Suite 101 talks to Andrew Lownie, a literary agent based in the U.K.
The Andrew Lownie Literary Agency have represented over one hundred biographies and around thirty memoirs. We interviewed Andrew on the world of the literary agent and the memoir genre.
Suite 101: Why should memoir writers get a literary agent?
For the same reason as any writer – it is the best way to strike a decent publishing deal.
Suite 101: How should memoir writers prepare to submit their work to an agent?
In the format suggested on my website – one page synopsis giving the highlights of the book with any revelations; a cv to show qualifications to write the book; a note on the comparable books to show how the book fits into the market; a note on sources to show it has new information; a page on marketing outlets to demonstrate it has commercial appeal; a page synopsis per chapter and a sample chapter to give a flavor of the writing.
Suite 101: What is it which stands out to you in a submission which makes you decide to represent the author?
The assurance and lucidity of the writing and the commercial potential of both author and book.
Suite 101: Which biography or autobiography are you most proud of having represented?
Most recently Daniel Tammet’s Born on a Blue Day and Cathy Glass’s Damaged – both memoirs and international bestsellers by remarkable individuals.
Suite 101: Which biography or autobiography do you wish you had represented?
I admire lots of biographies which I would have liked to represent but life is too short for regrets.
Suite 101: Autobiographies and biographies will always have a place in the bestseller lists. The memoir, however, seems to be constantly in and out of fashion. We have seen a wealth of memoirs over the past few years. Do you think that the age of the memoir is coming to an end?
There will always be an interest in people’s lives whether memoirs or biographies and I don’t see interest flagging. Publishers are being more selective and there more memoirs seem to be ‘creative non-fiction’ where truth and fiction sometimes blurred.
Suite 101: What one piece of advice can you give to anyone looking for a literary agent?
Be professional. Know the market. I receive over 500 submissions a week and take on only a dozen writers a year so the writer has to be very distinctive and commercial.
The Andrew Lownie Literary Agency has represented books by over one hundred and fifty authors. Andrew Lownie is also a biographer and Suite 101 interviewed him about the skill of biography research and the craft of writing that research into a book.
Dulcinea Norton-Smith - Dulcinea is a writer, an avid reader, a loving wife, a terrible housewife, a mother of two, a Civil Servant and of course a freelance ...
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