agency that ran in full like this:

Dear John

Many thanks for this.

The writing is strong and the storyline intriguing. I have to tell you however, that agents are finding novels, even intelligently written commercial work like this, harder to place nowadays. Publishers are so subjective and only concerned with the bottom line.

What I can do is to suggest an organisation who, for a reasonably low fee will make the full arrangements to ensure a full Kindle publication of your work.

What is more, they will edit as well – obviously not a radically comprehensive edit – to a thoroughly presentable standard. Many Kindle books are going on at a later stage to traditional publication or Print on Demand.

Their fee is just £950 and you get a free Kindle as well. Let me know if you would like me to put you in touch with them.

OR

There is a publisher we deal with now, (not vanity) who have taken some of my more worthwhile mss and I believe they will promote and publicise properly. They do charge a fee (£4,500 – refundable to you after sales of just 2,000) but I believe it is an acceptable deal as the writer enjoys a far better rate of royalties. One of my authors who has taken advantage of this, is Provost of one of the oldest Oxford colleges and is a knight of the realm. His work has just been nominated for an award for Political Fiction. My most recent was a High Court Judge.

Let me know if you would like me to submit [novel title] to them.

Very best wishes

[Name] of Futerman Rose & Associates

This letter was copied from Novel Rejects blog (my thanks to it for existing).

I hope you don’t need me to tell to you that this is a poor letter for any agent to send.

Also, do I think that Oxford Provosts and High Court Judges fall for this kind of nonsense? Lord help us all if they do, but perhaps they do.

I alerted the Association of Authors Agents about this letter, and letters such as this are, in my opinion, emphatically contrary to their Code of Conduct (certainly in spirit, probably in letter, too.).

In the meantime, probably useful to rehearse the basics once more.

If you want to find a literary agent, you do so like this, and if you want to know what a literary agent does, they will do this.

And on the question of reading fees and all that, just remember the rules of the road. These can be found over here.

Loads of new writers will be frustrated by the impersonal quality of the typical agent submission procedure. You send off your stuff – spend up to eight weeks waiting to hear something – then get back a pre-printed, slightly cold rejection letter. It feels so dispiriting, so unconstructive.

Naturally, you can’t really blame agents. They handle a heck of a lot of submissions. They simply don’t have the time to respond personally to each one. What’s more, in the end, only one thing really, truly, absolutely matters – namely, how good your manuscript is. If your manuscript is fantastic, it will be taken on. If it isn’t, then no amount of networking will make the difference.

So the first comment is a really simple one. Make sure your manuscript is as strong as it can possibly be. If that means using outside help (as for example the sort that we offer), use outside help. There’s no reason not to. Remember in particular that agents are not there to offer editorial advice (or at least, not until the manuscript is very close to the right quality already). If what you want is professional editorial feedback, then go to people who offer that as their core service. You will need to pay but you can get excellent, detailed, honest advice. It’s what you need.

But assuming that you’ve done all that, making a personal connection with a literary agent can make a huge difference. But there are ways to do it and ways not to do it. Certainly, for example, you should not simply call an agent at work to request a meeting. These are busy people and you’re not a client. The agent will say no, and be annoyed at you for asking.

Pouncing on an agent at some non-literary event. If you happen to have a friend who knows a literary agent, then introduce yourself when the opportunity arises. But be sensitive. Say, ‘I’m writing a book, I wonder if it might be possible to talk to you about it?’ That way, you are making it easy for the agent to say yes or not. They won’t feel trapped or pounced on. You’re giving yourself a chance, precisely by not being too pushy.

But the best ways of connecting with agents is to go through the proper channels. If, for example, you are attending an event where an agent is a guest speaker, then you should certainly feel free to go up to the agent after the event and make their acquaintance. Again, be sensitive to what they want, but if they have come to this event in their capacity as an agent, they won’t be at all miffed to be approached. If you can offer to buy the agent a drink, you should do so – the nicer you are, the more they’ll warm to your ideas about your book.

Better still, you should book up for an event which is all about writing and publishing – a writers’ conference, in fact. We run plenty of these events and they have been amazingly good at generating book deals. They work because agents are there to talk to writers and locate talent. If you can, make sure you go to a conference which is full board, or residential. That way, there’ll be entire days for you to meet agents, talk to them, buy them drinks, sit with them at lunch, and so on. If your book is strong, and you are charming, you have every chance that those contacts will flower into success.

I hope so.

At our annual Festival of Writing, we’ve hosted a number of panels with literary agents that give writers the chance to meet, talk and ask questions.

(And if you’d like to be one of the first to get Festival of Writing news, including discounts, the best way is to sign up for emails or become a Jericho Writers member.)

We have ended past agent panels with a scary-but-brilliant session called Slushpile Live, where some very brave writers stand up, read the first few paragraphs of their work, then get live feedback – X-Factor style – from the assembled agents.

One of the main purposes of Slushpile Live is to get writers to understand that a piece of writing shows its quality very quickly indeed. (Which means, by the way, if you are entering any Festival competitions yourself – read your writing aloud before you submit anything.)

If the first few paragraphs smell wrong, the whole book is going to be wrong. If, on the other hand, there’s a sense of excitement around those opening paragraphs, you can bet that the writer has real quality. That doesn’t mean that everything’s definitely fine thereafter – a plot might vanish, there might be a confusing sprawl of characters, the basic concept might even be wrong – but at least you know you’re in the hands of someone with genuine talent.

That said, let’s jump straight to insider tips that, time and again, caused our panels of agents to groan.

7 Novel Starts To Make An Agent Groan

Or eight, really. One good way to earn a rejection would be to write terribly, but that doesn’t apply to you and it’s too obvious to include. So seven it is.

1) Dreams and Wake-ups

There’s no question that this opening must be the least popular possible gambit with agents. It induced a kind of no-no-no from agents every time it came up – and one of our panellists reckoned she saw these kind of openings in as many as 1 in 8 manuscripts.

And yours needs to stand out.

Those dreams-to-waking-up moments are just terrible ways to begin a book. Partly because they’re just so common but also because they give the reader a false start. The beginning of a book is where you most want to get the reader involved as quickly as possible and those false starts are achieving the exact opposite of that goal. In other words, they put off the moment when a reader feels “in” the story, and you want that moment to come as soon as possible.

2) Starting Your Book Too Early

A playwriting colleague of mine used to ask her students to share the strongest introductory scenes from their works-in-progress and any time someone submitted something that wasn't the first scene of the play, she would tell them to cut the earlier scenes and start with the scene they'd submitted.

You want to start at the closest possible moment to the beginning of your story - so if your story gets started with, let's say, Jilly finding a letter sent from her dead husband... don't start your novel with five pages of Jilly waking up, thinking about her day, brushing her teeth, making breakfast, dropping her daughter at school, stopping by the bank, and no sign of the letter until god-knows-when. Readers are hungry for story and they won't wait for several pages. They might not even wait for one - so get your reader interested in the first paragraph, or even the first line.

3) Rushing the Punchline

If the first two errors have to do with going too slow, this one has to do with going too fast.

I once saw an opening page from a new writer that was, in so many ways, a fabulous opening. It was a description of a young woman in Victorian-era New York getting ready to go out. The period wasn’t directly mentioned, but it was suggested by lovely, tactfully-chosen detail. The description of the light and the smells were just right. We felt we already knew something of the woman, thanks to the strength and precision of her voice.

Oh, and there was that lovely sniff of story as well. Part of her routine involved winding a bandage around her breasts, in order to flatten her chest and give her the figure of a slender young man. And then I hit the end of that first page, where the writer went from seeding hints of story (why is she passing as a man? who is she? where is she headed?) to delivering an expository ramble that read something like, "It was necessary for me to dress as a man because when I'd arrived in New York two years before, I soon discovered that there was painful little employment for a lone female and so I began to disguise myself as a man and..."

So much of the mystery that had been seeded into the opening paragraphs was trampled over by the too-hurried reveal.

If the readers wants to know something, that’s great, but don’t be fool enough to tell them. Of course, you will need to reveal some answers at some point - but you should only reveal them once you’ve had time to build other little motors to drive that reader-interest, like introducing some other characters, setting up an intriguing situation, or just generally getting yourself much further into your opening setup.

4) Jumping Scenes

Another thing that really doesn’t work is jump-cutting too often in the opening pages. It might work in movies (although, does it?) but on the page it's quite a bit more confusing. It's quite common to see an author to structure their opening like this:

1. Quick-fire 350 word prologue that is a jump-forward to some exciting scene later in the book.
2. Key scene between protagonist, Jed, and his boss at work.
3. Scene with Jed’s future love-interest, Cara, on a bus in the Kalahari.
4. Then there’s some key backstory involving Jed.
5. Then the book actually starts.

Now obviously this kind of setup is a good example of starting too early – but it’s not just that the start of things proper is delayed, it’s also that the reader experience is fractured.

Remember that it can be hard for a reader to get into a new novel.

On line 1, page 1, the reader doesn’t know the protagonist, their situation, maybe even the setting or the era. The more you break up the opening sequence, the more times you are asking the reader to make the investment of figuring everything out again. (Oh, who is this? Cara? Hmm, she’s new. Does she connect to Jed? Don’t know.)

Of course a reader is willing to put some work in, but don’t push it. The more fractured your opening, the more at risk you are losing them.

5) Too Many Characters

Don’t crowd your opening page or two with too many characters.

It’s the same issue as we’ve just discussed. Your reader is doing plenty of work already, figuring out where they are, what the situation is and so forth. Don’t make the reader also try to keep track of multiple people (especially ones with similar names).

Just keep it simple until you’ve hooked your reader. Then you can start to complicate things.

For a similar reason, you shouldn’t jump points of view too much (or perhaps at all) in your opening section. Let the reader get into the book, then they’ll be ready to start to explore the minds of other key characters. If you rush that process, you will lose your reader.

6) Too Many Words

We're writers, so of course we're in love with words. I, too, have been there: you've written a really beautiful sentence that expresses a particular mood or thought... and then you follow it up with seven more sentences that bash away, less gracefully, at the same thought. Or maybe that three-line sentence could actually be ten words and flow much nicer.

You cannot edit your work too hard.

And you absolutely cannot edit your opening page too hard. Although it’s easy to think only about word count, what you’re really looking for is beautiful writing. Chop out anything that’s wrong, or rewrite it. Get rid of any surplus. It's likely that you could cut 25-30% of your opening page and only make it better -- or at least you'll know then that every word is pulling equal weight.

7) Too Big, Too Soon

One of the brave writers we had read at the Festival of Writing delivered an opening paragraph that involved a widower looking round the room he had shared with his dead wife, musing on her memory, then going into the bathroom to give himself a handjob.

Now, we’re not prudish, nor are agents – indeed, we like big, bold, daring storytelling. But sex and violence can be off-putting until it’s set in the context of a specific character and their situation.

We're rarely there at the end of the first page, let alone the first paragraph - so keep your powder dry until your reader is emotionally prepared for the fireworks.

An Exception

Listen, there will always be exceptions to all of these rules. Paul Kingsnorth's The Wake throws its reader into the deep end of language and setting, leaving you to pick up his hybridized Old English as you hear the narrator talking about plot points and characters you couldn't possibly grasp off the bat -- and Toni Morrison's Paradise begins indelibly with the lines, "They shoot the white girl first. With the rest they can take their time."

But they're exceptions to the rules, these great novels, written by great writers so in command of their craft that they're able to take a risk and have it pay off -- and you can bet that they all edited the daylights out of their novels (see rule number 6). Your novel will tell you whether or not it can pull off an opening trick like that, but only if you're absolutely sure you're listening closely! And even if it can... why not give these tweaks a shot to see if it gets even stronger?

Best of luck!

More than ready to get the ball rolling with agents, but just need a little push? Or perhaps you’ve had a few rejections but aren’t sure why? Our Agent Submission Pack Review gives you detailed professional advice on how to perfect your submission and increase your chances of securing an agent. If you're not quite at that stage, try out our Opening Section Review for some experienced direction and advice.

Have you just finished your novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Paranormal Romance

There is no one who hasn’t heard of the Twilight novels, or who is unaware of the success and effect they had on multiple creative industries. In its heyday, there was such a demand for paranormal romance that the market became saturated. Nowadays, you have to be a little more careful when marketing your paranormal romance novel, specifically in making sure you have a clear USP (Unique Selling Point). The success of Twilight does not mean that another book featuring a love triangle between a human, a vampire, and a werewolf will be successful. It’s already been done. Many times, in fact. 

Paranormal romance takes the comfort of a good romance novel and combines it with a level of fantasy that allows the reader to be whisked away to another world. This level of excitement and a fresh take on the traditional romance genre makes it accessible to younger readers, such as YA. While they are not the only demographic for paranormal romance they have certainly become the primary one.  

It is important, when clarifying your genre, to remember the ‘rules’ that come with genre romance. For a book to be classified as romance, or in this case paranormal romance, one of the primary focuses of the story should be this romance. There are many books out there that may suit a fantasy or urban fantasy genre better, as the romance exists as more of a sub-plot in the story. It’s important to take a close look at your novel and make sure that you have chosen a genre that best represents it. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of paranormal romance-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of US agents for paranormal romance is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. paranormal romance), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

US Agents For Paranormal Romance 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 US agents looking for paranormal romance novels: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!    

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

A common question for all new writers and the answer (almost always) is yes.

Let’s start by reviewing what agents are there to do, though.

What Literary Agents Do

They have several main roles:

• Selecting saleable manuscripts from all those submitted. Under 1% of manuscripts are strong enough to sell.
• Working with the author to get the manuscript in perfect condition to sell. That can mean extensive editorial work, likely lasting a period of months.
• Identifying the right editors at the right publishing houses for your book. An agent needs excellent contacts and to keep those contacts up to date. It also means understanding the current market for fiction and non-fiction, making sure that your book is in tune with that market.
• Conducting an auction. There’s no single way to sell a book. Your agent needs to choose the right way, then sell it professionally, with drive and conviction.
• Negotiating a contract. Publishing contracts are long and technical. Additionally, with the advent of ebooks, those contracts are changing fast and key terms are constantly moving. So you do need an expert on your side.
• Making foreign sales, and handling film and TV rights. Again, that’s a complex business involving expertise and strong contacts.
• Guiding your career. In the long term, a good agent should be nudging your career in the right direction and keeping you away from wrong turns. Writing is an insecure business, so a good agent can make a difference.

All that might may make you think that you need an agent under any circumstances – but agents make their fees on sales they make. Typically speaking, they take a 15% commission. Agents need to live, too, so won’t have an interest in representing you if there is no realistic prospect of them making money.

You Do Need A Literary Agent If:

• You are writing a novel.
• You are writing commercial non-fiction (the sort of thing that might be sold at the front of a shop, or feature on a bestseller list).
• You are writing fiction for children.
• You are writing a ‘how to’ type book in a major category (such as health and well-being).

You Do Not Need A Literary Agent If:

• You are intending to self-publish.
• You are writing poetry.
• You are writing one-off short stories.
• You are writing journalism.
• You are writing specialist or academic non-fiction.

In all those cases, there won’t be enough money to interest an agent and you should approach the appropriate publishers directly.

You May Need A Literary Agent If:

• You are writing children’s picture books. I’d probably recommend having an agent to start with, but you could go either way.
• You are writing a themed collection of short stories. Such collections are hard to sell, but not impossible. A truly good collection may attract an agent. Anything less than wonderful won’t.

And, as ever, don’t forget that if you need feedback, advice, or help with literary agents, we’re here to supply that. Sign up for emails for more on how to get a literary agent, or have a look at more free advice.

Very best of luck.

More than ready to get the ball rolling with agents, but just need a little push? Or perhaps you’ve had a few rejections but aren’t sure why? Our Agent Submission Pack Review gives you detailed professional advice on how to perfect your submission and increase your chances of securing an agent. For more advice on finding an agent, see here.

It’s probably the most-asked writers’ question:

How do I get an agent?

And it’s probably one of the best answered, too. There’s no lack of advice on this subject, from Jericho Writers’ own Agent Match to any number of websites and chat forums, with agents themselves, publishers, and well-known writers, all offering tips and stratagems to hook that must-have gatekeeper to publishing heaven.

But what happens once you have secured an agent? How you conduct that relationship, one of the most important you’ll ever have in your writing and publishing career, is crucial. If it goes well, then that’s great. But if it goes wrong, what can you do? Where oh where is the advice you need then?

Because these relationships do go wrong – a lot. It’s hard to realise that from the lack of information out there because the publishing industry doesn’t like talking about the downside. It’s an industry that thrives on the positive, not the negative – it needs writers as much as writers need it, and it doesn’t want to put them off.

Which is understandable. And a bad agent-author relationship is not what the industry wants to have to deal with. But writers do have to deal with it, and deal with it more often than they might expect.

Why It Goes Wrong

Is your agent not returning your emails or calls? Is your agent not sending your book out to all the publishers that they promised they would? Is it a personality clash? Are you just not the right ‘fit’ for one another?

First of all, you want to establish if you’re making your agent any money or not. If not, then they may want rid of you, they just won’t say it. I’ve been with three agents so far. We tend to think a multiplicity of agents in our career is a bad thing, because we all know the stories of successful writers who have had the same agent since forever, who’s their best friend, their right-hand man/woman, godparent to their first born, etc. It’s the agent-author relationship we all aspire to: success on both sides, as the agent nabs the best deals with the biggest publishers, and the writer cements said agent’s income and status by selling big and winning awards. Fabulous.

Unfortunately, a lot of the time it doesn’t work like that. And while we shouldn’t blame our agents if they can’t sell our work to a publisher, or if said publisher can’t sell enough of our work to the public or get it onto prestigious shortlists, we can and should hold our agents to account if they’re ignoring us as a result of our book or manuscript failing.

My three agents were all very different. One was with a huge agency, two were with smaller ones, and in different locations. Two were strangers before I signed with them, one was a friend. I left all three of them, although in one case I definitely jumped before I was pushed.

Why did I move on each time? Well, the first time was because I didn’t feel my agent was very engaged with my work or pushing it with publishers. Her response to my novel manuscript was generic and I worried I was going to miss out. My second book had just come out and was getting a lot of coverage. I thought I might be in a strong position to get someone else so I moved on.

Some people have likened the author-agent relationship to dating, and when you want out, the excuses tend to be the same (‘It’s not you, it’s me’ – I did actually use that one; ‘I think the timing/chemistry/feeling’s just not right/there’; ‘You just don’t understand me’ etc). And because having to end it is always excruciating, we use these excuses, when the truth almost certainly lies elsewhere and goes unspoken.

My second move wasn’t so much of an ending because we had a kind of understanding in the beginning that if he got me a deal, I’d stay with him, and if he didn’t, I wouldn’t (already it sounds so personal). In the end, I got my third deal myself, but I still paid him an agent fee because he’d done a good job sending round a non-fiction proposal for another book (which didn’t make it). My fourth book, a historical novel, wasn’t really his area, so I went shopping for another agent, and, after a lot of leg work, I ‘hooked’ one.

What To Do When It Does Go Wrong

My third agent experience was the one that really pushed the scariest questions. When you find yourself in a no-win situation and you know you want to leave, these are the ones you lie awake at night asking yourself: ‘Is it too late to back out of my contract?’ ‘Will it harm my chances of signing with anyone else if I do this again?’ ‘Is moving from agent to agent just making me look bad?’

I was never given a reason for my third agent ignoring me, but it soon seemed clear why. After signing me up, she had worked with me over a few months to get my manuscript right, then sent it out with much excitement. After three months, I’d heard nothing so I emailed her but got no reply. Then just three days before Christmas, she emailed me the news that the first round of publishers had all rejected it. I burst into tears, but she had promised to send it round a second lot of publishers in the New Year, so I clung to that small ray of hope.

She didn’t email me again until the end of February, and that was only because I’d eventually rung her to ask what was happening (she was ‘in a meeting’ and couldn’t come to the phone). By May, I’d had two emails from her in 8 months, no list of the publishers she’d sent my manuscript to in the first instance, despite my repeated requests to see their responses, no idea who she’d sent it to in a second round (there was no ‘second round’, as it transpired), and my requests to meet face-to-face were ignored.

I couldn’t ignore it any longer – I was being ‘ghosted’, and probably because of my book’s failure to get picked up in the first round. I was being dropped, without it being spoken out loud. What on earth should I do? Hang on in there? Hope that someone out of the blue took my book and my agent started talking to me again? I looked for advice online, but there was little to help me. I asked agented friends, but they weren’t sure either.

I came to the only conclusion I could. My confidence was being eroded – I hadn’t written anything in the eight months since my agent had sent out my novel, and all my ideas for other books seemed pointless. I had to stop feeling worthless because I was being ignored, and that was when I knew I had to end it.

So I did. I emailed to say I wasn’t happy with her lack of response and felt that the relationship wasn’t working for me.

No reply.

I emailed again, this time to say quite firmly, that it was over.

No reply.

I posted a written letter, as my contract stated that it could be terminated only in writing.

No reply.

I wrote another letter.

Finally, a response, thanking me for my ‘brave, wonderful novel’.

It was a relief. It took another six months after I ended the contract for me to start writing again, but at least the writing did return. I don’t yet have another agent, but my confidence is still growing and I am looking for one. I’m also trying smaller publishers who don’t require submissions from an agent.

10 Top Tips For Surviving The Wrong Agent

I’ve learned several things from this experience, and here is my advice to anyone in a similar situation.

1. Do not let anybody, be it agent or publisher, damage your confidence. That’s different from feeling sore after a rejection, or refusing to take advice on rewrites. It’s about protecting yourself from damaging treatment by someone who appears to be holding all the cards (because they don’t).
2. If your agent is ignoring your emails about a new manuscript you’ve submitted, and this continues for over six months, cut them loose. They’re not working for you.
3. If your agent promises to send your work out but they don’t, and all you get is prevarications and excuses, cut them loose, too.
4. Agents need writers as much as writers need agents. There may be far more writers out there than there are agents, but the right one for you still exists, you just haven’t found them yet. Keep looking.
5. Get used to the notion that in your career you may go through many agents. Just as we now move from publisher to publisher more than we did in the past, so too with agents are we more mobile. Scriptwriters in tv and film got used to this years ago; now print writers have to as well.
6. Don’t believe an agent who promises you the moon, but do hold them to account if they’re falling below deliverable promises.
7. Give an agent a chance to correct what they’ve done before you fire them.
8. Don’t be afraid to talk about your bad experience. The less silence there is on this subject, the better for everyone.
9. Trust your instincts: if your instincts say this isn’t working, then they’re probably right.
10. Remember that, as a writer, you’re more than just a brand.

Recently, my blog about this experience was viewed over 1000 times and I was inundated with writers, some very well-known, on their own bad experiences. So it does happen to most of us at some time, and it is survivable. The important thing I learned from it is to develop a sense of flexibility, appreciate your own mobility, and keep positive. This is the game, but some know how to play it better than others. You have to make sure you are one of the better informed.

More On Finding An Agent

How to Find a Literary Agent (the Simple 8 Step Guide)

I came across a useful article by Rachelle Gardner, an American agent, about how to get literary agents to represent you. She advertised 13 sure fire ways to get representation … but I have to say that not all of them struck me as realistic.

Here’s my edited version of her list, with some comments.

The good news is there are perhaps only nine things to worry about, not the thirteen Rachelle mentions.

And if nine is still too many for you, the crucial point’s right at the end of this piece.

Good luck and here’s how to get that agent.

1. A Fresh Idea

This matters a lot, no matter what genre or market you are writing for. I was once at a crime festival where panellists complained about the glut of serial killers, weird murders and by-the-book procedurals that came out a few years ago. For sure, there are still top ten bestsellers writing exactly those kind of books. But they rose to the top, when that kind of writing still felt fresh and new. If you were a debut novelist, writing the exact same material, you would struggle to sell it today. Is that unfair? No! They wrote fresh work for the market as it was at the time. You need to do the same today.

2. Get Your Submission Right

This matters, too. Look at what an agent asks for on their website and submit that exact material in the exact way specified. Even if that doesn’t seem to suit your plan or your book, you need to comply anyway. For now, you must realise there is absolutely nothing special about your manuscript and you must get in line with everyone else.

Oh, and don’t muck up the covering letter or your synopsis. These things are easy to get right. We’ve got a simple query letter and synopsis worksheet to guide you through the process, along with a detailed guide to writing your query letter, and a guide to writing your novel synopsis. Simple.

3. Know Your Audience

If you are writing fantasy fiction, you have to be a student of the genre. You have to know the classics. You have to know the modern twists on the classics. You have to know the market the way readers do – by reading masses and masses.

The same goes for any other genre, including non-fiction. If you are writing a book about quantum theory, let’s say, you just have to know what other people have done, what approaches they took – and ensure that yours is different, new and compelling. All that starts with knowing your area.

4. Have Some Social Media Presence

Here’s all you need to know about social media presence:

• If you have blog traffic in the 100,000s and X/Twitter followers in the 10,000s, and if your book is directly related to that traffic/following. (e.g.: if you’re a motorsport guru and your book is on motorsport), then your social media presence will help sell your book.
• If your traffic is not on that scale, then publishers won’t really care about it. Nor will they expect you to have traffic on that scale. Most authors just don’t.
• And if you’re writing a novel, who cares? I just don’t know how that myth gets propounded. Your agent submission, your story, is what’ll get you published.

5. Have An Impressive Platform

This is true for some non-fiction authors, but that’s it. I wrote a history book without having any platform at all. No blog, no followers, no mailing list, no academic credentials in the field, not even a history A-level. That shows that, even with a serious subject, a good idea allied to good writing is all you need.

That said, if you do have a strong platform (blog/mailing list/etc), it will help. Even so, this point only applies to non-fictioneers, and usually then only if the topic is of relatively focused interest, rather than broad popular appeal.

6. Include Links To Videos Where Agents Can See You Speaking

Sorry, but no, this just doesn’t matter. No agent or publisher has ever asked me for this.

I’ve done a few festival gigs myself, but the total book sales from those events probably numbers in the mere dozens of copies. Of course, publishers and agents would prefer a confident public performer to a stuttering, sweating wreck, but it’s just not a significant factor in anyone’s acquisition decision.

7. Show Some Familiarity With Today’s Marketing Requirements For Authors

Nope, again, just not a real issue.

I’ve published crime novels in the UK and the US. Neither publisher has asked me to tweet about the books, to do anything to support the books on Facebook, to promote them via blogs or mailing lists. I have, in fact, done a few things on those fronts, but they don’t make a big heap of difference and publishers just don’t care. It’s not what sells books.

And how could it? Let’s say you have a Twitter/X following of 100,000 people. Let’s say you post about your new novel several times to those 100,000. You can’t do it more often than that because you’d look like a pushy moron.

Most of your followers won’t even see your posts, because following someone means dipping in now and again; it doesn’t mean reading every single post. I doubt if you would get more than 1-5,000 eyeballs maximum looking at your please-read-my-book post, but let’s say 10,000 to be generous.

Of those 10,000, you would do very well to convert even 1% into an actual buy decision. (And that 1% is a lot higher than the average ad-conversion rate online. It’s higher by about 1-2 orders of magnitude.) So 1% of 10,000 views is 100 book sales.

Great. No one says no to selling 100 books. But from a publisher’s perspective, that’s a mere dop in the ocean of what they need to achieve. So they don’t care about your Twitter/X following.

They. Just. Don’t. Care.

8. Show A Cursory Acquaintance With The Agent You’re Pitching To

Yes, kind of. It certainly helps if there’s a little personal something in your covering letter, but only a bit. And if you’re struggling to say anything, then don’t worry about it. My literary agent, Bill Hamilton, represents Hilary Mantel, and I’ll bet that a large fraction of letters addressed to him say, ‘Dear Mr Hamilton, As you’re a fan of historical fiction, such as that written by Hilary Mantel, I’m hoping that you’ll be interested in my book …’

And what does that mean, really? It means that you’ve picked one starry name from a much longer client list and that you’ve done so because someone told you that you had to find some way to personalise your letter.

If there’s an angle which feels natural and authentic, then mention it. Otherwise don’t. It’s that simple.

It's also important to visit the agent's blog. Very few agents in the UK have a blog, so good luck with that. Obviously, if they do, then visit it. But see my comment above: natural and authentic is good. Anything else is not.

9. Take The Craft Of Writing Seriously

And lastly (but most importantly) you must be serious about the craft.

That means copyediting and presentation have to be very good (but not, at this stage, perfect). It also means that you need to have structurally edited your manuscript so it is in good shape.

Yes. Gimmickry or forced humour in your opening approach to agents won’t feel great in the cold light of a Monday morning. Keep it professional.

The ONLY Thing That Will REALLY Get You An Agent

Write the best book you possibly can!

If you have a truly dazzling book you could have no social media profile at all, be all but mute in the presence of other people, know nothing about your agent, and still get taken on and do very well indeed. In the crazy world of publishing, authors have very little control or say as to what the public want to read, or editors and agents are taking on.

So focus on the one thing you CAN control - and that's writing the best book you possibly can.

Good luck and happy writing!

If you make it as a writer, it is highly likely that your relationship with a literary agent will be the most enduring and important of your entire career – so the decisions you make at this stage really matter!

The tips below won’t guarantee you that you find the right agent for you, but if you follow them carefully, they will help your chances of doing so. Keep reading – and good luck!

How To Choose Your Agent Shortlist

1. Know your genre

In finding agents, you need to have a reasonable understanding of your own genre. In some cases, that’s clear. (Got a detective? You’re writing crime.) In other cases, it’s not – in which case, you’re probably writing general, contemporary fiction. Which is fine. Not all work has a very specific genre. But if you’re in this broad, general category, it helps to know if your work is more commercial or more literary. If it’s in between (thoughtful, but accessible) you can describe your work as ‘suitable for book groups’. That’s a hot area for literary agents, so do use the phrase if it applies to you. (Whenever you search for agents through us, be sure to select your genre before making use of other filters.)

2. Don’t box yourself in

Plenty of work falls on boundaries between different territories. For example, if you are writing a near-future thriller, you could equally well describe your work as sci-fi, or as a techno-thriller. An agent who did like thrillers but didn’t normally handle space-opera type SF might well be interested. It’s fine to approach agents who work on either side of your boundary. Other common areas of overlap might be “chick-lit noir”, so look at all the genre options. Be willing to think about agents who work in areas adjacent to your own.

3. Don’t search for specialists

Most agents don’t specialise. My own literary agent handles high end literary fiction, and serious non-fiction, and popular non-fiction, and chick-lit, and crime. What’s more, he handles bestselling writers in most of those categories. The lesson for you is simple: you need an agent who is open to your genre. You do not need one who specialises in it.

4. Don’t look for an agent who is local to you

Most agents work in London. Most writers live elsewhere. But agents only congregate in London because that’s where the publishers are. Since you want your agent to really, really know the publishing industry, you shouldn’t select one on the basis of how close they live to you. Truth is, you won’t see your agent face to face all that much – and when you do, it’ll mostly be because you’re seeing your publisher.

The only real exception to this rule has to do with Scottish writers, who may prefer an Edinburgh-based agent, simply because travel to London is so expensive and time-consuming. Even then... all the big publishers are based in London. Personally, I’d want my agent to know those guys intimately.

5. You want an agent who wants you

Every world has its superstars, and there exists a handful of superstar agents with high name recognition. But those guys have starry names because their client lists bulge with bestsellers. Realistically, those guys are much less likely to offer you representation and they will have much less time to offer you if they do. 99% of new writers (and maybe 99.9% of them) will be better off with an agent who is genuinely eager for their business. You’ll get more time and more attention. Look for agents keen to build client lists, they are more eager to find and take on new writers. View all agents here.

6. Remember that it’s publishers who create bestsellers, not agents

A lot of writers will read the advice above and think, “I want my career to stand the best possible chance of success. Why wouldn’t I get the top literary agent out there?”

But you don’t want the ‘top agent’. You want the best literary agent for you. That means one who has the time to take you through editorial changes, who won’t ditch you as a client if things don’t immediately go to plan, and who will argue patiently and sincerely for your merits. In short, you want one who won’t be distracted because J.K. Rowling, Ian McEwan, et al., is on the other line.

And the core of any agent’s job is simple. It’s to think of 8-10 editors who might well like your work, then email it to them. That’s it. And any competent agent should be able to do that. You don’t need to be a superstar.

7. Look for points of contact

When you’re reviewing an agent’s profile, look for any points of contact. “Loves rock-climbing” might not mean much in terms of literary tastes, but if you’re a keen climber, you shouldn’t scorn that potential point of contact: you’re looking for anything. And if you’re not a climber, but your book has a superb climax set in the high Alps, then thats a definite reason to reach out.

8. Look for agents who represent your favourite authors

Perhaps there’s an author in your exact genre whom you love, in which case it would certainly be interesting to find out who represents that person. But you don’t really have to find authors in your genre. For example, if you are writing “chick-lit”, but there’s an agent who represents a couple more serious authors whom you adore, then that’s a meaningful point of contact – an indicator of shared taste. Just search the name of an author (surname only is fine) and their agent will appear, assuming that the agent-author relationship is public information.

9. Avoid the obvious!

You’re a crime writer? Yes, you admire Ian Rankin, of course you do. But Ian Rankin’s agent will get a lot of letters says, ‘Dear X, You represent Ian Rankin who is one of my favourite crime authors...’ Do you really think that the good Mr X is going to sit up and take notice?

10. Compile a shortlist of 8-12 names, and then double-check everything

We recommend a shortlist of about a dozen names, no more. Most books won’t even go out to as many as a dozen publishers and editors are even pickier than agents, which means if you can’t impress one in 12 agents, you don’t stand much hope with publishers. But don’t go to too few agents either. Approach six or fewer and you risk being rejected for essentially random reasons (too busy right now, lost your manuscript, don’t really like this kind of story, got a client who’s doing the exact same thing right now...)

Once you’ve got a shortlist of agents that you’re happy with, you should double-check their websites. Our own database is as up to date as we can make it – but there are limits to our reach and you are hoping to sign up with someone for the duration of your career. Now’s a good time to double-check your facts!).

So, in sum, find a literary agent in your genre, one looking for new clients (or at least open to them). Ignore location. Seek points of contact, including favourite authors. Then check and double check your shortlist.

How To Write A Query Letter For Literary Agents

11. Get their name right

Is it John or Jon? Is it Mr Sam Spade or Ms. Sam Spade? Don’t offend an agent with your very first words. You also need to make sure that you have their current address and other details correct. If you don’t know whether it’s Miss Jo Johnson, Ms Jo Johnson or Mrs Jo Johnson, it’s just fine to write “Dear Jo Johnson,” In fact, Dear Firstname Lastname is probably standard these days, publishing is not a particularly formal industry.

12. Re-check the basics

If you’re writing children’s fiction, don’t send your work to an agent who handles only adult material. And while most agents wanta a fairly standard submission package (letter and synopsis and first three chapters), do check what this specific agency wants and follow their rules.

13. Keep it simple

A covering letter doesn’t need more than a page. Perhaps if your work is quite literary and you want to expand a little on theme and your impulse to write it, you can go into a second page – but that qualification applies to maybe one writer in twenty. In other words, it probably doesn’t apply to you.

14. The first paragraph should cover the basics, briefly

Your first paragraph should be just a sentence or two that sets out: (a) the title of your book, (b) the approximate genre, (c) a brief characterisation of the book and (d) a word count.

Thus, for example, if I had been a new novelist seeking an agent for my Talking to the Dead, I might have said:

“I am writing to seek representation for my first novel, Talking to the Dead. The book is a Welsh-set police procedural of about 115,000 words and features a young female detective, who is in recovery from Cotard’s Syndrome.”

See? That’s a perfect first para because it instantly gives an agent their need-to-know info (crime novel, Wales, police procedural, word count), plus a little teaser – a reason to read-on: “Cotard’s? What’s that? Sounds interesting …”

That opening paragraph is not hard to write. If you can’t write a perfectly good one, then your book is no good anyway.

15. The next paragraph can expand

The next paragraph should open out a little more. So my second paragraph might have said something like this:

“The detective, Fiona Griffiths, is a twenty-something junior officer, based in Cardiff. She’s highly intelligent, driven … and odd. As a teenager, she suffered from a genuine but rare disorder, known as Cotard’s Syndrome – a psychological condition in which the sufferer believes themselves to be dead. Fiona is no longer directly afflicted, but the illness continues to dominate her life and her sense of self. Then, as her Major Crimes team starts to investigate the violent deaths of a part-time prostitute and her, Fiona realises that the past feels dangerously alive again.”

That’s all you need. The paragraph expands our opening teaser into something with more meat on it – something that should tempt a reader to read on. But that’s all – about a hundred words should be fine. If you’re going over the 150 word mark, you probably need to rein back.

16. That paragraph should convey your elevator pitch or USP

That second paragraph has one crucial job: it’s to force the agent to turn to page 1 of your manuscript with a smidge of excitement and interest. That means you need to convey the Unique Selling Point of your book with brevity and force. Note that you should not say, “The Unique Selling Point for my book is...” That just feels heavy handed and clunky. (Want to know more about Elevator Pitches? Find out here.)

17. You do not need to summarise your plot

That’s the job of your synopsis. Notice that my sample paragraph above (point #15) said nothing at all about plot. Yes, it mentioned the initiating murders, but that’s it. It doesn’t say anything about what happens thereafter. It doesn’t need to.

18. You are not writing a book blurb

The blurb on the back of a book belongs on the back of the book. You are addressing a potential agent, not a potential bookshop browser. Thus the paragraph above about Talking to the Dead mentioned Cotard’s Syndrome, which no book blurb would ever do. (Because that would ruin one of the big reveals at the end of the book.) Focus on the agent and your USP or elevator pitch. The blurb will come much, much later in the process.

19. You don’t need to explain everything

If you are writing about a fantasy world where – I don’t know – gravity is upside down, or England has a good footie team, or Amazon pays some tax, you can pick out anything that is key to your brief overview of the book. But you don’t need to explain every little thing. The covering letter needs to offer a glimpse of stocking, no more. The book itself will do the rest.

20. Finally: a few words about yourself

And that means a few words. “I am a thirty-something mother of two. I currently work part-time as an accountant, but am retraining as an exotic dancer.” Or whatever. Unless there is a direct and important relationship between who you are and the topic of your manuscript, you don’t need more than the very briefest sketch of who you are. No one cares and no one ought to care: it’s your book that matters here; you are merely its transmission device.

21. Your website, your Twitter account, or your online footprint are much less important than you might think

You will see suggestions online, including from some people who should know better, that these days agents really care about your social media profile. And that is simply not true. Yes, admittedly, if you have 100,000+ blog visitors monthly and your book is a non-fiction work directly connected to the subject of that blog, then agents will be impressed, and so will publishers. But that’s it. Blogs or sites with smaller followings don’t mean much in sales terms, and they certainly don’t mean much when it comes to promoting fiction. So you just don’t need to say anything about your current online footprint. If publishers want to discuss it with you down the line, then they will, but it’s not something to worry about for now.

(And by the way, my Fiona Griffiths crime series has been published all over the world, is critically acclaimed, and has been televised. In all that time, I’ve only had one conversation in publishing about my e-footprint, and that was early on, and was never followed up. That’s how little publishers care.)

22. If you’re impressive, say so (for fiction writers)

A covering letter is not the place to mention your school prizes or your work on the parish magazine, but if you have accomplished something genuinely noteworthy say so.

“The maritime scenes in my novel draw heavily from my own experiences at sea: I have sailed single-handed round the world and have competed in a number of international yacht races. The shipwreck scene towards the climax of my novel is largely based on a similar accident that befell me a few years back.”

A paragraph like that would do very nicely – but, if you’re writing fiction, it’s not all that likely you have a similar connection to make. In which case, don’t worry. Most people don’t.

23. If you’re authoritative, say so (for non-fiction writers)

While it’s relatively rare for fictioneers to include much biography in their covering letter, the reverse can be true of non-fictioneers. For example, if you are writing a book on artificial intelligence, then you will certainly be expected to demonstrate authority. So:

“I am current head of Google’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory …”

Or, “I am Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Wherever …”

Or, “I have worked extensively as a smart systems consultant to blue-chip companies including …”

“I am the Science and Technology editor on the XYZ newspaper …”

Any of those things would do just fine. “I’m a keen amateur student of these things and think the subject is really, really important” – that kind of thing would not fare so well. As a non-fiction author, you are expected to demonstrate compelling knowledge.

24. If you’ve self-published, that’s fine, but be realistic

These days, agents will receive plenty of self-published manuscripts, and it’s fine if yours has already seen the light of day. But agents will only be impressed if your manuscript has seen a lot of downloads. That means 30-50,000 downloads, if the manuscript was being offered for free. And it means at least 10,000 downloads if the manuscript was being sold at a meaningful price. ($0.99 or £0.99 as an absolute minimum.)

25. Be careful about mentioning competing similar works

If you are writing fiction, it’s fine to place your novel by triangulating from other authors. For example, you might say, “This is, roughly speaking, Philippa Gregory territory, but transposed to Dark Ages Mercia.” That helps an agent understand the kind of book you’ve written. (Though even in that example, it would probably be better to convey the same message without the PG reference.)

On the other hand, it is not clever to say, “My book combines the philosophical grandeur of a Saul Bellow, the prose of John Banville and the compelling narrative of a James Patterson.” You’re welcome to think all those things – but don’t say them out loud.

If you are writing non-fiction, a couple of references are very often useful. For example, “The book is a lively, popular account of quantum physics, in the footsteps of such texts as Quantumly Wonderful by Mr A and Oh What a Wonderful Atom by Ms B.” If you do use that kind of tactic, be very clear about how your book differs from those fine texts.

26. Don’t misspell anything

Humans make typos and most writers are human. And that’s fine: a well-presented manuscript doesn’t have to mean a flawless one, but an agent submission pack is the first thing the agent reads. So no misspellings. None. No excuses.

That also means you need to avoid all other hideosities. No it’s when you mean its. No references to my “fiction book”. (It’s called a novel.) No bad punctuation.

You want to be a professional writer. So be professional.

27. No horrible sentences

And mere tidiness is not enough. You also can’t express yourself badly. You need to eliminate any clunky, ugly, or badly phrased sentences. So don’t write sentences like this:

“Emily (who is the hero in this bit) then finds herself in a dungeon which is really like the one in Game of Thrones (second series) except that my one has this big arched window really high up, which Emily tries to climb out of for an escape attempt but can’t because she slips and really hurts her ankle.”

Don’t write sentences even a bit like that. Please. They make our gums hurt.

In sum, keep your letter short. All you need is a couple of overview-type sentences, then a paragraph or so on your book, then a short paragraph of background about you. That’s it. Make sure that you get the basics right (spellings, punctuation, who you’re addressing) and make sure you write with economy and professionalism.

How To Write A Wonderful Synopsis

28. Don’t stress

Most writers stress over their synopses. They shouldn’t: the things just aren’t that important. Some agents ask for them but hardly read them. Get your synopsis right, yes, but don’t fret about it. Half a day should be easily enough for the task.

29. Keep it short, but not crazy-short

Anything from 500 to 1,000 words is fine. Less than 500 words seems a little on the thin side (unless perhaps your book has a notably clean narrative line, in which case OK.) More than 1,000? No need. That’s just more words. Keep it tight.

30. Tell the story

A synopsis tells the story of your novel. That’s all it does. You’re not pitching the novel. You’re not writing a cover blurb. You’re just telling the story. Which you know intimately, right? This is not a hard assignment.

31. Keep your text neutral

A synopsis isn’t usually a good place for atmosphere, humour, detailed characterisation, or anything else. Those things are for your book. A simple factual narrative is fine.

32. Don’t worry about spoilers

Of course there are spoilers in the synopsis, just like there’s alcohol in beer. That’s kind of the point. If you really, really don’t want to give away the very ending, you can say something along these lines: “Jones is all set to raid the warehouse, when Karen arrives with news that will devastate them both – and lead to a final, bloody and unexpected finale.”

But, if you can steel yourself to do it, just tell the whole darn story including the ending. That’s what agents want.

33. Put key names in bold

When you first mention the name of a key character, you should set it in bold, or even bold caps. Like this:

“KAREN, a thirty-something police sergeant, is appointed to ….”

That makes it easy for an agent to see who’s who and to check back if they get confused. (And synopses are confusing; that’s just the way they are.)

34. Presentation matters. So does your prose

As with the covering letter, you should make sure that your synopsis is well-presented and free of horrible sentences.

35. You can briefly restate your book’s USP before the synopsis proper

If you want, you can have an italicised line or two before the synopsis proper that sets out the book’s premise or broad narrative arc – anything that reminds the agent why they like the idea. So, for example, this would be nice:

“Jacob is a diamond dealer in Rotterdam. When his warehouse is burgled, he wonders how the thieves got past his security system … and why his wife was driving the getaway car.”

That sets up an enticing premise in slightly more than 30 words. Or you can sketch the whole story in the same kind of space:

“Two brothers quarrel in the trenches of the First World War. They separate and each found a mighty oil business – one striking rich in the sands of Persia, the other sprouting up in the oil fields of East Texas. Then another war comes and the two men are obliged to confront their pasts – and each other.”

That’s fifty-something words and sketches a book that is 600 pages long (my third novel, as it happens.) These introductory snippets don’t excuse you from writing a full synopsis, they just enrich the one you’ve written.

So recap your story in about 500-1000 words. Put key character names in bold. Keep your prose clean and reasonably neutral. Avoid howlers. You get bonus points for a short, tempting intro.

How To Prepare Your Manuscript For Literary Agents

36. Check: Are you really ready?

Most writers send out their manuscript before it’s ready. That can mean anything from poor prose and a lousy concept through to a text that is really pretty good but in need of a good, hard, final edit. A lack of polish can kill your chances, so be professional. Give your manuscript another close read. Be picky: agents will be.

(Not sure if you’re ready? You can get paid-for editorial advice for your manuscript. It’s very rare that writers are not helped by professional editorial feedback.)

37. Your first three chapters: getting that right

Most agents ask for a covering letter, a synopsis and the first three chapters. But what do the first three chapters really mean? What if your chapters are strangely long? Or short? And should you count your prologue?

The answer is that agents don’t really care about these things. Just send about 10,000 words, ending at a natural break in your text. That’ll do fine.

38. Check for common errors

This post isn’t long enough to list them all, but here are the top fifteen.

39. Check spellings, punctuation, typos, prose

No horrible sentences, okay? A few typos don’t matter, but good presentation is still essential.

40. Make sure that your text is properly formatted

There are no strict rules here (unlike in the screenplay business), but do check that:

– Your margins are normal (your program’s default settings are fine).
– Your text is 1.5 or double-spaced.
– Your dialogue is correctly presented.
– You begin each chapter on a fresh page.
– You avoid weird fonts.
– You lay your book out like a book, not a business letter. That means no blank line between paragraphs, but each paragraph should be indented (anywhere from 0.2″ to 0.5″). You should set the indents with the Paragraph Format menu or with the Tab key. You should not rely on the space bar.
– Either left hand justified or both-sides justified text is fine.
– It’s still better to print on one side of the page only. If that offends your eco-sensibilities, plant a tree – or look for agents who take work by email: most now do.

41. Remember to insert page numbers

This gets its own bullet point, because a lot of people forget, and then have to print their stuff off again. And while you’re at it, pop your name and manuscript title in the header or footer of each page. (So when an agent drops your stuff, they can put it all back together again.)

42. Nice clean title page, please

Your title page should ideally contain:

– Your title (in a font as large as you like)
– Your name
– Your contact info
– A word count, rounded to the nearest 1,000 or 5,000 words
– And nothing else

You do not need a dedication, or an acknowledgements, or anything along those lines. This isn’t a book yet, it’s a pile of paper. Also, it’s a bit fancy-pants putting an epigram on a manuscript, but some manuscripts are a bit fancy-pants. In which case, put it on the title page, or on the page immediately following.

43. No copyright notice

You don’t need a copyright notice – it’s legally meaningless and, in any case, no agent steals copyright.

44. No cover art!

A publisher is not going to use your cover art. So don’t show it to agents.

45. The Golden Rule

There is only one golden rule of the agent submission process and that is the hardest. You must write a wonderful book. Good is not enough. Competent is not nearly enough. Agents take about 1 in 1,000 submissions. Your work has to dazzle.

Happy writing, and best of luck!

More than ready to get the ball rolling with agents, but just need a little push? Or perhaps you’ve had a few rejections but aren’t sure why? Our Agent Submission Pack Review gives you detailed professional advice on how to perfect your submission and increase your chances of securing an agent.

So, you’re well on your way to completing your book on food and cookery, and have a cracking book proposal that you can’t wait to share with agents. Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Food And Cookery

The cookery market remains a solidly dependable corner of the book market with many literary agents representing the non-fiction genre. It tends to be an area where full-colour hardback books dominate the bookshelves.  

The bad news is that this is what makes the market so challenging for new writers. Given the high production costs now expected in this area, food, cookery, and drinks books are under pressure from the beginning to sell a lot of copies in order to make a profit. 

The one sure fire way to get a cookbook published is to make sure that you have a TV show first. Or a column in a major newspaper. Or you’re a celebrity with some lifestyle angle to promote. If that’s not you, then there are still opportunities for new debut writers. Especially if you are an expert in an under-explored area of food and drink. A strong platform, demonstrable interest in the area of food and drink you’re writing about, and a bespoke list of targeted agents to approach will mean that you’ll be in a strong place to begin submitting to agents. 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of cookbook-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of UK agents for food and cookery books is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. food and cookery), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

UK Agents For Food And Cookery Books

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 UK agents looking for food and cookery books:

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!   

Have you just finished your horror novel and are ready to begin your search for an agent? Well, we’re here to help! 

WANT TO JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE AGENT LIST? 
CLICK HERE 

Horror

Since Stephen King revived and expanded the genre, horror has been a reliably steady element in the book market. The emergence of teen paranormal sagas has brought new readers to the genre, as well as changing the genre’s boundaries even further. While the ebook revolution has also introduced new readers to the genre, namely young men (traditionally more reluctant book-buyers), who have been more willing to purchase fiction via their tablets and smart phones.  

Whether you’re writing paranormal horror, gory horror, or a suspenseful edge-of-your-seat horror (which you can only read during daylight hours), it’s important to remember that the genre shouldn’t be seen in too restrictive terms. Contemporary authors, such as the award-winning Lesley Glaister, have added quality to the genre. While well-respected authors like Susan Hill have actually been writing horror fiction for years, albeit not for the typical audience associated with the genre. You might also find that some crime and thriller authors also plough through the classic horror territory. 

Whatever your story, there’s sure to be an agent out there who can’t wait to read it. So, where to begin? 

AgentMatch And How To Use It

There are plenty of horror-loving agents, but you won't want to approach them all. The best way to develop and refine your own shortlist of UK agents for horror is to visit AgentMatch, our literary agent database, and use the search tools on the left to make your selection. 

With AgentMatch you can select by genre (e.g. horror), country, the agent’s level of experience, their appetite for new clients, and much more. You can even save your search results and come back to them, allowing you to work through them one by one, at your own pace. Each profile has been researched thoroughly including what agents like to read in their spare time, information on their most recent deals, manuscript wishlists, submission requirements, and exclusive interviews. 

You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial which will give you a good feel for the data and functionality. Or join us as a premium member and get unlimited access to AgentMatch. 

UK Agents For Horror 

To get you started we’ve selected a list of 20 UK agents looking for horror novels: 

More Resources  

We’re here to help you at every step in your writing and querying process. Check out our favourite blogs that can assist you in putting together your query letter and synopsis, and if you want valuable, personal feedback on your writing you can book a fifteen-minute One-to-One with an agent of your choice. Premium members can also get a free query letter review from our lovely Writers Support team!   

Happy searching, and good luck on your querying journey!