Ali Thurm

As you know, if you’ve been keeping up with this blog, I lost my agent just before Christmas 2020. The end to a crap year for everyone I guess. So, since January, I’ve been submitting the first three chapters of my latest novel, The River Brings the Sea to literary agencies, plus covering letter and synopsis.

After five years with the same agent I’d forgotten how difficult it is: not only do you have to sell yourself in the covering letter but, so far, each agency has asked for a different length synopsis… But it’s getting easier, now I’ve got a range of synopses for all appetites from mid-morning snack to three course dinner. On City University’s Novel Studio course we covered synopsis-writing but it’s a tricky little art-form… What to leave in, what to take out.

One very helpful website (some agencies have their own recommendations) is Jericho Writers https://jerichowriters.com/ – I can recommend their no-nonsense, clear instructions, all leavened with humour. And we definitely need a few jokes at this time of year. They suggest submitting to twelve agencies so I’m a third of the way there… Wish me luck!