We represent a broad range of writers but we do not represent writers of screenplays, scripts or poetry. For everything else please read our guidelines below.
Fiction and children’s
If you would like to submit your novel or children’s book for consideration, please email submissions@colwillandpeddle.com with the subject line Fiction/Children's Submission with the following:
A cover letter telling us about you and your writing background
A 300-word synopsis of the project
The first chapter of your work
Non-fiction
Most non-fiction books are sold to publishers on proposal so you don’t need to have written the whole book already. We will, however, accept full manuscripts especially if you’ve written a memoir.
Please email submissions@colwillandpeddle.com with the subject line Non-fiction Submission. In the body of the email please provide a brief (300 word or so) pitch for your book and attach a single word document (.doc/.docx) that includes a cover letter and a proposal that covers the following:
What your book/project is about; why it is important and original and why you think it would make a good book.
A brief biography – tell us about your professional and personal experience and why you are the person to write this book now. Please include any relevant links to previous writing or, if you are an academic, any relevant academic research and/or publications
Competing titles or similar projects
A chapter or sample of your book (at least 10,000 words)
An outline of chapters of the book
What not to submit
We do not represent poetry, screenplays or scripts. Please consult the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook to find a suitable agent. Another tip is to have a look at the acknowledgment pages of books similar to yours to see who the author has thanked – you should find their agent mentioned there.
What happens next
Please keep us posted if you receive an offer of representation or wish to withdraw your submission. Please do not submit revised proposals unless we’ve asked for them. We cannot give detailed feedback on, nor enter into any correspondence about, proposals we have rejected. We aim to respond to submissions as soon as we can, but we are often working our way through a substantial number, so do bear with us.