Agent Confidential: Erzsi Deak

Erzsi and her book Pumpkin Time!

Name: Erzsi Deak

AKA: Chick Hen

Agency: Hen&ink Literary Studio

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Genres represented: The children’s bookshelf: picture books, graphic novels, middle-grade and teen fiction and non-fiction. New Adult and some adult fiction and non-fiction.

Authors you represent and titles of books: I represent about 35 authors and illustrators, both new and established talent : Doug Cushman (Pumpkin Time!) Bridget Strevens-Marzo (Tiz & Ott’s Big Draw); Siobhan Curham (True Face); Susan Montanari (My Dog’s a Chicken); Andrea Zuill (Wolf Camp); Kate Banks (NoahBuilds an Ark); Ann Jacobus (Romancing the Dark in the City of Light); Joseph Lee (working title, Shadows of the Dark Crystal); Laura Gehl (Peep & Egg series); Whitney Stewart (Big Sky Mind).

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Recent Deals: Picture books and YA lately with a middle-grade non-fiction project we are excited about and about to sign, but that we can't quite discuss yet.

Wish List: Great voice no matter what – both in words and pictures. I love when I find something fantastic that I didn't know I was looking for – originality, voice and the unexpected are key.

The next Open Coop Day (limited open submission calls), I would be very happy to see:

• Richly woven middle-grade stories in the vein of Holes, The Penderwicks, Three Times Lucky, A Snicker of Magic;
• Smart funny tween girl scripts that whisper that the protagonist might be Georgia Nicholson’s half-cousin twice removed and a character so self-deprecating, honest and funny that the reader cries from laughing – possibly with black-and-white illustrations;
• New and innovative chapter books;
• Illustration samples that complement the Hen&ink list: sweet but not saccharine, whimsical, a great line, lots of movement, superb use of colour, and a dash of spirit; possibly cartoony, but still beautiful.

Your favourite books: There is an ever-growing list at http://henandink.com/submissions.html, but for starters, a few titles that touched me as a kid and still resonate with me: Charlotte’s Web, Where the Wild Things Are, Blueberries for Sal, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler,The Story of Ferdinand… And a hodgepodge of books I've read over the last few years: The Kingdom of Silk series, Legend, Olivia, The Book of Three, Plant a Kiss, Duck & Goose, Dear Dylan, My Life Next Door, Frog & Toad, The Wind in the Willows, A Year Down Yonder, Throne of Glass,Ball…I’m a total fan of a blue donkey called Ariolfrom France.

Agent Style: Everything is individual in the end. That said, we have a “Coop” community and there is a good amount of exchange and sharing of news, tips, etc between Hen&ink authors and illustrators. I am an editorial agent and have been known to work an author through a number of revisions before submitting, so embracing revision is a plus. Once the author and editor have established a working relationship, I step back and am on-call, as needed.

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How to submit: We are currently only open to submissions from writers and illustrators met at conferences; by professional recommendation; and during Open Coop Days. Full submission details are available at http://henandink.com/submissions.html.

Note: SCBWI Winchester 2014 picture book attendees are invited to a Private Open Coop. Please look for the flyer at the conference.

Submission tips: We only accept email submissions and I cannot emphasize the need to study the favourite books list and to pay attention to the guidelines on the Hen&ink submission page http://henandink.com/submissions.html, (for example, if it says, no cover letter, please don't send one. We will get in touch via email if we would like to see more of your work and learn more about you, promise!).

Website: Http://henandink.com

Twitter: @ErzsiDeak

Upcoming events: I am on a book tour in the US, dropping in on Portland, Oregon; San Diego and San Francisco, California; and the Texas book festival in Austin and meeting with publishers in the U.S.

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Do you have questions for Erzsi? Leave them here in the comments. You have more than 140 characters!

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Read Nicola Morgan: How to find a good agent

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If you are an agent and would like to be featured in Agent Confidential, please contact us at writers@britishscbwi.org

Agent Confidential: Jo Unwin

Name: Jo Unwin

AKA: I could tell you but I would have to kill you 

Agency: Jo Unwin Literary Agency 

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Genres represented: Fiction for everyone from 9 – 99, not picture books (except by my existing clients), comedy 

Authors you represent and titles of books: I represent authors for children and adults, and some who are writing for both. Books coming out soon by Maudie Smith, Jesse Armstrong, Jenny Colgan, Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, Richard Ayoade and Georgia Pritchett… 

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Recent deals: Three exciting children’s ones are screenwriter Georgia Pritchett’s series to Quercus (Wilf the Mighty Worrier), Katie Everson’s debut Drop with Walker Books, and Jenny Colgan’s first book for children Polly and the Puffin with Little, Brown Young Readers. 

Wish list: Two things especially: I’d love to see more romance - I like being made to laugh and cry and am always on the lookout for a tearjerker! And comedy for all ages. Books with a really distinct voice, and with a certain warmth to them are likely to catch my eye. 

Your favourite books: Where to begin? As a child I loved The Little Princess, Little House on the Prairie, anything by Noel Streatfield. More recently I adored Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones and The Last Wild by Piers Torday. 

Agent style: It really depends on what the author needs. No two authors are the same, and people need very different things at different stages of their career. 

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How to submit to you: I’ve put guidelines up on my website… 

Submission tips: …but the most important thing is to make sure you work is the best it can possibly be, so that it will stand out. We all get sent a lot! 

Website: www.jounwin.co.uk 

Twitter: @jounwin 

Upcoming events: I’ll be at both the York and Winchester festivals this autumn 

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Do you have questions for Jo? Leave them here in the comments. You have more than 140 characters!

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Read Nicola Morgan: How to find a good agent

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If you are an agent and would like to be featured in Agent Confidential, please contact us at writers@britishscbwi.org

Agent Confidential: Tom Witcomb

Name: Tom Witcomb

AKA: The Man in Black 

Agency: Blake Friedmann Literary, TV & Film Agency

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Genres represented: As an agency we represent right across the board, fiction & non-fiction. My list has a lot of middle-grade and Young Adult fiction, with a few Adult Fiction titles thrown in for good measure. I love crime and thrillers, I like romance, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, contemporary and a real good old-fashioned adventure story – you name it. That said, I’m not too keen on anything about football (or sport in general) the ‘exciting’ world of finance or anything SUPER literary. 

Authors represented: MC Rogerson: THE GIRL AT THE END OF THE WORLD; Tim Baker: FEVER CITY; AV Mather: REFUGE; Verity Glass: THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING; Wendy Bevan-Mogg: SPRING FORWARDS; Zosia Crosse: A SEVERAL WORLD

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Recent deals: Andrew Cartmel’s noir detective trilogy to Titan is the most recent I’ve done.

Wish list: Can I say what I don’t want more of? ANGELS. Please never send me anything with angels in it.

What I’d like to see more of is great characters, perfect plotting, good writing, no clichés – as I’m quite open to anything and everything, the concept doesn’t really make the book, in my opinion (though it admittedly gets people’s attention). There are some great ideas books out there which are terribly written. Funnily enough I never finished reading them. 

Favourite books: When I was a kid I used to love Goosebumps, X-Files spin offs and Point Horror (I think I still do!) But of all time: Vernon GOD Little, Where the Wild Things Are, The Cat in the Hat, Watchmen, Giovanni’s Room, Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, The Hobbit & LOTR, Charlotte’s Web, Maurice, A Song of Ice & Fire…see, the list just goes on and on and I’m definitely missing some really important ones. At the moment, I’m getting a crash-course in contemporary fantasy and sci-fi from our new digital assistant so am reading ANCILLIARY JUSTICE. And I’ve just started Mrs. Dalloway for what seems like the 150^th time.

Agent style: I like to think I’m a ‘full-service’ agent! A sounding board for new ideas, a good listener. I love giving a manuscript a spit and polish alongside the author. Like any good agent, I’m available all hours of the day (though I do occasionally sleep) for anything that might crop up and that’s the part of the job that’s the most rewarding – the relationship you build with a client is wonderful.

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How to submit: See our website for full instructions. Please follow them. Please. I know it might seem nit-picky but I receive loads each week and if someone’s not even performed a basic courtesy of following a set of simple instructions – I don’t think that relationship is going to work. It’s like asking someone to knock quietly because the baby’s asleep, but instead they Sellotape down the doorbell and yell through the letterbox.

Submission tips: See above! I really can’t emphasise the elevator pitch enough, though. In the body text of your email I want to know your name, the title of your book, and a blurb intro to your manuscript which gives me an introduction to the idea and the main players. Add a bit about your history of published work, but only if it’s relevant – journalism, published books, short stories, prizes won – I want to know about the book first and foremost, and hopefully, if I love it, I’ll love you, too.

Website: www.blakefriedmann.co.uk

Twitter: @twitcomb / @bflagency

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Do you have questions for Tom? Leave them here in the comments. You have more than 140 characters!

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Read Nicola Morgan: How to find a good agent

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If you are an agent and would like to be featured in Agent Confidential, please contact us at writers@britishscbwi.org

Agent Confidential: Penny Holroyde

Name: Penny Holroyde 

AKA: I will be Agent Pearl (one of my clients refers to me as a ‘pearl beyond price’, aw).

Agency: Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency Limited

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Genres represented:Authors and illustrators for children’s fiction and non-fiction for all ages. 

Authors represented: Without listing them all, I represent about 40 authors and illustrators from the very established such as Peter Bailey, Tor Freeman, Debi Gliori, Paul Howard and Chris Mould, to the just starting out such as Tom Avery, Ben Davis, Wendy Meddour and Sam Usher.

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Recent deals: Like most agents, I am doing deals all the time: this week for example, the ink has dried on a new four-book deal for Chris Mould, Tommy Donbavand’s Scream Street series of books has started shooting for the BBC, Sam Usher’s illustrating a new book for Egmont, Thomas Docherty is illustrating the first children’s book by an adult best seller, Tom Avery has a new two-book deal with Andersen. 


Wish list: I’m still looking for an M R James for 10+, some more narrative non-fiction which I think is an underpublished area, animal stories, funny stories, contemporary voices, the list goes on. We receive between 30 and 50 submissions a day so if I find it among the unsoliciteds, you know it has something that makes it really stand out. 


Favourite books: I’m such a child with this question, usually responding ‘it’s brilliant’ about whatever book I’m currently reading but really the answer has to be the ones I remember and go back to. I have recently started to reread some of my childhood favourites. Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer still works as far as I’m concerned. 


Agent style: Of course it depends on the client and you quickly learn who needs what: email or phone, how much they love/hate revising, who needs help with ideas, who wants to know the ins and outs of their contract, who actually reads their contracts!

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How to submit: www.carolinesheldon.co.uk 


Submission tips: You’ll all have read this many times before but, do your research. There is no short cut for this. Most literary agents have engaged in events and questionnaires like this one so you can assess whether or not they’re likely to like, and engage with, your work. Always follow the agent’s specified submission guidelines. 


Websites: www.carolinesheldon.co.uk www.carolinesheldonillustrators.co.uk 


Twitter: @PennyHolroyde 


Events: Festival of Writing in York in September, Frankfurt Book Fair in October, SCBWI Winchester conference in November.

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Do you have questions for Penny? Leave them here in the comments. You have more than 140 characters!

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Read Nicola Morgan: How to find a good agent

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If you are an agent and would like to be featured in Agent Confidential, please contact us at writers@britishscbwi.org

Agent Confidential: Jodie Hodges

Name: Jodie Hodges 

AKA: The Secret Essex Girl 

Agency: United Agents 

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Genres represented: Children’s and YA books – including picture books and illustrators. 

Authors represented: Sophie McKenzie – the Girl, Missing series among others. Rick Riordan (in the UK) – Percy Jackson etc. Sarah McIntyre – illustrator of Oliver & The Seawigs Laura Dockrill – Darcy Burdock series Phil Earle – Being Billy; Saving Daisy; Heroic; The Bubble Wrap Boy Kate Hindley – illustrator of The Great Snortle Hunt and How To Wash a Woolly Mammoth Benjamin Zephaniah – Terror Kid (out in Sept) Peter Bently – author of King Jack & The Dragon; Cats Ahoy; Meet The Parents… Jim Field – illustrator of Oi Frog! Cats Ahoy; Magic Ink… 

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Recent deals:Debut author illustrator Rob Biddulph’s three book deal with Harper Collins after a busy auction. First picture book ‘Blown Away’ out in September, with US, France, Germany and Holland already on board. Debut YA author Abbie Rushton’s ‘Unspeakable’ with Atom (Little, Brown). Phil Earle’s move into middle grade with a four book deal, at auction, to Orion. His first ‘Demolition Dad’ out next spring. 

Wish list: I’m open to anything and everything – that’s the beauty of looking after the whole spectrum of children’s writing and illustration. I love to see authors who know their audience and have an idea, however rough, of where there book would sit in the current marketplace. Who have spent time honing their writing so the vocab, dialogue and voice are exactly pitched right for their readers. And writers who are writing about something they know; I don’t often get that feeling from a submission, it often feels forced. In illustration I like to see a well-rounded portfolio – again, too often people do themselves a disservice by submitting too early or not having enough examples of the type of illustration you would generally find in a picture book – toddlers, pirates, dinosaurs, animals, domestic scenes, monsters, aliens…. 

Favourite books: I love Skellig deeply; I Capture The Castle; The Tiger Who Came to Tea; The Virgin Suicides (imagine something like that now – perfect!) As a young child my copy of The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark was unbelievably dog-eared, and I read and re-read Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech when I was a teenager; it’s a beautiful book but I’ve no idea why it connected with me so much, I adored it.

Agent style: I’m very much led by the client. I think I’m primarily there to facilitate a happy, creative relationship between writer and editor (stepping in if and when things get less happy!) Debut authors will be more editorial at first, but I often step back editorially once the author has a working relationship with an editor (too many cooks!) Some authors like me to see their drafts before delivering to their editor, a lot are happy to work right up to deadline and deliver straight to the publisher. I’m happy whichever works for the writer. 

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How to submit:Fiction – synopsis and first three chapters Picture book texts – three separate texts Illustrators – a good selection of JPEGs or PDF of samples. All should have a covering e-mail. To jhodges@unitedagents.co.uk 

Submission tips:Think of it as a job application. You’d personalise your letter for that, so please get my name right! Make sure you’ve followed the specific agents’ guidelines. There aren’t that many of us that this is such an arduous task. 

Website:www.unitedagents.co.uk 

Twitter:@jodiehodges31 

Events: United Agents sponsors the Writing for Young People MA prize each year, so I’m going to speak to the students soon about that, and more generally about publishing, including taking a workshop on writing for under 10s, which seems to be the most unpopular area to write for, especially on creative writing courses, which is a great shame.

Do you have questions for Jodie? Leave them here in the comments. You have more than 140 characters!

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Read Nicola Morgan: How to find a good agent

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If you are an agent and would like to be featured in Agent Confidential, please contact us at writers@britishscbwi.org

Agent Confidential: Sallyanne Sweeney

Name: Sallyanne Sweeney 


AKA: SAS 


Agency: Mulcahy Associates 

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Genres Represented: Every kind of children’s fiction, from picture books to YA/crossover novels, and I’m growing a small but fantastic list of illustrators too. On the adult side, I represent writers of a broad range of literary and commercial fiction (though not usually police procedurals or science fiction/fantasy) and am interested in memoirs and food writing.  

Authors Represented: Published authors/illustrators include Aita Ighodaro, Barbara Fox, Caroline Finnerty, Claire Hennessy, Felicity Everett, Francesca Gambatesa, Jane McLoughlin, Mark Boyle, Nelle Davy, Ruth Frances Long, Sarah Painter, Steven Lenton. 

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Recent deals: Jon Walter’s literary debut CLOSE TO THE WIND to David Fickling Books, Kieran Fanning’s middle-grade fantasy adventure SCHOOL OF SHADOWS to Chicken House, Ruth Frances Long’s YA fantasy trilogy A CRACK IN EVERYTHING to O’Brien Press… and a few others that it’s too early to talk about.  

Wish list: I often don’t know what I’m looking for until I see it, but I love when I’m surprised (in a good way!) by a submission. The volume we receive is high, so anything that can make me sit up and pay attention is very exciting – whether that’s because of an interesting concept, unusual setting, or a really fresh, strong voice. I also want to be moved in some way by the writing – my favourite novels are those that make me laugh and cry and I love to find a character (or characters) I can root for. Overall though, I’m open to writing in any genre and age group, and most of my authors have come from unsolicited submissions. 

Favourite books:At the moment they’re HOLES by Louis Sachar, HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff, SKELLIG by David Almond and ELEANOR AND PARK by Rainbow Rowell. Growing up, my all-time favourites were MATILDA, UNDER THE HAWTHORN TREE, GOODNIGHT MR TOM and THE BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (and LITTLE WOMEN, partly because I’m the eldest of four sisters – but definitely more Jo March than Meg).  

Agent style:I’m a hands-on agent and work with each of my clients according to their needs at the time. I love the editorial process of collaborating with an author to make their manuscript the best it can be, and it’s so satisfying to see a novel strengthened by each round of revisions. I’m also more generally the author and book’s champion, whether that’s in placing the novel with a publisher and securing the best possible deal for the author, in selling translation or dramatic rights, or in working with the author and publisher to ensure the publication process is as smooth and successful as it can be.

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How to Submit: The synopsis and first three chapters to submissions@ma-agency.com. Submissions guidelines can be found here: http://www.ma-agency.com/submissions.

Submission tips: I think Philip Pullman said “Read like a butterfly, write like a bee”, which I think is great advice. Follow agency guidelines and personalize your query letter – this will get much more attention that if you send a “Dear Agent” email off to every agency. I’d also advise against following trends; write the story only you can write.. 

Website: www.ma-agency.comhttp://www.ma-agency.com/

Twitter: @sallyanne_s 

Events: This year I’ll be at the Writers’ Workshop Getting Published Day on 1st March in Regent’s Park College, the Irish Writers’ Centre in Dublin on 8th March, Dublin Writers’ Festival on the 17th May, Winchester Writers’ Conference on 20th June and the Festival of Writing in York from 12th-14th September.

Do you have questions for Sally? Leave them here in the comments. You have more than 140 characters!

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Read Nicola Morgan: How to find a good agent

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Mel              Katrina              Tania,

If you are an agent and would like to be featured in Agent Confidential, please contact us at writers@britishscbwi.org

Agent Confidential: Bryony Woods

Name: Bryony Woods 


AKA: B. (I like to keep things simple) 


Agency: Diamond Kahn & Woods (DKW) 

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Genres Represented: Children’s books from 7+ to YA, all genres (although my taste veers towards the more literary) and commercial and literary fiction for adults. 

Authors Represented: Nicole Burstein, Virginia Macgregor, S. E. Lister, A. E. Rawson, G. L. Morgan and Ishbelle Bee. 

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Recent deals: Nicole Burstein’s debut novel OTHERGIRL, plus a second book, to Andersen Press. WHAT MILO SAW by Virginia Macgregor, and a second novel, to Little, Brown. S. E. Lister’s literary debut HIDEOUS CREATURES to Old Street. And another very recent deal which I’ll be able to announce soon! 

Wish list: I’m always looking for manuscripts that are quite dark and literary, and at the moment I’m particularly hungry for a good ghost story for older readers. I’ve always had a soft spot for fantasy and time-travel stories, and at the younger end of my list I’m keen to find some wild adventure stories, and stories that focus on friendship. But it’s difficult to define exactly what it is that I’m looking for, as I often won’t know it until I see it. The best submissions are usually ones that take me by surprise. 

Favourite books: Always a tough question – I have so many favourites! But to give you a general idea, my favourite YA novels include How I Live Now (Meg Rosoff), Tender Morsels (Margo Lanagan), and I just read and fell completely in love with Code Name Verity (Elizabeth Wein). I also love classics such as Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein and The Woman in White. I adore fairytales, particularly those of Oscar Wilde and Hans Christian Andersen. And so many adventure stories have a place in my heart – The Hobbit, Journey to the River Sea and the Narnia books to name just a few. 

Agent style: It very much depends on the client and what they need from me. I’m always prepared to be very hands-on editorially, and I will always focus on the client’s long-term career goals. One of the beauties of running a boutique agency with a small and focused list is that I get to enjoy a very close working relationship with all of my authors.

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How to Submit: Three chapters and a synopsis to submissions.bryony@dkwlitagency.co.uk. Full guidelines can be found here: http://dkwlitagency.co.uk/submissions/ 

Submission tips: Always persevere. Not everyone has the same taste in books, so keep trying until you’ve found an agent who will really champion your work in the way that it deserves. Be professional in your approach. Read the submission guidelines, and proof read your submission several times over (and then get someone else to proof read it too!) Do your research. Know an agent’s taste before you approach them, look at their client list and the deals they’ve done in order to know that they are the right agent for you. Keep writing. Finding an agent can be a long process, and the wait can be the perfect time to experiment with other projects, other ideas and writing styles. And then, if your first manuscript isn’t successful, write another book – a better one. Take the time to think about any feedback you received on that first book and use it constructively. And lastly, have faith in your work. If you believe in it, chances are that someone else will too. 

Website: dkwlitagency.co.uk 

Twitter: @bryonywoods 

Events: I’ll be at the SCBWI Retreat in May – and I’m really looking forward to it!

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Read Nicola Morgan: How to find a good agent

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If you are an agent and would like to be featured in Agent Confidential, please contact us at writers@britishscbwi.org

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Tania Tay is an ex-advertising copywriter and has been published in Sable LitMag. She is currently writing a YA romantic thriller, and is on the editorial team at Words & Pictures.

Nicola Morgan: How to find a good agent

Nicola Morgan

It's SCBWI's London Agents Party this evening so to accompany Michelle Newell's excellent party tips we thought it would be timely to repost this similarly excellent advice from Nicola Morgan. 

I want to help you choose a good agent, an agent who will do what good agents are supposed to do. But first, let me tell you what a good agent does.

Over the years of being published by different publishers in different genres, I have gleaned some knowledge about contracts and rights and how to fight for mine. Yet, if my agent decided to hang up her stilettos, I’d throw myself at the feet of another. Why? In short, because I want to write, not fight for my rights. And my agent, as all good agents will, does all the things listed below and does them so much better than I could.

...if my agent decided to hang up her stilettos, I’d throw myself at the feet of another.

Since agents only earn a percentage of their clients’ income, they have a vested interest in maximizing that income. That seems to me not a bad thing.

 WHAT A GOOD AGENT DOES

• Gives honest, expert feedback on your work, and makes you improve it if necessary – lessening the chance of rejection and egg on your face.
• Knows where to send your work – including individual editors and their preferences – and sends it for you, so you never have to worry about a submission again; discusses you with publishers who trust her judgment.
• Negotiates the best deal, including every aspect of the contract, having a finger on the pulse of what other agents are negotiating, especially in the changing arena of digital rights etc.
• Sells subsidiary rights – such as foreign, film and TV, and audio.
• Understands royalty statements and queries them if necessary – royalty statements are a minefield for writers. I tend to come over all faint when I see them. 
• Has an eye for new opportunities – publishers, particularly in educational and children’s markets, will tell agents what they are looking for and your agent can pass this information to you.
• Manages your long-term career, guiding you in sensible directions.
• Deals with problems, niggles and disasters. These things will happen.
• Plays bad cop with your publisher, so that you can play the part of lovely, calm, reasonable author.
• Increases your earnings – authors with agents earn more than those without.
• Allows you to write.

SOME AGENTS DO THE FOLLOWING AS WELL, BUT MOST DON'T:

• Create publicity for you – other than the obvious plugging of your name where possible.
• Organise your event programme.
• Edit your work – all agents should suggest important alterations, but detailed editing is not their normal job, unless they actually say it is.

You will hear people say that agents are sharks and will drink your blood dry. As with all professions, the bad drag down the reputations of the good. Find yourself a good one and you won’t regret it.

 HOW CAN YOU FIND A GOOD ONE?

Being an agent is not a job for amateurs. Obviously, every agent must start somewhere and acquire a first client – but this can only work if that agent already has substantial experience of dealing with publishing rights in another professional capacity. For example, many agents were publishers for years before they became agents and that is a good way into the business.

It’s also important that you actually like the agent. A perfectly brilliant agent simply might not be right for you and it’s important to allow instinct to come into play. So, meet your agent if possible. At the very least, have some phone conversations and remain sober during them.

So, what should you be looking for? Here are some questions; some you must ask directly, while others you may find out through asking around:

• What other authors does the agent represent? Check that these authors are properly published and have some success.
• What previous experience of publishing led to his becoming an agent? If there is no previous proper experience, run.
• Is this the agent’s only job? If not, how serious is he and how much time and energy will the agent have for you?
• How does the agent sell foreign rights? For example, he might use sub-agents or scouts, but there should be some clear answer to the question. Similar question for TV/ film rights, and merchandising rights if you write for young children. But avoid sounding as though you think your book merits TV/film/merchandising opportunities.
• Is the agent a member of the Association of Authors’ Agents? It’s not essential to be a member, and smaller independent agents often aren’t, but you should ask if the agent at least adheres to its code of practice, a code which you can read on the AAA website. In Scotland there’s also the Association of Scottish Literary Agents.
• Can you see the contract that you would sign? Get it checked by someone who understands: perhaps another agented author, or the Society of Authors if you are a member.
• Is the agent asking for money up front? If so, run a mile. An agent should not charge a reading fee, though they are quite entitled to charge for things like photo-copying. Such extras should be specified in the contract.

In short, be astute and cautious. 

Copyright © Nicola Morgan 2013

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@nicolamorgan

Nicola Morgan is a multi-award-winning YA and children's writer. She has published nearly 100 books. She also writes about the publishing industry and about how to get published. Her book Write to be Published, and her blog Help! I Need a Publisher! are renowned for their straightforward advice. Her other guides for writers include the ebooks Write a Great Synopsis and Dear Agent. She has also self-published some of her own books, including republishing her debut novel, Mondays are Red, as an ebook with extra material.

Agent Confidential: Ben Illis

Name: Ben Illis 

AKA: Ben ‘Danger’ Illis or Ben X (Ben 10 being already taken) I am also, rather oddly, licensed to kill. Only lionfish and only in the Caribbean (they are an invasive species)

Agency: The BIA (needs no secret agent version, I’d like to think)

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Genres represented: Children's (7+,9-12) Young Adult, New Adult, Crossover.

Authors represented and titles of books: Beverley Birch – Rift (Egmont), Shakespeare Stories (Hodder) and countless others. 
Paul Bryers – Spooked (Hodder) Mysteries of the Septagram Trilogy (Hodder) and many others.
H.L. Dennis – Secret Breakers series (Hodder). Alan Early – The Father of Lies Chronicles, AKA Arthur Quinn Trilogy (Mercier) 
Seth Hunter – Nathan Peake series (Headline).
Ian Johnstone – The Bell Between Worlds – The Mirror Chronicles (Harper Collins). 
Claire McFall – Ferryman, Bombmaker (Templar) 

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Recent deals: Matt Brown – Compton Valance + sequel(Usborne 2014).
Brian Conaghan – When Mr Dog Bites + sequel (Bloomsbury 2014).
Lisa Glass – Blue + two sequels (Quercus 2014). 
And last, but not least, H.L. Dennis – new series, negotiations in progress – watch this space! 

Wish list: I hate this one, as I invariably find something I adore that doesn’t fit any of these bills, but here goes nothing: Strong, especially female-led, adventure stories for 9-12. Hilarious and probably toilet humour-based 7+. 
An uncompromising YA book that deals with burgeoning LGBT sexuality.
I’m always a sucker for good: romance; fantasy (not too high concept); real life stories, especially thrillers with a contemporary angle; horror that truly unsettles and ghost stories that send a shiver up (or down) my spine.
Oh, and Wyndhamesque dystopian sci-fi; unreliable narrators and jaw-droppingly original voices and stories, of course. 

Favourite books:How long have I got?! In no particular order and as they come into my, rather chaotic, head.
From my own childhood:
Robert Westall – especially The Machine-Gunners 
Robert Swindells – Brother in the Lands Willard Price – Hal & Roger Hunt Adventures Michael Ende – The Never-ending Story (NOT the film!) 
John Christopher –Tripods 
Rosemary Harris – Zed 
Anything by Roald Dahl, John Wyndham, Mollie Hunter, Mercedes Lackey, Terry Pratchett, Stephen King, Dean Koontz and a lot of other - often fantasy/horror - titles.

More recently: Cliff McNish – anything, but especially The Doomspell Trilogy 
Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night-Time 
Lian Hearn – Tales of the Otori Series 
Stuart Hill – Icemark series 
Will Hill – Department 19 series 
Nick Lake – In Darkness 
Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl series 
Jerry Spinelli – Milkweed 
Louis Sachar - Holes 
Sundry other favourite writers – 
Marcus Sedgwick, Philip Reeve, Cornelia Funke, Mary Hoffman, Neil Gaiman, JK Rowling (obvs), Michael Morpurgo, Suzanne Collins, Malorie Blackman, Philip Pullman, Louise Rennison and loads, loads more! 

Among writers for adults: 
Amitav Ghosh, David Mitchell, Rohinton Mistry, Barbara Kingsolver, Khaled Hosseini, Ann Patchett, Ahdaf Soueif, Neil Gaiman and, you guessed it, loads, loads more… 

Agent style: Hands on! Lots of irreverent banter; brainstorming; pacing around(on my part), gesticulating wildly and chasing ideas, while drinking and smoking - arguably too much - and following hunches and gut feelings. I like to roll my sleeves up and thrash things out and am something of a terrier,albeit a rather tall one. 

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How to submit: Follow the guidelines on my website. Woe-betide anyone who sends me a file labelled ‘samplechapters.doc’. 

Submission tips: READ the guidelines! Make sure your submission is labelled with your name AND the book’s title. Be ready for it. Be age-appropriate. Know your intended market. Read around your subject. Be patient. Be persistent – you won’t necessarily secure the first agent you submit to, nor even secure an agent in your first round. You need dedication. Don’t scatterbomb ideas. Show me your passion and commitment to a single project in the first place, then bring up your other ideas down the line. Read some of your chosen agent’s clients’ work and see if they are likely to be the right one for you. Take criticism, when it is offered, and let it sink in. Don’t be defensive, but be prepared to defend your intentions in the editing process - nobody likes a pushover! 

Website: www.the-bia.com 

Twitter: @bookboyben 

Events: I am taking part in a workshop on the 29th September, with the wonderful Golden Egg Academy and will be doing something with The London Writers’ Group on the 15th October. Then there’s next year’s Winchester Writers’ Conference, of course, and, I hope, also SCWBI UK.

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Read Nicola Morgan on 'How to Find a Good Agent'

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Mel Rogerson and Katrina Charman
Writing Features Editors

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