we receive thousands of submissions a year so regrettably it is impossible for us to answer letters of enquiry on an individual basis.
But we are one of the few agencies who do accept unsolicited manuscripts. If you would like to submit material for our consideration, then please follow the guidelines below.
We do not accept email submissions unless by prior arrangement with individual agents (for example where authors are travelling or are based overseas). Nor do we accept submissions by fax. Any unsolicited submissions by either email or fax will be discarded unread.
Unless you know a particular book agent, submissions should be sent to:
SubmissionsWe are unable to represent poetry, short stories (other than picture books) or dramatic works (for any medium, be it film, television, radio or theatre), and those submissions will be discarded. We do however agent the dramatic rights of our book projects.
When submitting fiction, including children’s fiction, please post a hard copy of the first three chapters or equivalent 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.
Non-fiction submissions should include a ten-to-twenty-page narrative tale explaining:
Other things to include:
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.
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.
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 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.
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 two months to respond, but at especially busy times it can take longer. Please do not call to chase for a reply until nine weeks have elapsed 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.
Authors should retain 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.
If you have further queries, please look at our Frequently Asked Questions page. Alternatively, you can or phone +44 (0)207 287 3030.