we receive thousands of submissions a year so it is impossible for us to answer letters of enquiry on an individual basis, but we are one of the few agencies which accepts unsolicited manuscripts. If you would like to submit material for us to read, please follow the guidelines below.

How to submit

We do not accept email or faxed submissions unless you are already in correspondence with a specific agent. We will, however, answer letters of enquiry by email.

Unless you know a particular book agent personally, submissions should be sent to:

Submissions
Conville & Walsh Ltd
2 Ganton Street
London
W1F 7QL

This will ensure that your material arrives safely with our reader and does not get lost on a pile of separate correspondence.

What not to submit

We don’t represent poetry, short stories (other than picture books) or dramatic works (this means film, television, radio or theatre). Those submissions will be discarded. However, if we want to work on a book with you, we will represent all rights, including dramatic, for that book.

Fiction material

When submitting fiction, please post a hard copy of the first three chapters (or about 50 pages) and a synopsis of the work. The synopsis should not be a pitch or a blurb or a cover-style ‘teaser’, but a simplified explanation of the plot in one or two sides, listing the theme, setting and characters of your book, from the first to final chapter.

Children’s books

All children’s and Young Adult submissions should be addressed to Jo Unwin, who is our children’s agent. Please don’t send original illustrations, as we can’t be responsible for their loss or damage. For picture books, please post the entire manuscript, but for novels, please send up to fifty pages with a synopsis.

Non-fiction material

Non-fiction submissions should include a ten-to-twenty-page narrative tale explaining:

  • Research into similar or competing works that have already been published, stating, where possible, the author, title, publisher and publication date.
  • At least one chapter of sample text (usually taken from an early part of the book, but not the introduction).
  • An outline charting the plan of the book in the form of chapter summaries (two or three paragraphs per chapter, written in full prose).
  • A biographical note written in the third person to enable you to stress your background, training and experience and point to your authority to write the book.

    • Covering letter

    For both fiction and non-fiction please also include a covering letter giving an account of the background of the book and an account of your career to date. If you have been referred to Conville & Walsh by a trade or personal contact please make this clear in your letter. If you have had previous correspondence with one of our agents, please include details with your submission. Please also mention if your project has been seen or is being seen by any other agents or publishers.

    Presentation

    Please ensure that any material is typeset so as to be clearly legible. We prefer unbound A4 pages typed no smaller than 12-point Times New Roman font, double- or 1.5-line-spaced and printed on one side of the paper only with wide margins. Pages should be numbered. Finally, remember to print your name and a contact number or email address on the cover of your manuscript.

    Receipt and return

    We cannot acknowledge receipt, and material will be returned only if it is accompanied by return postage (preferably on a stamped, self-addressed envelope). Please do not send cash, international postage coupons or blank cheques. If return postage is not provided the material will be recycled.

    The high level of unsolicited material received each week makes it impossible to log submissions as they pass through the office. Material is rarely lost, so please bear with us.

    Turnaround

    We do read every submission made to us, but must give first priority to authors we already represent. Anyone wanting to make a submission should bear in mind that it may take us as long as three months to respond. Please don’t chase us for a reply until nine weeks from the date of your submission. Given the time it takes us to get to new submissions, we do encourage you to contact other agencies at the same time.

    Loss or damage

    Authors should keep a copy of all material submitted to us. We cannot be held responsible for the loss of or damage to any typescripts, artwork or electronic media submitted to us, either in transit or during the reading process.

    We look forward to reading your submission