We owe all you aspiring writers a huge apology.
Sadly things remain very slow, so we haven't felt able to take on new clients and increase the log jam of wonders we are already working with for the time being. As a result, our submissions will remain closed for the time being.
Please do, keep the faith though and do keep polishing and honing for now and please, watch this space for updates!
Agent Ben
A couple of editorial tips:
Have you tried doing a separate editorial pass of your WIP for each of your main characters' voices yet? You'll be amazed at the results. Try editing chapters out of sync too. Most scripts we receive go a little loose and flabby in the 3rd or 4th act, so taking chapters out of sync as you edit and focusing on dramatic tension (and always on voice) may yield some surprising results.
Submissions come in many shapes and formats, many of which are not compatible with our kindles.
To make our lives a wee bit easier, PLEASE follow the instructions below.
Many thanks!
NOTE(S) ON SUBMISSIONS:
We are currently actively seeking new manuscripts in the following areas:
PLEASE NOTE:
WHAT TO SEND:
WHERE TO SEND:
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
We receive a lot of submissions but if you follow these guidelines, at least you're in with a chance...!
To make our lives a wee bit easier, PLEASE follow the instructions below.
Many thanks!
NOTE(S) ON SUBMISSIONS:
- We receive LOADS of subs a month even when we aren't officially open for them, which is of course lovely, but does mean both that the bar is set VERY high and that it may take a while to give each sub fair and due consideration. We ask that you bear with us and thank you all in advance for your understanding.
- We always aim to reply yay or nay (yay will be a full manuscript request, not an offer of representation!) within a couple of months of receipt, but please do bear with us if it's longer than that.
- Please know that this is of course a HIGHLY subjective process with many factors involved, so our not feeling able to proceed may well not be down to the quality of the submission alone.
- It hardly needs saying, but if you aren't able to follow the guidelines laid out on this page, your submission cannot be considered.
We are currently actively seeking new manuscripts in the following areas:
- Middle Grade Fiction (7+ and 9+)
- Middle Grade Non-Fiction (biographies, guides to, handbooks of etc)
- Teen and Young Adult fiction (12+, 14+, 16+)
- All genres and sub-genres considered within these age bandings.
PLEASE NOTE:
- We do NOT accept picture books, educational books or any books for under 7s
- We do NOT accept any submissions for adult fiction or adult non-fiction
- We do NOT accept hard copy submissions
- We do NOT accept poetry or rhyming texts
- We do NOT represent clients who are not based primarily in the UK or Europe
WHAT TO SEND:
- PLEASE just ONE submission per writer - we receive a tsunami as is, so pick your strongest!
- For ALL submissions - the opening 50 pages or so, or 3 chapters of your work, uploaded as a word document attachment using the button, below. That goes for both fiction and non-fiction.
- Fiction submissions - a brief synopsis (maximum one side A4), uploaded as a word document attachment using the button, below.
- Non-Fiction submissions - please include a max 2 page detailed proposal as overview, including research on competition in the market and why you are qualified/the one to be telling this non-fiction story, plus a series overview, if appropriate, to include sample titles from within the proposed series.
- In the form: book title, intended readership (7+, 9+, Teen, YA) and a brief author biography.
- Do feel free to submit to us again if you have tried in the past, but we do ask that you don't resubmit the same manuscript.
WHERE TO SEND:
- Just fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
- ALL FILES TO BE LABELLED WITH FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR NAME (eg, 'Carrie Trotter by KJ Rowland.doc'; 'Carrie Trotter by KJ Rowland synopsis.doc)
- ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE SENT AS WORD DOCUMENTS
- NO PDF or RTF or other formats
- NO ILLUSTRATIONS
- STANDARD FORMATTING (NO MARGIN ADJUSTMENTS)
- SINGLE LINE SPACING
- 12 POINT FONT SIZE
We receive a lot of submissions but if you follow these guidelines, at least you're in with a chance...!