More than 30 people, many of them new to the SWWJ, enjoyed a brilliant evening with literary agent Penny Holroyde on 24th May. The private room at The Savoy Tup, just off The Strand in London, was absolutely buzzing with energy… and Penny didn’t disappoint!
She kicked off the evening by telling everyone there were no silly questions – ask whatever you like. Her friendly, relaxed approach certainly encouraged a lot of participation and there were some thought-provoking questions posed throughout the ninety-minute session.
Penny had some good tips to offer anyone looking for an agent. At the top of the list was: make sure the agent deals with your genre, and pay attention to their submission guidelines – she added that in her experience six out of ten submissions do not conform. Look at the agent’s website and get a ‘feel’ for the style of books written by their authors.
Penny emphasised that your writing has to be amazing to get noticed. Agents are busy people and if you don’t grab their attention in the first couple of paragraphs, it’s unlikely they will read on. Avoid ‘over writing’ with too many adjectives.
On the subject of writing a synopsis, Penny suggested one A4 page would be sufficient. A good cover letter was essential; you must get to the point quickly. She asked us to imagine being in an elevator, giving our pitch to an agent before we reached our floor…
Be professional in your approach. After your pitch, put in a little bit of background information about yourself.
Her final tip was taken from Stephen King: when you have finished your manuscript put it away for six weeks – this will allow you to read it through with ‘fresh eyes’.
A full report, with additional photos, will appear in the next issue of The Woman Writer.
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