andrew lownie literary agency

Articles

Andrew Lownie uses his expert knowledge in the publishing field to maximise the potential of his clients and build up their careers. Here Andrew Lownie, and some of his clients and guest columnists, share advice on a variety of topics to writers. Elsewhere on the site you can find a Frequently Asked Questions list on literary agents, as well as advice for submitting work to agents.

  • Ghostly Reflections

    03 Mar 2013

    Sixteen of the agency’s ghost writers share their five tips on how they work with their subjects and what they believe is needed to ghost a successful book. Mary Alexander, ghostwriter of Call Me Elizabeth, by Dawn Annandale. 1. You must connect with the person you are ghosting. It’s even better if you like them. You’ve got to almost ‘be’ them for 80,000 plus words, and it’s much harder to do that if you don’t want to be there and don’t believe in their story. I have turned down ghosting opportunities with people I don’t ‘get&rsq...Read more

  • Some Tips on Approaching an Agent

    26 Jan 2013

    Andrew Lownie offers some advice on how best to present yourself to an agent. Authors are often angry, frustrated or shocked by the responses or lack of responses from agents and it might be useful to give some background and advice which might help with pitching to agents. Your book is special to you and may one day be to other people but at the moment it is just another submission. Authors need to remember that agents are inundated with submissions. Most have full lists already and need to concentrate on their existing clients. Of course we are looking for new talent but the chances...Read more

  • What UK Fiction Editors Want 2013

    12 Jan 2013

    Twenty-three of the UK's leading fiction editors describe the kinds of books they are looking to commission in 2013... Sarah Adams, Publishing Director, Transworld I publish fiction, mainly crime/thrillers, and I thrive on discovering new talent. My list ranges from ‘up and comers’ Belinda Bauer, S. J. Bolton & Wiley Cash, to brand names Mo Hayder and Tess Gerritsen. I am excited by genre-busting authors such as Kate Atkinson, Rosamund Lupton and S J Watson. Forgive the clichés, but I’m looking for compelling storytelling, quality writing and a killer concept that taps into our ...Read more

  • What UK Non-Fiction Editors Want 2013

    12 Jan 2013

    Thirty British non-fiction editors set out the sort of books they are seeking to publish this year. Myles Archibald, Publishing Director, Harper Collins I want non-fiction books that explain the big subjects brilliantly or small subjects in a completely engaging way. They both need to have interesting structures that engage the reader. They’ll be written by enthusiasts, professional or amateur, who have a real passion for their subject who will have probably lived the narrative journey. And they are as likely to be about purple emperors, as pulsars, RNA as whales. Hugh Barker, Co...Read more

  • What US Editors Want 2013

    12 Jan 2013

    Eleven US editors have kindly explained what sort of books they are looking for this year . Amy Cherry, Vice President & Senior Editor, Norton Having just handled the reissues of the 50th anniversaries of A Clockwork Orange and The Feminine Mystique , I’ve had a chance to contemplate how little we can guess about which books will make a mark. Both these works were bought because they were important and provocative, not because they had any guarantee of becoming the bestsellers they were. That, despite my penchant for quirky books, leads me to the kind of book submissions that I ...Read more

  • Another Forgotten Child returns to best seller lists

    02 Jan 2013

    In the week ending 29 December, Cathy Glass's Another Forgotten Child returned to the Sunday Times paperback non-fiction chart at number 15 .Read more