The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2013 2013 Writers' and Artists': Amazon.co.uk: Www Writersandartists Co Uk: Books (To be published in about a month. The 2012 version is currently available.) I have the 2011 version, haven't bought a new one yet. I think I'm going to get the 2013. This book explains everything you need to know about the road to getting published in Britain and Ireland, no matter what kind of a writer you are. It also has an enormous number of useful contact details, and great articles on writing. I seriously cannot recommend this book enough. Anyone else have anything useful like this?
I own The Writers And Artists Yearbooks from 2008-2012. Thanks for reminding me that 2013 is out soon, I'll definitely pick it up. One thing I worry about though is that a few agents have put on their websites that they don't like submissions from people who have just went through the WaAY and almost chosen at random, which is why each time I look at it I develop a short list of agents, check their websites, cut it down etc. Another book I would recommend is From Pitch To Publication by Carole Blake (who is a literary agent herself). I can't remember how I first heard about this book, but it has now become one of the most worn out in my collection.
I've heard that myself, Josh. I remember reading somewhere that you need to have written out why you chose that literary agency, with your reasoning being personal to them - good things to look for are often what authors they represent - are they people you like? Thanks for recommending From Pitch To Publication. I'll pick it up when WaAY 2013 comes out.
The problem for me is that...I honestly don't read much prose. I read manga because it's easier for me to find the time to. Also, JK Rowling's former literary agent no longer accepts unsolicited submissions (poor guy must have got swamped with them after HP's success - also his site is always under maintenance!). So I honestly have no idea who to approach.
Well, you could try doing things the opposite way. Have a look at agents who represent the genre you're interested in writing (fantasy iirc) and then look into the writers that they represent - you can probably get an idea of the style and stuff they write without even reading their books.
