Hello! All Gold package customers should now have their feedback (let me know if you do not at [email protected]). This is a thread for discussion of your feedback, and to ask me any questions about it. Have fun! Edit: Others who have received Silver or Exclusive feedback also very welcome!

Hi all! I was lucky enough to attend an Agent led event last night, discussing queries, pitches and the editing process. Here's a couple of (hopefully helpful) things that came out of the discussion: 1. Make your query letters as short and professional as you can. You might want to fill it with loads of lovely detail, but they find it refreshing and attractive when one is brief. 2. Lead with your "comp" books. Don't start by getting into the plot or characters, show that you know the market and have an idea of where your book sits by comparing it to successful, well regarded (recent if you can) books in that area. Then tease the plot in two or three sentences, then end on a question or note of suspense. 3. Don't bother trying to "hide" your genre. People are tempted to claim a different genre because they're worried their novel isn't currently marketable. The agent will know immediately when they start reading the sub, so why bother hiding it? 4. (In the UK) Avoid querying in March or October. The London and Frankfurt book fairs pull a lot of agents away from reading at those times. 5. Agents give EVERYTHING a read... But bear in mind they have existing clients and an inbox of up to 20 subs a day. They also then let some of us pitch to them and get live feedback (which was heartening and super useful), so do keep an eye out for similar events. Even if it's not stated, there might be a similar learning opportunity offered.

In the past I've been lucky enough to make a few competition lists and have agents reach out. I, and my manuscript weren't ready at that time so things didn't go further. But I'm now sat with my completed (and strange) epistolary thriller in hand, ready to commence querying. Whilst attempting to find information and assistance, I'm coming across a lot of people with their hand out, and a lot of conflicting and generic advice. How did/do/would you go about trying to find the right eyes for your manuscript? Are you just searching on query tracker or a similar service? Checking industry sites and newsletters? Paying for a service? Reading tea leaves?

What textbook or manual has taught you the most about writing, and why?