Karolina Sutton

I’m always looking for exciting debut authors with a really distinctive style and voice, but that’s just the beginning. Good prose is a prerequisite for me to be interested in a manuscript, but being a good writer isn’t sufficient – you have to have something exciting to say. I’d rather hear from an author who has a fantastic idea but is still perfecting his or her style than a beautiful writer who has nothing to say. Although I would never take on a writer who couldn’t write, however exciting the premise of their novel. If you are a good writer with a great idea then the world is your oyster.

Quality will prevail. Even if a manuscript arrives with hundreds of others, if it stands out, agents will pick it up. I always say to writers that they should be as clear as possible when describing their work. A good covering letter is incredibly important. If it’s convoluted, full of grammatical mistakes or arrogant, I probably won’t even read the first three chapters. Be confident – if you have an exciting manuscript, all you need to do is contact an agent with a letter that is competent and sounds interesting. We will read it. Perhaps include something about your life or literary tastes. Alan Garner once said, “When you start, the world of publishing seems like a great cathedral citadel of talent, resisting attempts to let you inside. It isn't like that at all. It may be more difficult now, and take longer than when I started to write, but there's a great, empty warehouse out there looking for simple talent.” It is true. We are looking for simple talent.

I’m interested in knowing what the author reads for pleasure and also who their literary inspirations and influences are. It’s very impressive when you get an approach from someone who has read a lot of contemporary fiction and can really place his or her work within literary context.

You can only be a debut author once. It may be a cliché, but it’s a relevant cliché. What’s wonderful about that first book is that it signals your arrival as a writer on the literary scene. It’s important to be ambitious and get it right. I want to hear from writers who have really worked hard on their debut and understand that it needs to be good to flourish in a very crowded market. It can be heartbreaking, but sometimes it’s necessary to put a manuscript to one side and start again.

Gordon Wise

Even people who say their list is closed may secretly be looking for new people, but you need to respect why they may be saying why their list is closed. If they meet the right person, at the right time, and have a vision for their work, then they may be willing to consider representation, but the whole point of saying your list is closed is in order to be able to focus on the writers you already represent and give them the attention they deserve. We’ve all got our own specialities and even with a broad list an agent will be looking for a certain sort of thing, as well as people who write well and have great ideas.

An idea needs to be as resolved as possible before you go and find an agent. The worst kinds of submission letters are vague and look for our opinion. When we get these, I have to respond, “No, no what do you think?” You need to get something under your belt that you absolutely believe in. We want something that’s watertight and has been road-tested on other people. Only then can we start to work together.

In this day and age, we’re also looking for authors who are aware of how the world works. Authors need to be plugged into the kind of other books people are reading, as well as TV shows and films. Books are one of many forms of entertainment and they need to earn their place on the shelf. You’ve got to find a way of appealing to the kind of things people are after, not just in the world of books. Publishers are looking for people who can arrive on their doorstep with a 360-degree view of the world around them. This will make them a more attractive business partner.

While we often do get editorially involved, the ideal is to do this with a light touch; the writer after all, is the writer, and the publisher's editor should be their editor rather than us. But the more the agent can help save the author from themselves where necessary, and sort out the little things that would distract the editor and which the writer might not be seeing themselves, the better.

Want to know more? Karolina and Gordon will be answering your questions at the IdeasTap Spa this Wednesday. Book your free ticket now.

Beautiful Books by LauraMary available by CC BY-NC 2.0.