Spotlight Feature: Emily Glenister from DHH Literary Agency

Good morning, everyone!

Emily Glenister is a Director and Literary Agent at DHH Literary Agency. Prior to agenting, Emily trained as an actress and worked as a theatrical agent and assistant.

In fiction she represents female-led commercial and book club fiction, smart and quick-witted historical fiction, and original horror novels/ghost stories. In non-fiction she represents history, pop culture, memoir, and true crime.

Some recent and upcoming books Emily represents include: The Truth About Her by Annie Taylor (June 2023), Eighteen Seconds by Louise Beech (April 2023), She Had It Coming by Carys Jones (January 2023), So Pretty by Ronnie Turner (January 2023).

Emily can be found on twitter at @emily_glenister.

“If you are meant to be doing this, then you will get there; I firmly believe that.”

Hi Emily, thank you so much for speaking with us today! We’re excited to hear about your role as an agent and what you’re looking for in submissions.

Q. What brought you to agenting?

I’ve always been a voracious reader and knew I wanted to do something related to the written word, so I decided to try and be an actress and went to drama school. I graduated in 2010, and worked steadily in both theatre and television, before realising it just wasn’t for me. I then became an agent for actors, before finally landing a PA job with David Headley of Goldsboro Books, a beautiful independent first edition bookshop in Covent Garden. This was in 2016 and for the next four years, I worked alongside David, reading submissions, helping pitch books – basically doing everything and anything I could legitimately stick my oar into. Towards the end of 2020, David asked me if I’d consider starting my own list, and of course I jumped at the chance and have managed to build up a successful list of very talented authors since. I count myself very lucky!

Q: What is a day in the life of an agent like for you?

I’m at my desk between 9.30 and 9.45am, coffee in hand and catch up on the emails that have come in since I downed tools the night before. This can be anything from catching up with clients who have sent in their manuscript for edits or a once-over before it goes to their editor, emails from foreign publishers or scouts asking about a manuscript and its rights status. I tend to spend the morning doing the admin side of my job (aforementioned emails, paperwork, invoicing for clients etc) and then, after lunch, I will edit and / or read client manuscripts, read submissions, or prepare a pitch for a book I am soon going out with on submission. This usually takes place with a hot water bottle on my lap, a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits, and my dog, Lola, at my feet. It sounds serene, and quite frankly, it is lovely to be able to do this – but I’m also a firm believer in your surroundings affecting one’s productivity, so I try and make it as “zen” as possible. If I’m in the office however, it’s totally different as this is when I have the opportunity to have meetings with editors, clients and of course, my colleagues. When I get home (or indeed if I’ve WFH), I tend to edit and / or read until bedtime (breaking for dinner) and then try and sneak in a few chapters of a “non-work” book before lights out.

Q. What do you want to see in a query letter? And what do you hate?

My name, for starters! I know it sounds a tad pompous, and the lack of an agent’s name doesn’t indicate bad writing; but it does indicate a lack of care – and one has to think “if you can’t be bothered, why should I?”. It’s not a deal-breaker, but certainly something I notice – though that being said, “Dear Sirs” is an instant no from me, and I’m not sorry about it!

I like query letters to be short and snappy – let your writing do the talking for you. For me, the best query letters come in three parts: short paragraph about why you’re writing to me (your name, title of book, genre, word count and why me / the agency; then another paragraph, slightly longer, pitching the book – and I love it when these start with a hooky, elevator pitch; and then, finally, a short paragraph about you as a writer, including any courses you’ve done, or awards you’ve won / been shortlisted for – this last paragraph isn’t crucial. I’m just nosey).

And in terms of what I hate, there’s nothing I specifically “hate”, but if I do have to regrettably turn down your work, I’d really appreciate not being called horrid names in return

Q. Same question when it comes to the synopsis. What should writers do? What should they avoid?

It’s a pain in the a*** but I would really try keeping the synopsis to one page, and one page only. “But my book needs more than one page!” I hear you cry, and while I totally understand that reaction, it is a really good discipline in pitching your book succinctly, as opposed to waffling, which is a common pitfall when describing the book’s storyline. Agents have to practice this, too! If you can get it to 2.0 spacing even better! But that’s not too important…

Really focus on the key points that push the narrative forward, rather than filling the synopsis with inconsequential instances that don’t contribute to the plot. If it helps, make a bullet-pointed list prior to writing your synopsis, using all of these key points and then build your one-page synopsis around them.

Q. What are you looking for in the opening pages of a novel? What really excites you?

I am an absolute sucker for a hooky first line – I feel like in commercial fiction, it’s almost a requirement to get the reader immediately invested. But then one can run the risk of it sounding clichéd and mass-produced, so choose your words carefully!

I’m also not a huge fan of world-building within the first few pages of a novel, especially as the first three chapters (along with the synopsis and cover letter) are one of your three tools with which to get the agents’ attention. All of the world-building can come a little later in the novel. Focus on introducing me to the protagonist and I want a firm hint as to what this book is going to be about and what potential struggles the protagonist faces. For instance, if the book is about trouble within a marriage, and our MC was the wife, then it would be useful to see a snippet of her relationship with her husband (be it in person, or over text etc) that hints to this “trouble”. It’s called a “hook” for a reason – throw that reel out and catch a fish!

Q. Tell us about a recent deal (or three) that really delighted you.

There are a few I’m not able to talk about yet, as they haven’t been announced, that I am so happy with – these authors are disgustingly talented.

The ones I can talk about, more recently would be Suzie Edge’s second non-fiction book, Vital Organs (Wildfire, September 2023) which delves into the body parts belonging to some of history’s most notorious characters; bestselling author Becca Day has just re-signed with current publishers, Embla, for another two psychological thrillers, the first of which, The Secrets We Buried (Embla, summer 2023) is about to be delivered and is just astonishing; finally, Talia Samuels’ joyous queer Christmas rom-com, The Christmas Swap (Michael Joseph, October 2023), which is absolutely everything you’d want it to be. Talia was the winner of a competition I judged, along with Michael Joseph, and she is a real find!

Q. Any final words of advice for authors in the querying process?

DON’T GIVE UP.

You have to have a really thick skin in this business, and I am under no illusion that that’s actually quite a big ask. But it’s also a marathon and not a sprint, and if the first, second or even third book you query doesn’t get picked up by an agent, persevere until you really think you’ve exhausted each option and variation of what you are capable of. It rather feels like new agents are popping up all the time, and we all have different tastes. If you are meant to be doing this, then you will get there; I firmly believe that.

Before you go out on submission, have beta readers – that aren’t your friends or family – read your work and give you honest, constructive feedback. Friends and family are great champions and supporters, but famously “nice”, when what you actually need is frankness.

Finally, don’t send out submissions to everyone you come across on in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook – be selective, study agents’ lists and work out how / if you fit on to them. This is your career; you’ve got to take it as seriously as applying for a dream job, and that means not using scatter tactics, and sending your work to anyone who will take it. Have a few different tranches and go out in waves – give yourself the best possible shot.

The full interview will be posted to Emily’s AgentMatch profile, which you can find here.

In the meantime, if you’re struggling with your query letter and synopsis, do check out our free resources on our website. We have lots of info to help you on your way. Or, better still, if you’re a member with us, our lovely Writers Support team will be happy to offer you a free query letter review!