KATE SHAW’S ADVICE ON HOW TO FIND AND WORK WITH A LITERARY AGENT

Isabel : Kate, thank you for agreeing to share your insights. Firstly, perhaps you could tell our readers exactly what a literary agent can do for a writing client?

Kate: I think of myself as a combination of the following: a talent spotter, a literary midwife, a connector of people and their stories; a deal-maker and tough negotiator, a champion and nurturer of writers, a simultaneous translator between writer and publisher/producer, a strategist and most of all, a tireless and passionate advocate of my authors and their books.

Isabel: We’ve all heard that literary agents are inundated daily with new submissions, and unpublished writers live in fear of the dreaded slushpile! What chance does a new writer have of getting signed with an agent – and what can they do to improve those chances?

Kate: I take on a very small number of new writers a year but receive dozens of new submissions a week. I don’t get time to read these during my working week or most evenings – my clients' books and business come first. So I advise you to research, research, research. Make sure you know a bit about the agents you are submitting to from their websites, twitter feeds, event appearances and articles like this and make sure you submit the material they are asking for in the way they ask for it. Bending the rules (e.g. sending emails when they ask for form submissions, adding two extra chapters when they ask for three, chasing replies when they ask you not to) is more likely to irritate than to win you attention.

Next, make sure your cover letter is well written, interesting and concise – and relevant to the submission. This is your ‘hello’ so work it! You should be able to pitch your book in 1-3 lines, including where you see it sitting on booksellers' shelves. Also do say how many words long it is (this is an important consideration for the age/readership and also the cost of printing and translating). Have you any professional writing credits such as publication in magazines or plays read on radio? Have you won any prizes for your writing? Is your narrative based on your own experiences/voice? Is there an interesting reason why you chose your subject? Put those things in the 1-page cover letter.

And then travel hopefully. I have had lots of unexpected finds in my career. The slushpile is my friend (sometimes!)

If success doesn't smile on you after a year, modify your approach; consider seeking professional editorial advice if you can afford it.

Isabel: When you receive new submissions, how important is the accompanying synopsis? Any tips you can offer?

Kate: I never look at the synopsis first, I read the chapters. Afterwards, though, it can be useful, and I prefer it to be no longer than a page, showing where the story goes but not giving too much away (no spoilers for me, please). For plot driven genre fiction the synopsis is particularly important. I personally like synopses that capture the style/atmosphere of a story, as much as the plot. CONFESSION: When I have completely fallen in love with an opening I may not even look at the synopsis before asking to see the manuscript. The opening three chapters of Holly Smale’s debut, which became the international bestseller, Geek Girl, hooked me immediately and I asked to see the rest in a heartbeat. I didn’t even notice there wasn’t much in the synopsis. The reason? Holly hadn’t written the whole novel yet.

Isabel: Of course, getting an agent isn’t the end of the line. Once they’ve secured a literary agent, what more can a writer do to strengthen their chances of getting published?

Kate: Make sure you think about what you want from an agent and choose your agent carefully. Do your research and don’t be afraid to ask them questions about what you can expect from them before signing up.

The next thing to consider is your social presence and your social media presence. You’re officially a writer now, soon to be a published author. You are entering a new network and expanding your contacts within this community is vital. This might be through membership of organisations such as SCBWI (for children’s writers), attendance of writers’ festivals and book events, and also via good use of social media.

Opinions change all the time about which social media platforms authors should be on but most evidence shows that doing social media well helps authors connect with readers and supporters. If you are a relative newbie at this don’t be afraid to ask your agent, your publishers (when you have them) and fellow writers for advice, encouragement and tips. I make this part of my ongoing conversations with my authors and often learn as much (or more) from them as they do from me!

Perhaps most importantly, work incredibly hard at your writing and editing. Be patient and responsive to feedback; and flexible, while also of course being true to yourself and your creativity.

Finally, be patient. There are often lots of long waits/silences in the publishing process. When you've run out of patience, get some more!

Isabel: What makes for a good agent/author relationship?

Kate: First, a passion for and commitment to the author’s writing. Next mutual respect, honesty and shared attitudes towards professionalism, promptness and hard work. Finally, on both sides: thoughtfulness, a good sense of humour and graciousness.

Isabel: So far, what have been the most memorable moments of your career?

Kate: Attending the Booker Prize dinner with Jim Crace who had been shortlisted for Quarantine and the Whitbread (now the Costa Prize) with Mark Haddon when he won with A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time were great nights. Also the phone call with the news one of my clients was a Richard & Judy Summer Read; celebrating with Holly Smale and her publishers when she won The Waterstone’s Best Book for Teens Prize, and when she sold her millionth copy; when James Nicol’s Apprentice Witch series was optioned for TV by Lime Pictures - indeed every time there’s wonderful, exciting news to share with authors, to reward their hard, hard work.

But perhaps most of all I love that feeling when the hairs on the back of my arm stand up as I am reading an unpublished, unsolicited novel I have fallen in love with. Often I am the first professional to read it: that is so exciting!

While it is terrific when clients enjoy critical and commercial success, what’s even more special to me is the moment when I recognise their true grit and professionalism. This can happen when I read a second draft of their book, perhaps after I’ve been in two minds about the first draft. Authors make me most proud, and move me most deeply, when they make courageous, difficult changes to their work and in doing so, understand what is required to uncover the brilliance within.

Isabel: What are you reading at the moment?

Kate: Always, always reading with a sense of awe and wonder, new material from my existing clients. And although I don’t get to do this as often as I like, I do still read published books for pleasure and have recently enjoyed Emma Kennedy’s painfully funny memoir, The Tent, The Bucket and Me; Old Baggage by Lissa Evans; Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout.

Isabel: Any final words of encouragement to aspiring writers who are reading this blog today?

Kate: Keep reading other books, keep writing your own. Be realistic about what you can achieve and how you can get there. Work hard. Research hard. Work even harder. Never stop doing these things and you will improve as a writer, whatever else happens. Good luck!