Peggy Lee

In this Author Q&A, BPA mentee Claire Quinn reflects on her journey, what it was like working with HarperNorth, the excitement of hearing an award-winning actress narrate her audiobook, and what helped set her on the right path when she was starting out.

Twenty years ago, editors at publishing houses had time to work with an author on their manuscript, if they saw promise. As the market has become more and more saturated, this job has moved to literary agents. Now, agents are so busy they often don’t have the time either. Literary consultancy agencies have formed to give authors the possibility to receive industry-level feedback and increase their chance of being noticed.

Twenty years ago, editors at publishing houses had time to work with an author on their manuscript, if they saw promise. As the market has become more and more saturated, this job has moved to literary agents. Now, agents are so busy they often don’t have the time either. Literary consultancy agencies have formed to give authors the possibility to receive industry-level feedback and increase their chance of being noticed.

We recently discovered that, by coincidence, two BPA clients, Philippa Ronan (right) and Lindsey Mellon, were both to be published by the same independent publisher Northside House within only a few weeks of each other. They were happy to share their experience of going indie in our latest Author Q&A.

Julia Kelly won the BPA 2021 First Novel Award, coming first out of more than 1,000 entries. She then signed with that year’s competition judge, literary agent Hellie Ogden. In 2024, Julia signed a six-figure publishing deal with the publishing house Harvill Secker. Her debut novel The Fisherman’s Gift comes out today, Thursday March 6, 2025. We caught up with Julia to congratulate her on her success and to find out more about the different stages that lead to publication.

Triona Campbell worked closely with Blue Pencil Agency’s head editor and founder Sara Sarre on a YA novel, after which she successfully acquired an agent and a three-book deal with Scholastic UK. In this Author Q&A, Triona describes working as a film producer, the steep learning curve expected of the newly-signed author, and how the budding writer might handle the industry and land a publishing deal.

Saloni Surah worked closely with Blue Pencil Agency’s head editor and founder Sara Sarre on an Early Reader book Flora Investigates: The Case Of The Missing Gold Eggs which she has recently self-published. We were curious about her self-publishing journey – an option which continues to grow in popularity within the writing community – and asked Saloni if she would accept to do an Author Q&A so that we might glean some insider tips on the dos and don’ts of a more hands-on appr

Some of us love connecting with other writers and readers on social media, but if you use it purely to maintain a presence as an author, you’re not alone. For those who find social media can be a struggle, here are some tips to help you build a following without adding stress to your life. You might even find you get a real buzz from it!