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.

  • Lazarus in Dark Glasses

    16 Sep 2007

    Paul Willetts, the author of the standard life of the writer Julian Maclaren-Ross and who has edited several collections of Maclaren-Ross's stories, letters and writings, reflects on how he became interested in his subject and has built up the writer's profile. It’s more than twenty-five years since I became interested in the chaotic life and, at that time, obscure work of the Soho dandy Julian Maclaren-Ross (1912-64). I was around seventeen when I first read some of his strikingly original, once popular short stories about his experiences during the Second World War, stories ...Read more

  • Living the Writer's Dream

    21 Aug 2007

    Cathy Glass’s first book Damaged was a no 1 bestseller in hardback and has gone straight in at no 1 on its paperback publication. Her next fostering memoir Hidden is published in November. Further details at www.cathyglass.co.uk I have been a writer for 30 years – articles, short stories, poems, the odd radio play, and writing competitions. Like many writers it was a hobby, something I did almost furtively in my spare time, while employed in my ‘bread and butter’ work, and looking after my family; all the while waiting to be discovered. The big one, the novel I se...Read more

  • The New World Order Will Not Be Televised

    10 Jul 2007

    Alan Baker, whose directory of the paranormal and conspiracies will be published by Mainstream next year, looks at ‘Conspiracy Theories and the Paranormal’. The mid-nineties seem like a lifetime ago. In those heady days, conspiracy theories and the paranormal were all the rage. Mulder and Scully were battling aliens, monsters and the Secret Government in ‘The X-Files’; UFOs were seen flitting through skies all over the world; and the ‘Grey’ alien became an international cultural icon. Every month, it seemed, saw a new book or TV documentary on aliens, ...Read more

  • How to Write a Military History Best-seller

    01 Jul 2007

    Tim Newark, author and editor of Military Illustrated, talks to several military publishers to discover the real secrets behind hitting the top of the best-seller charts. ‘You can start by taking out military,’ says Claire Kingston at Collins Popular Non-fiction. ‘We are talking popular history, good people stories, strong narrative.’ She should know. HarperCollins have been riding high in the best-seller charts with Bomber Boys by Patrick Bishop, a fascinating account of the Allied bombing campaign in World War Two. But surely this is good old-fashioned aviation ...Read more

  • Marketing Duncan Falconer

    02 Jun 2007

    David Shelley , Paperback Publisher of Sphere, the commercial imprint of Little, Brown, describes the marketing campaign behind thriller writer Duncan Falconer’s latest book The Protector. David’s authors include Mark Billingham, Jeff Abbott, Duncan Falconer, Nelson DeMille and Mark Gimenez. I am lucky enough to publish one of Britain’s most talented action-thriller writers, Duncan Falconer. Formerly a member of the elite SBS Service, Duncan has some amazing tales from his days in action, as well as a natural gift for storytelling. He delivered his fourth book, The Prote...Read more

  • Book Publicity Begins at Home

    01 Jun 2007

    It is a truth universally acknowledged that an author with a new book must be in want of a wife to promote it. Or that’s what Victoria Sorzano decided when her husband published his book last year. And she discovered there’s plenty that authors can do to push their books beyond re-arranging copies in bookshops. Writer’s partners are often imagined as a quiet force behind each book, diligently typing away, researching, proof-reading and critiquing every chapter as it comes off the printer. I did none of those things for my husband Adrian Gilbert when he was writing POW: A...Read more