Agents

If you haven't yet achieved (3), then you probably need our editorial help. But as for (1) and (2) - here's our Quick Guide to getting an agent before osteoporosis sets in ....

Bear in mind that you are competing against the very best in the business. If you are writing spy thrillers, your books will be competing directly against John Le Carre's - and at the same price, with less publicity and much less uptake from the bookstores. If you are not perfectionist about your work, you are very unlikely to succeed.

If you are an existing WW client, you will already have talked over your next steps with your editor. Roughly speaking, if your book is already in shape, we'll help you find an agent without further charge. We know some of the most senior agents in London, and can guarantee that, if we recommend a manuscript, they will read it with close attention. You are always, of course, free to go with agents of your own choosing - we will never force you to accept our suggestions.

If you are not a client of ours, we are happy to offer you brief free advice on submitting your book to agents. In particular, we are happy to review your covering letter which is an essential part of your sales pitch. We do not charge for this service. Then just follow the steps below and keep your fingers crossed. Call us if at any stage you get stuck. And if in the end you decide your manuscript needs further editorial input, then we are here to provide precisely that.

Literary agents spend most of their time handling the business of their existing clients. A typical agent might take on as few as two new authors a year. At the same time, most agents receive around fifty to a hundred manuscripts every week. That means they reject the large majority of submissions without even reading them. They may not read as much as the first page. If that sounds depressing, then you also need to realise that getting an agent is the only way to getting published. Very few publishers have any real interest in unsolicited contributions.

What does all that mean for you? It means (1) You need to approach the whole business of finding an agent with the utmost professionalism; (2) You need to be realistic about the time it will take and the number of rejections you are likely to receive; and (3) you may want to take some of that chewable calcium just in case the bone decay gets to you first.

Agents see hundreds of manuscripts. Don't rule yours out on the silly stuff. Eliminate spelling errors - and don't rely on a computer spell check 'too do this four ewe'. If your spelling is poor, then ask a friend to help. If your punctuation is bad, do the same.

And get the layout right. That means Times Roman font or similar. Font size of 12. Normal margins. Double-spaced. Lay your manuscript out like a book, not a business document. That means no space between paragraphs and with the first line slightly indented. Like this, in fact. Every page should be numbered. You can have the title and/or your name as header/footer if you want to, but it's not needed.

Your title page should contain your title, your name and your contact details. Nothing else. You do not need to say 'copyright by Bloggs' - you already own the copyright by virtue of having written the darn thing. Making a hoo-hah about copyright is a sure way to mark yourself out as an amateur. (That's just what you are, of course, but there's no need to rub it in.)

'And please make sure that dialogue is correctly presented,' fumed the agent. 'It really isn't hard to do.'

If you're in any doubt of how to lay out your manuscript, then read a book. Do it like that. See also our more detailed guide on presentation, the Final Polish.

If you are American or Canadian, then please ignore all the above. The US market has its own rules. Go to this site to learn more.

In the good old days, when society was still deferential and English bobbies cycled to work whistling Nice One Cyril, it was thought right to submit your manuscript to just one publisher or (later on) agent at a time.

The trouble with that approach is that agents may take 6-8 weeks to read your book (or pretend to read it, anyway) and you may need to apply a fair few agents before you strike lucky. This is where the risk of osteoporosis sets in. We therefore strongly recommend that you make multiple submissions. Do this as follows.

Buy the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook. If you're very keen to save a few quid then you could check out an e-listing of UK agents, though you are likely to find this a tedious way to work. The Yearbook is available from most bookstores, or from Amazon. If you are writing for children, get hold of the Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook instead.
Do not send your stuff to any agency that places ads on the internet. The ones that do are probably fraudulent. For more, see our warnings. If in doubt, get in touch.
Select six named agents that you like the look of. That means don't just pick out the XYZ Agency. Send it to Mr X of the XYZ Agency. It's certainly worth doing as much research as you can on which agents enjoy what sort of material. (These days, agents' websites are usually the best source of info, though there are still many exceptions.) In the end though, you won't know much about whether you like a particular agent, until you've met them - and of course this won't happen until you have an offer of representation, which you are most unlikely to turn down.
One useful tip is to mix your submissions - send some out to well-known agents at major agencies, and others to less well-known agents at smaller agencies.
Take a deep breath, before moving on to ...

Send out your manuscript with (i) a very short covering letter, (ii) a one page synopsis, and (iii) a self-addressed envelope with enough postage for the return of your manuscript. If you don't want it back, then say so in your cover letter. Most agents say that they only want 2-3 chapters or around 50 pages plus a synopsis as a first submission. It's probably best to do as they ask, unless your book is unusually short (a kids' book, for instance) in which case you can send the whole thing.

For guidance on what length a manuscript should be, please check out our guide to the numbers. (You'd be surprised, but some people try to sell books that are either vastly too long or vastly too short). For a sample synopsis, just check out our guide to the perfect synopsis.

Dear Mr Redintooth,

I am currently seeking an agent for my first novel, A Farewell to Legs. The novel (of about 70,000 words) tells a love story, set against the background of a busy amputation clinic in Bangalore. I have enclosed the first three chapters plus a brief synopsis with this submission. I am a thirty year old accountant.

The book was based on my own experiences during a recent trip to Bangalore. The book attempts to deal with themes of loss and suffering in an accessible, moving, and uplifting way.

I have submitted the book to a small handful of selected agents, but will of course inform you immediately if I get any interest elsewhere [you don't have to admit that you're making multiple submissions, by the way. It's good manners to do so, but manners don't always get the fastest results. Up to you.] I enclose a stamped addressed envelope for the return of my manuscript.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours,

Ms Mildasmilk

If you have completed a well-recognised creative writing course, such as the famous East Anglian one, then you should say so in your letter. If you are a professional writer in any other capacity (in journalism, TV, radio, etc), then you should certainly say so. Ditto, if you've won any prize that has real merit. If you have a recommendation from ourselves or any other person or organisation likely to command respect, then you can say so too - but expect to be checked up on. Do not write a covering letter which looks anything like the following.

Dear Ms Redinclaw,

Allow me to present my first novel, a stunning & epic tale of love and cannibalism set against the sweeping backdrop of the Hackney Road Cleansing Services department. My style combines the sassy, street-smart writing of Martin Amis with the philosophical scope and ambition of a George Orwell / Ben Elton. I've attached a five page synopsis, blurb for the rear cover, a short three page bio and photograph, and a sketch marketing plan for the Hackney / Barnet / North American areas.

I have sent the book to a number of agents and expect to be ready to interview my shortlist in the last week of December. I have enclosed inadequate postage and I have chosen to print my novel in a flattering and distinctive green ink.

Yours in expectation

Mr Littlelamb

It doesn't matter how good your book is, it'll be rejected. Why? Because plenty of those to whom you send it won't even have read it. So don't take it personally. Just wait 3 weeks from your first batch of submissions and send out another batch. Then wait another 3 weeks and send out another batch.

If you have sent the book to Mr Jones at XYZ agency, then it is OK to send the book to Ms Smith at the same agency - and unless you're very purist you won't feel the need to mention your earlier rejection. (By the way, this tip was given to us by an agent, so you don't need to feel especially naughty doing it).

If you've received fewer than 15 rejections, then keep going. If you've had more than 15, then there's probably something wrong with your book. If you're a Writers' Workshop client, then you won't be in this situation - we won't let you send out a book that's below standard; and if you still get rejections, we'll be on hand to help sort the problem out.

Which brings us to our final question: If you're not a WW client already, then don't you think you ought to be?

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The Writers' Workshop Run by Writers for Writers