Conville & Walsh

We have been delighted with all the positive responses to the advice that we recently posted on our submissions page. This week David Llewelyn has very kindly offered to give us some further insight into his experience as a reader.

I am constantly amazed at the sheer volume of unsolicited material that arrives at our offices each day. It doesn’t seem to drop below about 80 per week, and following the Christmas lull, it now seems to be averaging about 100 per week.

These manuscripts are safely stored, then bagged up and forwarded to me on a three-weekly basis. The last delivery totalled some 482, and it took me a good three weeks to reduce them to my final selection of just 19 manuscripts. These 19 I then returned to the agents, for their scrutiny, together with my written reasons for selection.

It is very satisfying to receive such a large volume of submissions, which implies that Conville & Walsh’s name is out there as an agency that is sympathetic to new writers, and it is even more gratifying to be faced with such quality work. However, there are many writers who don’t make it to the shortlist whose work is of a middling quality, and just lacks that bit of flair that can raise their work to a publishable level. What is apparent is that many have an urge to write that cannot be suppressed, and long may it continue.

I’m very much a backroom boy, but on March 10th, I joined the whole office staff and representatives from publishing, radio and film to the launch of Stephen Kelman’s Pigeon English at a small independent bookshop, Clerkenwell Tales. Stephen’s book came from the so called “slush pile” and has received much publicity. He has been chosen as one of Waterstones’ 11 new novelists to watch and also featured on the Culture Show’s 12 new authors to watch, alongside another slush pile find, that of Jim Powell and The Breaking of Eggs.

Also featuring on the news section of Conville & Walsh’s website is yet another slush find debut author, Steve Baker’s Hemispheres, a wonderful evocation of life in the Teeside area following the Falklands War. Steve’s book is on the shortlist of an inaugural East Midlands Writers award. All three novels impressed from first viewing for the sheer quality of the writing. A wonderful trio of debut authors. Just think, it could be you next, why not?

News just in is of yet another debut slush author having just signed a deal with Picador. Look out for the enigmatically titled Salt Junk, by Howard Cunnell, agented by one of the firm’s principals, Patrick Walsh.

And what of those 19 manuscripts that have just been handed over to the agents? All are now being actively considered and I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear a lot more about at least two of them. Who said publishing’s in crisis? I’ll keep you informed.

From my retreat, this is The Reader signing off.