FAQ with Juliet Mushens

Every week on twitter I hang out on the hashtag ‘askagent’ and answer people’s questions about writing, publishing, editing and agenting. Over the years I’ve been doing this, some common themes have popped up, and sometimes the same question is asked frequently. Therefore it seemed a good idea to do a blog post answering the most regularly asked ‘askagent’ questions in the hope that they will help those of you getting ready to submit your work! 

Do I need to finish my novel first, or is an idea enough?

You need to have finished your novel first, edited it, and polished it. Many authors don’t quite know where a book is going until they’ve reached the end. Perhaps the character you thought the novel would focus on has faded away a little, or perhaps the plot has turned on its head and the murderer doesn’t make sense anymore! Once you have finished it, put it away in a drawer for a month, so you have a little bit of distance from it. Then put it on your Kindle and read it with a notepad and paper next to you, making sure you note down the places where the pacing lags, or the motivation isn’t quite clear… Once you’ve done that edit, I recommend going through the manuscript a couple more times to make sure it is in good shape for an agent to receive.

Should I pay for an editor?

That is totally up to you – but it’s certainly not something I expect an author to have done. I think you should edit and polish the book as much as you can yourself, and use beta-readers/critique partners if you have them. If you do want to use an editing service there are some great ones out there: make sure to read their testimonials to check you will be in safe hands!

How long are most books aimed at adults?

The majority are 80k-100k. However in fantasy the wordcount can go as high as 150k. However, I’m not a stickler: the shortest adult novel I signed was 55k (it ended up at 100k when published). I would say that a very long wordcount can give me pause as it can be incredibly hard to sustain tension in, say, a 140k word crime novel.

Can I send a revised work to an agent who already rejected it?

Generally no. Unless they said when rejecting it ‘I’d happily look at a revised manuscript’ it’s best to move on and send the revised version to other agents. If you write something different you can send to agents who have previously rejected you: several authors on my client list came about this way!

When is my manuscript ready to send?

I recommend doing at least three drafts of the book before sending out to agents. You only get one chance to make a first impression! However, try not to get too hung up on making it ‘perfect’. Make it as good as you can get it, certainly, but I don’t expect perfection.

What is your most common reason for rejecting something?

Often there isn’t enough suspense or enough of a ‘hook’ to keep me reading. I need to care about the characters and what happens to them – whether that is in a thriller, or in a contemporary YA novel.

Do I need to have won writing competitions or have a big social media following to catch an agent’s attention?

In fiction, not at all! Some of my biggest deals and biggest bestsellers have been authors who don’t even have any social media presence. If you’re writing non-fiction it can help to have an established platform, but it’s not something I expect if you’re writing novels. Similarly, if you have won writing competitions or have completed a creative writing course you should certainly mention it, but many of my authors had no writing credits until the novel I signed them for.

What makes a cover letter stand out?

The cover letter/query letter should be 90% about the book and 10% about you. You should establish: genre, the elevator pitch/hook for the novel, a paragraph long blurb (the sort of thing you would find written on the back of a published book), comparison titles are helpful, and then a couple of lines about you. Those lines can be as simple as ‘I live in Rugby and am an amateur beekeeper’! If you have a connection to the story – e.g. you’re a police detective and it’s a crime series, or you teach Classics and it’s Greek mythology – then absolutely mention it, but it really can be as brief as you like. What makes me eager to read on is an interesting pitch which fits my reading taste. Jessie Burton published her original query letter for THE MINIATURIST and my comments on it, which I think is a great example: https://medium.com/galleys/dear-juliet-fd74222bf9be

How many agents should I send to at once, and how should I research them?

I’d suggest sending in batches of 8-10. The Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook is a book which lists every agency in the UK and what they accept in terms of genre. That is a fantastic jumping off point. I’d then look at the agency websites of those you’re interested in, pick which agent at each seems most suited to your work, and send it off – making sure always to follow their submission guidelines. If you do get a response – such as an offer of representation – it’s standard to let the other agents know, and to ask for a week to make your decision. There are some novels where I have been the first agent to offer, but for others I have been the last agent, and it’s a good idea to meet or have a phone call with the interested parties to make sure your visions for the novel align.

What makes you sign something?

It’s hard to put my finger on it but generally it needs to be a book that stops feeling like ‘work’ – I’m no longer consciously thinking about editing and manoeuvring, I’m just thinking about what is going to happen to the characters, and how the plot is going to unfold. If I don’t want to stop reading it to say, eat or sleep, and once I’ve finished it I’m desperate to talk about it, then I know it’s something I want to offer representation on. Of course, it is a subjective thing! Books aren’t the same as equations – there’s no X + Y = bestseller in literature. There are certainly books I’ve represented where I’ve been the only agent to offer representation, and they’ve gone on to be major international bestsellers. And of course there are novels I have signed and loved which I have then been unable to sell. However, my hit rate is generally very good, and I tend to believe that if I love something, publishers will also love it. That sort of optimism has got me a long way.