Hodder & Stoughton unfortunately cannot accept unsolicited manuscripts.

If you are seeking publication, we recommend you appoint an agent to represent you. You can obtain a list of agents through the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook (published by A & C Black) and The Writer's Handbook (published by Macmillan) – click on either title for their extremely helpful websites.

We regret that we are not able to recommend a specific agent.

Advice for writers

To help you towards your goal of publication, we have collected some tips and advice from our Editorial department. 

When I first started in this business as a young editor, in the days when all books were sold by sales representatives visiting each shop for an order, somebody gave me some good advice: think of that sales rep trying to explain each book to the bookseller, who is working at the till and answering the phone and looking out for shoplifters and filling out a tax form, and thinking that he doesn’t really need any new books because he has enough already, all at the same time.

However complicated and beautifully written and philosophically challenging your book might be, it’s not going to make an impression on that bookseller if the rep can’t get across what it’s about in a window of approximately twenty seconds. And the bookseller is going to think that if the rep can’t sell it to him, then he can’t sell it to the public.

Well, in the age of laptops and multiple retailers with central buying policies, it’s a long time since sales reps visited every shop to sell every book in that way, but I think the advice still holds good! If you can’t explain your book simply, or if that simple explanation doesn’t sound compelling, nobody else can do it any better. And you’ve got a problem.

It can be worth thinking about this before you start writing.

Nick Sayers

Publishing Director

There are lots of agencies out there, and it's hard to know where to start, even with the help of the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook. Firstly, remember that a reputable agency should not ask you for any money up front – if anyone you approach does this, steer clear of them. One place to start is finding out who represents a writer you admire or whose work is in the same genre or area as yours. Most agency websites list their clients, so a Google search should get you there. An identikit letter to every agency in existence is unlikely to help you – choose 5 to 10 places to start off with; they'll take you more seriously if you make it clear why you think they're the right people for your work. Make sure you have a name to address your submission to – anything addressed to the agency in general will probably go on the slushpile for the work experience people to deal with.
 
Once you've picked a few agencies, go back to their websites and read the guidelines. Then read them again. Do they want you to only submit three chapters? Send a photo? Double space? Send by post? Follow the rules and they'll know you've taken the time to do it properly – which will make them more likely to extend you the same courtesy and read your work properly.
 
Get a friend to check your manuscript for typos. Don't just rely on spellcheck – it's not always right in its advice. Make sure your opening is gripping – the twist that defines the book might happen on page 300 but if it doesn't start well then no one will ever know. Then write a brilliant cover letter. There's a lot of advice on this online, but you don't want to make it too formulaic – the main thing is to describe your work briefly and enticingly, and show that you've thought about who will read it and why. Don't include glowing reviews from your friends and family unless one of them is a Sunday Times bestselling author.
 
It's always nerve-wracking to wait, but try and resist the temptation to ring or email to check up on things. Agents and publishers are busy people, and they'll get to submissions when they can – usually at the weekend or on the train. A phone call won't make them react any faster, and may cause them to remember you less than fondly when they do read the submission.
 
There are a lot of don'ts up there, so here are a couple of dos: Do learn from the feedback you get, if you get it. Do keep writing in the face of disappointment – the more you write the better you'll get, and success will be more likely next time around. Do take rejections as well as you can – the agent doesn't hate you, they're making a commercial decision based on the available evidence. Good books do get through. Good luck...  

Ruth Tross

Assistant Editor

Know the market – find out as much as you can about what books have been successful in a similar area or genre. If you can recognise a trend that your book may fit into, be sure to make the agent or publisher you are approaching aware of it.

Be professional – make sure that your manuscript is proofread carefully and that your submission letter is likewise very clean. There is nothing more annoying than people who are submitting a book who haven't paid attention to their spelling. It shows a lack of due diligence to the whole project.

Give a short bio of yourself – if you have any prior publications of note, be it previous books, stories published in literary magazines or journalism, be sure to mention it. We need to know as much as we can about potential authors and their writing credentials.

Jack Fogg

Editor

Links

The Literary Consultancy

2nd Floor
C/o Diorama Arts
34 Osnaburgh Street
London NW1 3ND
Email: info@literaryconsultancy.co.uk
URL: www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk

Authorlink

Writers' resource and rights marketplace
URL: www.authorlink.com

Booktrust

Provides listings, factsheets on publishing and getting published, plus book news
URL: www.booktrust.org.uk

Handbook of Rhetorical Devices

Guidelines for and examples of rhetorical devices
URL: www.virtualsalt.com/rhetoric.htm

Mslexia

The magazine for women who write. Advice and inspiration; news, reviews, interviews; competitions and grants
URL: www.mslexia.co.uk

Credo Reference

Reference search engine
URL: corp.credoreference.com/

Writer Services

Provides guidelines to publishers; includes a list of UK literary agents
URL: writersservices.com/index.htm

Abctales

A place to upload, read and discuss poems and short stories
URL: www.abctales.com 

The Frontlist

Writers submit a synopsis and two consecutive chapters of up to 3,000 words per chapter. They critique the work of others and have their own work critiqued. Each month, the best are referred to either The Friday Project or agency A M Heath
URL: www.thefrontlist.com 

You Write On

Authors submit opening chapters, between 6,000 and 10,000 words, for peer-review. Top five best-reviewed each month receive a free critique from a professional agent or editor. Sponsored by Arts Council England
URL: www.youwriteon.com