For the December #206 issue of Writers’ Forum I interviewed Amber Caraveo and Joanna Moult of the Skylark Literary Agency about their submission process.

Unlike most literary agents Amber and Jo prefer to receive the whole manuscript in the first instance. this way if they are gripped by the opening they can carry on reading. They are looking for stories that are so compelling they don’t want to put the manuscript down until they have reached the end.

They explained that sometimes it is the voice, sometimes it is beautiful lyrical writing, sometimes it is the humour and sometimes it is being transported to a beautiful world that makes a manuscript stand out.

Amber’s tip for writers who are thinking about submitting to them is:

Don’t be nervous – we want to see your manuscripts. The success of our business depends on authors like you sharing your work with us! And please tell us a little about yourself. It’s much more engaging when we have a sense of the person behind the novel.

Jo says:

Please don’t feel that you can get anything ‘wrong’ in a covering letter. As long as you’re not rude, the most important thing for us is the quality of your story, so please don’t panic too much about making sure your pitch is flawless or your synopsis is snappy.

You can read the full interview in the Dec 2018 #206 issue of Writers Forum.

You can find out more about the Skylark Literary Agency and the writers they represent on their website: www.skylark-literary.com or follow them on Twitter @AmberCaraveo   @JoannaMoult⁩ @SkylarkLit