-
"Yes, the ending was as I planned it." Stephen Poliakoff explained the writing process behind his new thriller, Glorious 39, at his recent Waterstone's signing.
Read the interview with Stephen Poliakoff » -
"One of the most satisfying things about blogging is the immediacy. You think it up, type it out on your keyboard and then publish."
Read more from author Tim Kevan » -
You'll find us not just here, but also on Facebook. Add us to your favourites!
Literary agent runs away screaming
Can a simple comment on a submission make a literary agent howl with horror? Yes, absolutely, according to this agent’s guest post:
Let’s start with the science bit – every day by email, post, carrier pigeon and osmosis I receive 10 unsolicited approaches from unrepresented writers out in the big wide literary firmament.
These come from all genres. There’s fiction (from coming-of-age to fin-de-siècle), non-fiction (from ‘My 38 Years As a Bank Manager’ to ‘Mucus – the bodily secretion that changed the world’), poetry (from love poetry to stalker poetry), cookery books and academic texts to verse drama – usually about earwigs taking over the world for some reason. Read more
Found on an agent’s slush pile
Filed under: Getting Published, Literary Agents
A heartwarming tale for writers: Stephen Kelman’s book, Pigeon English, was spotted on an agent’s pile of unsolicited submissions, and went on to be hotly fought over by no fewer than 12 publishers, before being snapped up by Bloomsbury.
This story of violence on a council estate is narrated by a 12-year-old boy, and in an interview Read more
Agents – what’s the point?
Filed under: Getting Published, Literary Agents
To an aspiring writer, literary agents can seem like a parasitic race – they take their percentage, but what do they give back? And is it worth having one?
The short answers are ‘lots’ and ‘yes’. Read on!
An agent sends your manuscript out to see Read more
Dying to get an agent
Filed under: Authors and Books, Literary Agents
It has been reported in the American press that the author John Updike has finally acquired an agent. And this despite his having died a year ago.
When alive, Read more
All I want for Christmas is an agent…
Filed under: Literary Agents
A literary agent must be at the top of a fiction writer’s list to Father Christmas (along with a Go Go Hamster – who doesn’t want one?!).
And that’s because the vast majority of fiction publishers rely on literary agents to filter submissions and approach them with the cream of the crop.
Getting an agent is not only your gateway to the publishers, but also the best way to Read more
Grumpy old literary agent’s Christmas
Every year we go to a friend’s for a Christmas drinks thing – you know the score – the same bunch of people, the same canapés, the same wine and the same easy chat. All good stuff.
Conversation hovers around those safety zones of film (did you see?, wasn’t X great?, have you joined lovefilm? etc), music (do you remember that brilliant album by x?, Radiohead were great at Glastonbury – shame we had to watch it on skyplus etc) and books. Yes books.
Remarkably there are still some people out there who value books and who enjoy the fact they don’t have screens, they don’t require batteries and they can (just about) survive an accidental dip in the bath. All good. I enjoy chatting about all of this but something stopped me cold in my tracks last year. I was Read more
One of the best bits of my job
Filed under: Literary Agents, Writing Advice
I recently read a novel for a literary agent, then sent her my initial report, and just now she rang me to discuss my thoughts.
The author was obviously talented – and the agent was working on this, his first novel, with him.
His style was good and his plot was very different and interesting, I said. However neither of us felt that the characters’ motivation shaped the Read more
Playing by different rules: non-fiction writing
A guest post from literary agent Judy Chilcote:
I wanted to explain that the rules are different for when I decide to take on a non-fiction project than they are for fiction.
For fiction, it’s largely down to personal taste and interest, I think. In non-fiction, it’s more clear-cut to determine if there is a niche for a subject, if the market is over-saturated (as with most mind/body/spirit subjects at the moment) and if it has something new or Read more
Your questions about writing for children
Filed under: Getting Published, Literary Agents
There have been a number of specific questions relating to my post about finding a literary agent, so I thought I’d do a bit of a round-up here.
Rachel Limon asks how to get across to an agent what age-range she is writing for. It’s important to know who you are aiming your book at. When writing for children, the two key questions are:
- What age child would have the book read to them? (This only applies to younger age groups.)
- What age child would read the book themselves?
State clearly in your covering letter what age/s your book is aimed at.
In terms of finding a specific children’s agent, can I Read more
Why an agent wants exclusivity
Filed under: Literary Agents, Writing Advice
It can seem unfair that a literary agent asks for exclusive submission, which to the aspiring author can seem like sheer pigheadedness. However, the following recent experience may give you some idea as to why they ask for it.
An agent I was working for had sent me unsolicited manuscripts to look at. I thought one of them showed real promise.
We contacted the author, saw the complete manuscript and entered into a Read more
-
Buy the 2010 Yearbook
The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook is available at a discounted price from our online bookshop. Get all the info, contacts and advice you could need.On camera: Jon McGregor
"Being longlisted for the Booker Prize changed everything - it was the launchpad for my writing career." Click to view our video with novelist Jon McGregor »
On camera: Justin Cartwright
"Just write... If you're any good you may not know it, but certainly someone else will." Click to view our video with novelist Justin Cartwright »
On camera: Julie Myerson
The novelist and journalist Julie Myerson on how she got that all-important first publishing deal. Click here to view our video exclusive »