鈥淭hey鈥檝e probably given my script to the receptionist to read,鈥� I once heard a writer say after sending his work to an agent. He was right. I was that receptionist, and his script, along with many others, was on my desk. 鈥淟ucky him,鈥� you鈥檙e almost certainly not thinking. But you鈥檇 be wrong. It was good, so I passed it on to the agent I was working for at the time. In doing so, I presumably increased its chances of getting somewhere 鈥� or, at the very least, saved it from a 鈥渟tandard rejection鈥� letter.
Having posted many such letters in the past, I know how difficult it is for new writers to get an agent. It can seem like a vicious circle: agents tend to want you to have had something produced; producers tend to want you to have an agent.聽 However, there are ways of getting your work noticed, as I found out when I spoke to a group of agents 鈥� Georgina Ruffhead from , Matt Connell and Julia Wyatt from , and Jean Kitson from 鈥� about what makes them take on a new client.
鈥淭here is a lot of luck in this business,鈥� says Jean. 鈥淏ut there is plenty you can do to increase the possibilities of your luck, which is being in the right place at the right time, getting involved in competitions or putting on a theatre play.鈥�
Even if you鈥檝e written a brilliant script, almost all agents want to see a CV with some writing experience on it as well. Often this is the first thing they read. Georgina explains why: 鈥淚t鈥檚 good for writers to have initiative and to have taken some steps themselves, whether this is through a course, the Writersroom, the theatre or involvement in well-regarded shadow schemes or initiative.鈥澛�
Julia agrees: "Even as an agent, if you're sending scripts out by writers聽who haven鈥檛 done anything, some people will look at them and think, 鈥榃ell, they haven鈥檛 got any experience. Why haven鈥檛 they? What have they been doing?鈥�"
Getting some professional writing experience on your CV might be difficult but it鈥檚 not impossible. 鈥淭here is a lot of support out there for brand new writers,鈥� says Jean, 鈥淯sually I would have expected writers to have availed themselves of that as much as possible.鈥� Winning competitions, putting on a theatre production or getting your first radio play are all things the agents suggest are possible without their help. 鈥淔or writers, all of those entry level points are accessible without an agent,鈥� says Matt.聽聽聽
So, once an agent likes your CV and decides to take a look at your script, what are they hoping to find? Something that鈥檚 easy to sell and will get you onto Doctors? Or so earth shatteringly original it鈥檚 unlikely to be appreciated in your lifetime, let alone get made?
Matt says: 鈥淭he bolder and more risky the idea, the less likely that anything [production-wise] is going to happen with it but the more likely it is that you鈥檒l get an agent or it will attract attention.鈥� Georgina agrees. 鈥淚 think a 鈥榗alling card鈥� script that takes some calculated risks and grabs our attention without being too avant-garde can be very effective.鈥� However, 鈥渄on鈥檛 be tricksy for the sake of it,鈥� says Jean. 鈥淭ell the story you want to tell. What producers and script editors are interested in, and what I鈥檓 interested in, is what a writer has got to say.鈥� The rest of the group agrees.
鈥淔or me it鈥檚 usually about dialogue,鈥� says Matt. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about there being a truth to the dialogue and the characters from the very first moment.鈥� Georgina already has quite a full client list, so needs 鈥渢o feel very convinced not just that the script is good but that I鈥檓 the right agent for it.鈥� She continues: 鈥淎gencies and agents all differ hugely. Some writers will prefer a big or small agency but ultimately the individual agent they work with is probably the most crucial thing.鈥�
So what should writers look for in an agent? 鈥淎 good agent should have lots of good contacts and be a gateway into the industry 鈥� whichever part of the industry you鈥檙e aiming for,鈥� says Jean. 鈥淏ut it should be a two-way conversation. My writers who are working best are real go-getters.鈥� The others share similar thoughts. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just get an agent and that鈥檚 it,鈥� says Julia. 鈥淵ou are working together. It鈥檚 a partnership.鈥澛�
What none of the agents are looking for is writing that鈥檚 trying to second guess what they want or what鈥檚 commercial. 鈥淥ne reoccurring problem I see is that some writers replicate what they think they see on mainstream film or TV rather than create something they are truly passionate about,鈥� says Georgina. Julia agrees: 鈥淲e get a lot of submissions that are similar and try and copy things that have been successful.鈥�
All of the agents get dozens of enquiries a week and, since their first priority is looking after the writers they already represent, they take on very few new clients. 鈥淎 good three quarters of the submissions that come in can be pretty easily dismissed as people who haven鈥檛 done their homework,鈥� says Matt. These include writers who haven鈥檛 checked the agency鈥檚 submission guidelines (see below). 鈥淎nyone who is aware of the Writersroom blog and is already linked in, you鈥檙e already ahead,鈥� adds Julia.
However, the sheer amount of competition for limited space means you may well end up getting at least one thanks-but-no-thanks letter. So, what then?聽
鈥淚f the agent asks you to stay in touch or to send something else, then it鈥檚 fine to check back in 鈥� but do it when you have something genuinely new to say or show,鈥� says Georgina. 鈥淥therwise I would try another agent 鈥� you want someone who likes your work.鈥� The others agree. 鈥淚f there are blanket responses that aren鈥檛 positive definitely go and write something new, do some courses or read scripts,鈥� says Matt. 鈥淭hink about your approach and what you could do to make it better,鈥� Jean adds.聽
None of the agents I talk to think there is one specific path for writers to follow. If you want to write for 麻豆约拍 Continuing Drama that鈥檚 great, but theatre, radio and other kinds of television are also options if you don鈥檛.聽 鈥淭elevision, specifically television in the UK, feels very exciting at the moment,鈥� says Jean. 鈥淭here are a lot more channels, there鈥檚 a lot more opportunity and there鈥檚 a lot more call for content.鈥� Georgina agrees: 鈥淢any people now feel that the best TV can really compete with film in terms of quality and that鈥檚 a very positive thing.鈥�
While an agent can clearly help you build your writing career, there are successful writers who don鈥檛 have one. Indeed, one writer I talk to, who has worked a lot in radio and television, says: 鈥淲hen I first started out I didn鈥檛 realise that people had agents, and it took me a couple of years to get one.鈥� He and others prove that it鈥檚 possible to find and make the most of opportunities whether you have an agent or not. 鈥淓veryone would love to discover the next big thing,鈥� says Jean. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e just got to make them believe that you are it.鈥�
Before getting in touch with the above (or any!) agents please read and follow their submission guidelines:
Berlin Associates:
David Higham:
MBA:
Sally blogs about film, TV, theatre and other stuff at or you can follow her on twitter